麥克?米切爾：為生活而設(shè)計(jì)

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　　采訪地點(diǎn)：北京?MCM集團(tuán)辦公室

　　采訪時間：2010年6月?

　　被采訪人：麥克•米切爾　Michael?C.Mitchell（MCM總裁兼首席執(zhí)行官）

　　采訪記者：楊江妮，盧繼賢

　　翻　　譯：張保利，李艷君
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　　Michael?C.Mitchell（麥克•米切爾）　是在國際游樂勝地設(shè)計(jì)，景區(qū)設(shè)計(jì)，及休閑服務(wù)設(shè)計(jì)領(lǐng)域里享譽(yù)世界的設(shè)計(jì)顧問，曾是聯(lián)合國環(huán)境宣言起草人。在其35年的職業(yè)生涯里，他成功地為59個國家超過2000個項(xiàng)目做出了杰出的貢獻(xiàn)。米切爾先生曾擔(dān)任洛杉磯奧運(yùn)會資深副總裁，負(fù)責(zé)該屆奧運(yùn)會的競賽活動規(guī)劃和經(jīng)濟(jì)支持統(tǒng)籌，同時也負(fù)責(zé)監(jiān)督五十六個奧林匹克場館的規(guī)劃及建筑部門的統(tǒng)籌安排，這是米切爾先生最知名的成功事例。米切爾先生還在其它六屆奧林匹克盛會、四屆世界博覽會中擔(dān)任過資深 規(guī)劃顧問，并與全球許多大規(guī)模的休閑、游樂和地產(chǎn)開發(fā)公司以及國家或市政府展開過大型項(xiàng)目的合作。他主要為如下項(xiàng)目設(shè)施提供可行性分析和規(guī)劃設(shè)計(jì)-商業(yè)景點(diǎn)（主題公園和特色景點(diǎn)）；公共景點(diǎn)（世界展覽，奧運(yùn)會，博物館， 廣場）；旅游設(shè)施（酒店，度假勝地，溫泉療養(yǎng)勝地，體育中心）；以及地產(chǎn)開發(fā)（生活休閑中心，綜合用途項(xiàng)目和城市開發(fā)項(xiàng)目）。

　　記者：MCM具有處理國際大型項(xiàng)目的豐富經(jīng)驗(yàn)，參與了七屆奧運(yùn)會、四屆友好運(yùn)動會、五項(xiàng)世界體育錦標(biāo)賽、四次世界博覽會、十一次展覽會等項(xiàng)目，MCM在處理這樣的國際大型項(xiàng)目的方法上有哪些豐富的經(jīng)驗(yàn)要和大家分享？而MCM最大的優(yōu)勢是什么？

　　麥克•米切爾先生：有效地規(guī)劃要求我們將國際大型項(xiàng)目看作一個系統(tǒng),這個系統(tǒng)由場地、安全、交通、食品供給等等方面的問題組成,就像汽車由很多零部件組成一樣，這些零件朝著一個目標(biāo)協(xié)同工作。MCM已有處理國際大型項(xiàng)目規(guī)劃設(shè)計(jì)及建筑服務(wù)的實(shí)戰(zhàn)經(jīng)驗(yàn)，所以我們會從實(shí)際操作的層面出發(fā)。我們懂得如何規(guī)劃以使這些國際大型項(xiàng)目以最高的國際水準(zhǔn)運(yùn)作。

