The "Architettura Artistica: Tradizione e Modernità" International Design Competition co-organized by the Academy of Fine Arts of Lecce and the Italian FUCINA Cultural Foundation was successfully held recently. The Qilinwan Commercial Street in the center of Xining, Qinghai Province, designed by Cao Wei, chief designer of Beijing Capital City Commerce&Urban Planning Design Academy, won the Award for Design Excellence for its perfect combination of traditional Chinese and modern elements.
On December 16, 2008, the project of Qilinwan Commercial Street in the center of Xining, Qinghai Province, designed by Cao Wei, designer of Beijing Capital City Commerce&Urban Planning Design Academy, based on the concept of integrating traditional Chinese culture and modern urban development, won the only Award for Design Excellence at Architettura Artistica: Tradizione e Modernità International Design Competition jointly held by the Academy of Fine Arts of Lecce and the Italian FUCINA Cultural Foundation.
Cao Wei and Giacinto Leone, Former Mayor and President of the Academy
The competition launched a global collection of works one month ago. After selection and evaluation by a jury composed of Italian artists and architectural design experts, Chinese designer Cao Wei beat other competitors from China, Italy and France in the finals on December 16. Mr. Giacinto Leone, former mayor of Lecce and the President of the Academy of Fine Arts of Lecce, attended the awarding ceremony and presented the honorary certificate to Mr. Cao.
In the planning and design of Qilinwan Commercial Street, Mr. Cao integrated leisure and sunshine into commercial real estate. He said: "I really enjoy the feeling of sitting outside in leisure. This is the most wonderful way of life for people across the world, people like to sit outdoor and enjoy a cup of tea. This kind of feeling and atmosphere gave me the inspiration to leave “some blank” in the building during planning. A large terrace was reserved to give people the space to enjoy the sunshine and relax. This is the inheritance of natural culture and history.”
Cao Wei exchanged views with judges and experts from the Academy and the FUCINA Fund in the millennium-old lecture hall of the Academy of Fine Arts of Lecce