　　在大型項(xiàng)目上我們運(yùn)用的一個重要手段是“假想表格”。據(jù)我們的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，大多數(shù)人在處理大型復(fù)雜項(xiàng)目時都會先專注于不同的構(gòu)成部分再逐漸整合成整體的解決方案。如此處理復(fù)雜項(xiàng)目是非常沒有效率的，因?yàn)檎w目標(biāo)的完美實(shí)現(xiàn)并非依賴于獨(dú)立部分的最大化。這就猶如讓一群人分組去創(chuàng)造一個人，由不同組來分別培養(yǎng)心臟、肺、大腦等器官。沒有充分知曉人體系統(tǒng)工作原理的情況下，他們創(chuàng)造出的只會是一個死體。以此類推，做大型項(xiàng)目也是如此。因此，想要創(chuàng)作一個真正高效的項(xiàng)目應(yīng)該由上述討論的結(jié)果出發(fā)，反方向運(yùn)作——首先將項(xiàng)目整體作為一個系統(tǒng)分析透徹，然后依據(jù)各個部分在系統(tǒng)中的功能分別進(jìn)行設(shè)計(jì)。我們著手一個項(xiàng)目時，會讓每個人填寫“假想表格”。這樣你會發(fā)現(xiàn)每個人對所面臨的問題會有不同的理解。這個過程能迅速化解矛盾，統(tǒng)一觀點(diǎn)。在一個項(xiàng)目中我們針對每個問題都運(yùn)用這種方法，像在奧林匹克運(yùn)動會那樣大型項(xiàng)目中會有超過100團(tuán)隊(duì)運(yùn)作。通過規(guī)劃我們將一個項(xiàng)目分解為各個可操作的單元，然后以“假想表格”作為基本的規(guī)劃方法來進(jìn)行現(xiàn)場實(shí)施規(guī)劃。

　　我們的主要經(jīng)驗(yàn)就是規(guī)劃設(shè)計(jì)要從大局和整體目標(biāo)出發(fā)漸次深入到設(shè)施設(shè)計(jì)，而不是由部分上升到整體。比如，我們從來不從場地規(guī)劃開始規(guī)劃一個項(xiàng)目并決定場地上要建設(shè)的最佳設(shè)施類型。首先我們會嘗試弄清什么是能為場地創(chuàng)造最高價值的最佳活動、體驗(yàn)和設(shè)施方案，此后才會開始依此方案進(jìn)行場地設(shè)計(jì)。

　　記者：MCM與南京市針對2014年第二屆夏季青年奧林匹克運(yùn)動會籌備方面進(jìn)行合作交流，請您簡要介紹這次合作的進(jìn)展情況。您認(rèn)為MCM對這個項(xiàng)目的獨(dú)特見解有哪些？

　　麥克•米切爾先生：南京是中國最重要的城市之一，而青年奧林匹克運(yùn)動會將為之帶來一次向世界展示“南京不止是偉大的中國城市，同時也是很重要的國際城市”的機(jī)會。我們給組委會帶來了為國際盛事進(jìn)行規(guī)劃的悠久歷史，希望能夠幫助他們創(chuàng)造一次非常成功的盛事。目前我們正在討論幾種協(xié)助他們的方式。

　　我們的經(jīng)驗(yàn)使得我們能夠在以下方面協(xié)助組委會：第一，如上所述，我們知道如何有效組織大型復(fù)雜事件（比如南京將要舉行的青奧會）的規(guī)劃。作為組委會高級顧問，我們能給組委會提供節(jié)省資金和時間的規(guī)劃方法。其他專業(yè)方面包括特定場址規(guī)劃——協(xié)助他們設(shè)計(jì)新的運(yùn)動設(shè)施或者成功改造現(xiàn)有建筑作為臨時設(shè)施為青奧會所用。如果精心設(shè)計(jì)的混合功能的設(shè)施能夠長期為社區(qū)充分使用，我們便沒有必要建造一座嶄新的單一用途的運(yùn)動設(shè)施。此外，我們能夠在可持續(xù)建筑、綠色社區(qū)規(guī)劃、組織性策略和如何整合大型活動的運(yùn)作與賽事隊(duì)硬件設(shè)施的要求等方面為組委會提供培訓(xùn)。

　　最終我們的任務(wù)就是幫助組委會在南京呈現(xiàn)一場世界級的盛會。我們將為組委會提供咨詢服務(wù)、設(shè)計(jì)服務(wù)、培訓(xùn)課程、和操作指南等任何組委會取得成功所必要的協(xié)助。

　　記者：您是如何在有限的時間里將多專業(yè)領(lǐng)域的人才整合成一個成功的團(tuán)隊(duì)面對一個大型項(xiàng)目的挑戰(zhàn)？

　　麥克•米切爾先生：這是一個很好的問題。其實(shí)只有屈指可數(shù)的一些人能夠真正上去應(yīng)對大型國際盛會，所以關(guān)鍵不是尋找專業(yè)技術(shù)人員，而是組織一個管理體系讓30到40歲年齡段間的年輕專業(yè)人士充分發(fā)揮他們的才能。組織體系是使大型項(xiàng)目成功的關(guān)鍵。

　　成功的大型案例是職業(yè)生涯的良好起點(diǎn)。重大事件往往會引起人們的高度關(guān)注，因此參與此項(xiàng)目的人們及核心管理人員常常被大公司所追尋。通常有五類人群參與到這種活動中來：專業(yè)顧問、有抱負(fù)的年輕專業(yè)人士、大公司的借貸負(fù)責(zé)人、供應(yīng)商（像電腦供應(yīng)商、軟件供應(yīng)商、會計(jì)師事務(wù)所等）和近期大學(xué)畢業(yè)生。主要活動的實(shí)際操作過程當(dāng)中還需要一批自愿者骨干隊(duì)伍的協(xié)助。

　　MCM公司則屬于專業(yè)顧問。很多年輕的專業(yè)人士相信自己能在主要事件中學(xué)習(xí)到很多東西從而改進(jìn)他們的工作簡歷，通常他們是最大的員工群體；公司借貸行政如果能夠勝任與其背景相關(guān)的職位還是很有用的，比如食品供應(yīng)、安全、交通運(yùn)輸?shù)缺尘啊Ｗ詈?，還需要大量的輔助人員，他們則通常是22-29歲近期畢業(yè)的大學(xué)生。

　　當(dāng)你需要上千的人員短時間內(nèi)執(zhí)行一項(xiàng)復(fù)雜任務(wù)時，你需要給出一個清晰的前景，一個牢固的組織框架和人們能夠很快學(xué)會并運(yùn)用的方法。由于已經(jīng)在此類環(huán)境中多次作業(yè)，所以我們已經(jīng)制定了一套可遵循的程序和策略。

　　記者：您是否關(guān)注了中國上海正在舉行的世博會？根據(jù)您的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，您認(rèn)為上海世博會對中國城市有哪些影響？

　　麥克•米切爾先生：我將于7月份的第一周前往上海參觀世博會。對此我非常期待。世博會對特定的技術(shù)或者設(shè)計(jì)理念的影響并不大，其影響在于如此大的國際盛事給予一個城市的信心和聲譽(yù)。成功舉辦世博會需要強(qiáng)大的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力和前瞻性的視野，正如引導(dǎo)城市走向未來所需要的一樣。傳承自上海世博會的將無關(guān)建筑，而是它給予中國人民敢于取得偉大成就的信心。

　　毋庸置疑，此屆世博會對中國乃至世界都非常重要。它傳遞了一個有力而清楚的信息：環(huán)境對于我們所引領(lǐng)的生活質(zhì)量有著重要影響。我們必須尋找可持續(xù)建設(shè)的途徑以及通過低碳的方法長期維持我們生活質(zhì)量的方法。對于此，不同國家有其各自一套獨(dú)特的解決方案，然而綜合了這些方法的上海世博會作為如何建設(shè)我們未來的城市榜樣，為所有的人類提供了至關(guān)重要的服務(wù)。

　　這不僅是給上海和參與其中的7千萬游客很好的一課，并且還以生動的實(shí)驗(yàn)形式證明了只要我們下定決心，就能解決我們的問題。

　　記者：上海世博會提出：“城市讓生活更美好”，而MCM提出的是“為生活而設(shè)計(jì)”，能否為我們詮釋一下這個看似簡單，卻是很高要求的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)？

　　麥克•米切爾先生：為生活而設(shè)計(jì)是個非常復(fù)雜的概念。它涉及到在處理項(xiàng)目時三個層面上的思考。第一個層面是設(shè)計(jì)經(jīng)濟(jì)可行的項(xiàng)目。財(cái)富是一個公司或者團(tuán)體的命脈，它使我們文明的產(chǎn)生成為可能。第二個層面是要從用戶的角度來審視建設(shè)或發(fā)展的需求。如果我生活或工作在這里我會感覺怎么樣？我們的工作是為人們設(shè)計(jì)空間，而不是為車、某種觀點(diǎn)或者建筑學(xué)立場做設(shè)計(jì)。第三個層面是該項(xiàng)目是否可持續(xù)。設(shè)計(jì)是否限制了能量和水的使用，對土地的負(fù)面影響最??？最近，我們在探索實(shí)際上能夠?yàn)榄h(huán)境帶來積極影響的發(fā)展模式。為生活而設(shè)計(jì)要求我們在一個成功的項(xiàng)目中整合這三個層面的內(nèi)容。

　　記者：MCM很早就開始在世界范圍內(nèi)開展項(xiàng)目，而對于中國市場，在眾多進(jìn)入中國內(nèi)地的境外設(shè)計(jì)公司中，MCM相對來說是比較晚的，這其中有何原因？在中國的這兩年時間里，發(fā)展成就有哪些？

　　麥克•米切爾先生：我們最早在中國做項(xiàng)目是1988年，但當(dāng)時我們沒有找到在中國長期開展業(yè)務(wù)的合適機(jī)會。2000年我們重返中國并于2005年開展全職運(yùn)營。這段時期我們設(shè)計(jì)了73個項(xiàng)目。

　　記者：MCM的設(shè)計(jì)始終貫穿著“可持續(xù)發(fā)展”的設(shè)計(jì)理念，根據(jù)您對中國的了解和認(rèn)識，您認(rèn)為中國進(jìn)行可持續(xù)發(fā)展城市建設(shè)面臨的問題有哪些？您有何建議？

　　麥克•米切爾先生：中國建設(shè)可持續(xù)城市面臨著三個挑戰(zhàn)。第一個挑戰(zhàn)是隨著中國日益增長的發(fā)展經(jīng)濟(jì)，個人能耗增加，而這些能量目前大多都來自煤炭。中國需要大幅度提高其能源利用效率并使用可替代能源才能使其溫室氣體水平保持不變，更不用說減少溫室氣體了。第二，中國不應(yīng)該犯美國以及工業(yè)化的西方犯過的錯誤——城市建設(shè)導(dǎo)致了對汽車的依賴，城市應(yīng)該以人為中心來進(jìn)行設(shè)計(jì)，而不是汽車。第三，中國依賴混凝土作為主要建筑材料，而混凝土在生產(chǎn)過程中會產(chǎn)生大量的溫室氣體。中國需要采取更有效的建筑策略。

　　記者：您曾經(jīng)說過，解決環(huán)境問題不是技術(shù)層面的問題，而是社會和政治層面的問題。您有沒有試圖用您所擁有的理念去影響決策者意志或者民眾認(rèn)識的經(jīng)歷？

　　麥克•米切爾先生：我們當(dāng)然擁有解決環(huán)境問題的技術(shù)手段和知識。問題是讓人們認(rèn)真考慮出他們所想要達(dá)到的目標(biāo)。中國有很多顯著的優(yōu)勢，但它有個弱點(diǎn)就是政府只給建筑設(shè)計(jì)公司短短幾周去規(guī)劃設(shè)計(jì)一個項(xiàng)目。短短幾周對于畫一幅漂亮的圖畫是足夠了，但合理地進(jìn)行規(guī)劃需要花上幾個月時間——進(jìn)行合理的能源設(shè)計(jì)使建筑節(jié)能高效，合理的水回收系統(tǒng)，對不同設(shè)計(jì)方案的環(huán)境影響進(jìn)行評價——所有的這些都需要時間，但是中國的開發(fā)項(xiàng)目卻很少花費(fèi)必要的時間去評估所有這些顧慮。而且，不幸是中國有很多建筑設(shè)計(jì)公司沒有受過必要的訓(xùn)練去完成這些所有的必要步驟。

　　記者：作為MCM國際集團(tuán)的創(chuàng)始人和首席執(zhí)行官，您對MCM現(xiàn)在取得的成績?nèi)绾卧u價？

　　麥克•米切爾先生：MCM在59個國家完成了超過2000個項(xiàng)目。我們在世界各地有過很多重要項(xiàng)目的實(shí)踐機(jī)會。但我希望我們能在中國創(chuàng)造進(jìn)一步成就。接下來的25年中國的建設(shè)量將相當(dāng)于與美國規(guī)模的一個國家。MCM愿意幫助中國發(fā)展是宜居、可持續(xù)和盡善盡美的生活環(huán)境。

　　記者：請您談?wù)凪CM下一步在中國的發(fā)展戰(zhàn)略。

　　麥克•米切爾先生：我們了解如何規(guī)劃大型復(fù)雜項(xiàng)目，正如中國各地新城區(qū)里正在變化的；我們了解如何改善生活方式和休閑設(shè)施以豐富城市的文化和享受；我們了解如何規(guī)劃設(shè)計(jì)可持續(xù)性設(shè)施；而且我們了解如何使項(xiàng)目經(jīng)濟(jì)適用。在未來的二十年里，我們相信這些優(yōu)勢能夠幫助中國建設(shè)取得偉大的成就。?
　　
Interviewer：As?we?know?that?MCM?have?worked?on?many?large-scale?projects?for?international?or?national?events?across?the?world,?including?7?Olympic?Games,?4?Goodwill?Games,?5?World?Sports?Championships,?4?World?EXPOs,?and?several?exhibitions.?What?is?the?most?valuable?experience?from?these?projects??And?what?is?the?advantage?of?MCM?design?
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Michael?C.?Mitchell：In?order?to?plan?efficiently?requires?that?you?view?large?international?projects?as?one?system,?like?a?car,?with?many?parts?but?everything?must?work?towards?one?goal?–?the?venue,?security,?transportation,?food?service,?and?the?like.?The?advantage?MCM?has?in?planning?and?in?providing?architectural?services?is?that?we?have?actually?managed?large?international?events?so?we?address?the?planning?from?an?operational?point?of?view.?We?understand?how?to?plan?to?make?them?operate?at?the?highest?international?standard.
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One?of?the?most?important?tools?we’ve?used?on?large?projects?is?what?we?call?“Assumption?Sheets.”?It’s?been?our?experience?that?most?people?work?on?large,?complex?projects?by?focusing?on?specific?elements?and?they?then?build?piece?by?piece?towards?the?whole.?This?is?a?highly?inefficient?way?to?manage?complex?projects?because?the?overall?goals?of?the?project?may?not?be?best?served?by?maximizing?the?individual?parts.?It?would?be?like?telling?a?group?of?people?to?create?a?human?body?with?different?teams?working?on?the?heart,?lungs,?brain,?etc.?Without?fully?understanding?how?the?whole?body?operates?as?a?system,?the?team?would?build?a?very?inefficient?human.?The?same?is?true?of?any?large?project.?To?create?a?truly?efficient?project,?you?need?to?start?from?the?opposite?end?–?understanding?the?whole?as?a?system?first?and?then?designing?each?element?in?relationship?to?how?it?works?in?the?system.?We?start?this?process?by?having?everyone?on?a?large?project?fill-out?“Assumption?Sheets.”?What?you?find?in?doing?this?is?that?people?have?very?different?ideas?about?what?they?thought?was?going?on.?This?process?quickly?calls?out?the?inconsistencies?and?helps?align?everyone?with?the?same?vision.?We?do?this?with?each?element?in?a?project?–?with?large?projects?like?an?Olympics?having?over?100?different?operating?groups.?Then?the?planning?process?breaks?the?project?into?an?operating?unit?and?begins?using?the?assumption?sheets?as?the?base?planning?point?to?plan?the?operating?venue.?
The?main?lesson?to?draw?from?this?is?planning?and?design?should?begin?from?the?big?picture?and?goals?down?to?the?facility?design?and?not?from?the?elements?up.?For?example?we?never?start?our?planning?from?a?site?plan?and?determine?what?type?of?facility?will?physically?work?best?on?the?site.?We?first?try?to?understand?what?are?the?best?activities,?experiences?and?facility?program?that?will?give?the?site?the?most?value,?and?only?then?begin?to?design?with?that?program?for?the?site.?
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Interviewer：Recently,?MCM?and?Nanjing?government?have?met?and?discussed?the　collaboration?of?the?preparation?for?the?2nd?YOG?(Youth?Olympic?Games)?which?will?be?held?by?Nanjing?2014,?so,?could?you?tell?us?how?is?everything?going?with?this?collaboration??And?what?special?ideas?would?MCM?put?forward?to?do?with?this?project??
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Michael?C.?Mitchell：Nanjing?is?one?of?China’s?most?important?cities?and?the?Youth?Olympic?Games?will?give?them?an?opportunity?to?demonstrate?to?the?world?that?they?are?not?only?a?great?Chinese?city,?but?an?important?international?city?as?well.?We?bring?to?the?Organizing?Committee?a?long?history?in?planning?international?events?and?hope?to?help?them?to?produce?a?highly?successful?event.?We?are?currently?discussing?several?different?ways?we?can?assist?them.?
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Our?experience?suggests?several?ways?that?we?may?be?able?to?help?the?Committee.?First,?as?discussed?above,?we?understand?how?to?efficiently?organize?the?planning?of?large?complex?events?such?as?the?one?they?are?going?to?host.?Serving?as?a?senior?consultant?could?provide?the?Committee?with?planning?tools?that?could?save?it?money?and?time?in?the?development?of?the?project.?Other?areas?of?expertise?include?specific?venue?planning?–?helping?design?new?athletic?facilities?or?help?address?how?to?successfully?convert?existing?structures?into?temporary?use?venues?for?the?Games.?There?is?no?need?to?simply?build?new?single?purpose?athletic?facilities?when?well-designed?multi-purpose?facilities?can?have?a?much?fuller?use?for?the?community?in?the?long-term.?Additionally?we?can?provide?sophisticated?training?services?to?the?Committee?on?areas?such?as?sustainable?architecture,?green?community?planning,?organizational?strategies,?and?how?to?integrate?the?operating?side?of?a?large?event?with?the?physical?requirements?of?the?Games.?
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In?the?end?our?task?is?to?help?the?Committee?deliver?a?world-class?event?in?Nanjing.?We?will?supply?consulting?services,?training?programs,?design?services,?operation?manuals,?whatever?the?Committee?feels?it?requires?to?succeed.?
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Interviewer：It?is?never?easy?to?build?up?a?team?with?experts?from?different?disciplines?to?take?the?challenges?of?big?event?projects?such?as?EXPO?or?Olympic?Games?in?a?short?time.?How?do?you?deal?with?this??
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Michael?C.?Mitchell：This?is?an?excellent?question.?There?are?only?a?handful?of?people?that?have?actually?managed?large?international?events?so?the?trick?is?not?in?finding?experts,?but?in?creating?a?management?system?where?bright?young?professionals?in?their?30’s?–?40’s?can?flourish.?The?organizing?system?is?the?key?to?making?large?projects?successful.?
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Large?successful?events?are?great?launching?pads?for?careers.?Large?events?draw?a?great?deal?of?attention?and?as?such?the?people?that?work?on?them?and?that?play?key?management?roles?are?often?sought?after?by?large?firms.?There?are?normally?five?categories?of?people?that?work?on?major?events:?professional?consultants;?young?aggressive?professionals;?managers?on?loan?from?large?companies;?vendor?staff?(like?computer?vendor?staff,?software?vendor?staff,?accounting?firms,?etc.)?and?recent?college?graduates.?Major?events?also?rely?upon?a?cadre?of?volunteers?to?help?during?the?actual?operations?of?the?event.?
Firms?like?MCM?fit?into?the?consultant?category.?Many?young?professionals?believe?that?they?can?both?learn?a?great?deal?and?improve?their?resume?working?on?a?major?event?so?they?normally?form?the?largest?staffing?group;?executives?on?loan?from?companies?are?useful?if?they?can?fill?positions?that?resemble?their?backgrounds?–?for?example?in?food?service,?security,?transportation,?etc.?Finally?large?numbers?of?support?staff?are?required?which?are?usually?filled?by?22?–?29?year?old?recent?college?graduates.?
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When?you?pull?a?thousand?or?more?individuals?together?in?a?very?short?time?to?perform?a?complex?task,?you?need?to?provide?a?clear?vision,?a?strong?organizational?structure?and?very?good?methodologies?that?people?can?learn?quickly?and?follow.?Because?we?have?worked?in?several?of?these?environments,?we?have?developed?a?set?of?procedures?and?strategies?to?follow.?
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Interviewer：Have?you?visited?Shanghai?EXPO?yet??Due?to?your?experience?engaged?in?planning?and?design?for?EXPOs,?how?would?Shanghai?EXPO?influences?Chinese?cities?in?the?future??
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Michael?C.?Mitchell：I’m?going?to?the?Shanghai?Expo?the?first?week?of?July.?I?very?much?look?forward?to?it.?The?impact?of?Expo’s?is?not?so?much?in?a?specific?technology?or?design?idea,?but?in?the?confidence?and?prestige?an?international?Expo?gives?a?city.?It?takes?leadership?and?vision?to?successful?open?an?Expo,?the?very?same?qualities?it?takes?to?lead?a?city?into?the?future.?The?lasting?legacy?of?the?Shanghai?Expo?will?not?be?in?buildings,?but?in?the?confidence?it?gives?the?Chinese?people?that?they?can?dare?to?achieve?greatness.?
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But?without?question?the?focus?of?this?Expo?is?of?particular?importance?to?China?and?the?world.?It?is?sending?a?very?loud?and?clear?message?that?our?environment?matters?a?great?deal?to?the?quality?of?life?we?lead?and?that?we?must?find?ways?to?build?sustainably?and?with?low-carbon?approaches?to?maintain?our?living?quality?over?the?long?term.?Various?countries?approach?this?issue?from?their?own?set?of?unique?solutions,?but?taken?together?the?Shanghai?Expo?is?providing?a?vital?service?to?all?of?mankind,?as?a?leading?example?of?the?way?we?should?be?building?our?future?cities.?
This?represents?not?only?a?great?lesson?for?Shanghai?itself,?and?for?the?70?million?visitors?that?will?visit?and?enjoy?the?Expo,?but?it?also?serves?as?a?living?experiment?that?demonstrates?that?we?can?solve?our?problems?if?we?put?our?minds?to?it.?
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Interviewer：The?thesis?of?Shanghai?EXPO?is?“Better?City,?Better?Life”,?while?MCM?values?the?idea?“Design?for?Life”.?I?think?it?seems?simple?but?requires?very?high?standards,?could?you?explain?this?idea?for?us??
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Michael?C.?Mitchell：Designing?for?Life?is?a?very?complex?concept.?It?involves?three?layers?of?thinking?when?approaching?a?project.?The?first?is?designing?an?economically?feasible?project.?The?lifeblood?of?a?corporation?or?a?society?is?wealth?which?makes?our?civilization?possible.?The?second?layer?is?that?a?building?or?a?development?needs?to?be?viewed?from?the?user’s?perspective.?How?would?I?feel?if?I?live?here?or?work?there??Our?job?is?to?design?spaces?for?people,?not?for?cars?or?viewpoints?or?architectural?statements.?The?third?layer?is?whether?the?project?is?sustainable.?Does?the?design?limit?the?use?of?energy?and?water?and?have?the?least?negative?impact?on?the?land.?Recently?we?have?been?exploring?developments?that?actually?create?a?positive?environmental?impact.?In?order?to?Design?for?Life,?you?must?integrate?all?three?layers?into?a?successful?project.?
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Interviewer：Your?company?has?been?engaged?in?projects?worldwide?long?time?ago,?but?it?is?new?in?China?comparing?with?other?oversea?landscape?design?firms,?that’s?why??And?what?achievements?have?MCM?acquired?in?China?during?the?last?2?years??
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Michael?C.?Mitchell：Our?earliest?work?in?China?was?in?1988,?but?at?that?time?we?did?not?find?the?right?opportunity?for?long-term?services.?We?returned?in?2000?and?opened?full-time?operations?in?China?in?2005.?Over?this?period?we?have?worked?on?73?projects.?
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Interviewer：MCM?is?a?firm?that?dedicate?to?“optimal?environments”,?and?your?design?solutions?are?always?environmental?sustainable.?According?to?you?know?stuffs?about?China,?what?are?challenges?for?China?to?build?sustainable?cities??What?suggests?would?you?give?us??
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Michael?C.?Mitchell：China?has?three?challenges?to?building?sustainable?cities.?The?first?challenge?is?that?as?China?continues?to?increase?its?economic?development,?individuals?will?utilize?increasing?amounts?of?energy?which?are?currently?provided?by?coal.?China?will?need?to?dramatically?increase?its?efficiency?and?utilize?alternative?energy?sources?to?even?hold?its?greenhouse?levels?constant,?let?alone?reduce?them.?Secondly?China?should?not?make?the?same?mistake?America?and?the?industrialized?west?have?made?creating?such?a?reliance?upon?cars.?Cities?should?be?designed?around?people?and?not?cars.?Thirdly?China?relies?upon?concrete?as?a?primary?building?material?which?unfortunately?creates?large?amounts?of?greenhouse?gases?in?its?production.?Much?more?efficient?building?strategies?need?to?be?considered.?
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Interviewer：You?had?mentioned?that?“The?environment?issues?are?not?about?techniques,?they?are?social?and?political?problems”.?Have?you?ever?try?to?affect?the?authorities’?decision-making?or?educated?people?with?your?ideas??
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Michael?C.?Mitchell：We?certainly?have?the?technological?knowledge?to?solve?our?environmental?problems.?The?issue?is?getting?people?to?think?through?what?they?are?trying?to?accomplish.?China?has?many?great?strengths?but?one?of?its?weaknesses?is?that?developers?and?government?authorities?often?only?give?architectural?firms?a?few?weeks?to?plan?a?project.?That?is?sufficient?time?if?you’re?just?drawing?a?pretty?picture,?but?to?plan?properly?takes?months?–?to?do?the?necessary?energy?design?to?make?a?building?energy?efficient;?to?design?recycling?water?systems,?to?evaluate?the?environmental?impact?of?different?design?alternatives?–?all?of?this?takes?time,?but?Chinese?development?projects?rarely?take?the?necessary?time?to?evaluate?all?of?these?concerns.?And?unfortunately,?many?Chinese?architectural?firms?do?not?have?the?necessary?training?to?do?all?of?these?necessary?steps.?
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Interviewer：As?the?founder?and?CEO?of?MCM?group,?how?would?you?evaluate?MCM’s?achievements?today??
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Michael?C.?Mitchell：MCM?has?done?over?2,000?projects?in?59?countries.?We?have?had?the?opportunity?to?work?on?many?important?projects?throughout?the?world.?But?I?want?our?lasting?mark?to?be?made?in?China.?Over?the?next?25?years?China?is?building?the?equivalent?of?a?country?the?size?of?America.?MCM?wants?to?help?see?that?this?development?is?livable,?sustainable?and?as?beautiful?as?possible.?
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Interviewer：What?is?MCM’s?future?plan?in?China,?would?you?mind?to?talk?about?this??
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Michael?C.?Mitchell：We?understand?planning?large?complex?developments,?the?types?that?China?is?undertaking?in?its?new?communities.?We?understand?developing?lifestyle?and?entertainment?facilities?that?add?to?the?enjoyment?and?culture?of?a?city.?We?understand?how?to?plan?and?design?sustainable?facilities.?And?we?understand?how?to?make?projects?economically?feasible.?We?believe?these?strengths?can?help?China?build?great?developments?over?the?next?two?decades.?