AKING a profit" is the eternal principle in business circles, but not for one man in Shanghai who has spent three years working on a book whose sales won't even cover his costs. Probably, only a couple of hundred readers will be interested in the book because of its narrow focus.

The author is Dr Peter Guo-Hua Fu, a successful Chinese-Canadian architect and his book is entitled, "New Design Approaches to the Modern Terminal".

"Writing the book was not for financially motivated," he said. "In fact, I have forgone many chances to make money because of writing the book. The book has occupied me for at least 12 hours a day over the past three years."

Fu is the head of Stone Architectural Design Consultants (Shanghai) and his book is the first in Chinese to provide theoretical guidance in airport terminal design. He has reviewed the operations of the world's more than 100 major airport terminals in compiling his book.

Social concern

"The book will be very helpful for my Chinese peers who are still lacking in experience in designing air terminals. But what I hope more is that relevant top government officials or administrators running the airport business will take a look at the book," Fu said.

His work introduces a new concept that an airport is a large, comprehensive, profit-driven, industrial operation rather than merely a basic infrastructure or an "image" project.

"Airports have long been regarded as the image of the nation or a city, especially in China. This incorrect concept leads to high investment and resource waste," Fu said.

Since the 1990s, China's aviation industry has achieved rapid development and the industry is expected to maintain its annual growth of over 10 per cent.

Within 10 years, China will finish the construction and renovation of 130 airports around the country and Fu hopes his voice will be heard and that the government will consider more economic ways to run such big projects.

Fu had his first lesson in the importance of officials' understanding of airport operations in 1996 when he was involved in the construction of Beijing Capital International Airport as a Canadian staff member.

"I was impressed by the airports in France, Canada or other countries for their home-like environment and booming business opportunities. But in China, the airport seemed to be just for landing airplanes," said Fu.

In Western countries, over 70 per cent of an airport's profits comes from commercial activities besides airplane landing fees. The profits come from hotels, conference centres, duty-free shops and parking lots. The resulting infrastructure can also trigger the construction of a residential area, hospitals and schools. Thus a small town encircling the airport terminal will emerge.

However, with most of the investment coming from the government, many Chinese airports were built without much concern for their economic possibilities. Zhuhai International Airport serves as a good example. Designed as a gateway to Macao, its passenger flow accounts for only 5 per cent of its expected revenue.

Seek the dream

Born into a rich business family in Shanghai, Fu showed great interest in architecture and painting during his childhood. "Before I went to kindergarten, I enjoyed watching the houses opposite our window and drawing them on paper," Fu recalled.

The dream of becoming an architect led him to the Architecture Department of Tongji University, the cradle of Chinese architecture where he was among the top 10 talented young architects. But by the time he graduated in 1984, Fu realized his dreams for practising as an architect in China were going nowhere because of the planned economy.

"I could not bear the boring lifestyle of sipping tea and reading newspapers in the office; I found myself lost," Fu said.

So he made the biggest and most important decision of his life - going to Shenzhen of South China's Guangdong Province where China was pioneering its economic reform policies.

"It needed great courage to take that step because even my mother warned me: 'You'll starve and die in such a capitalist society'."

His life in Shenzhen was really tough. "At night, hundreds of mosquitoes were attacking me in my small room. I'm not exaggerating when I say that they even bit a big hole in the mosquito net. And when working in the rural areas, I became used to big snakes, more than one-metre long moving around my feet."

But the work in Shenzhen was exciting because he was in the right place to realize his dream. Shortly after his arrival, he took over the project to design and plan the new Shenzhen University.

"Working with a group of young people with the same aspirations as I had, I felt spiritually fulfilled and my heart was also filled with happiness. For days and nights, I could continue drawing blueprints without feeling any tiredness."

In two years, he saw the buildings he had designed rising up in countryside which used to be the habitat of snakes and wild animals.

After twoyears of hard work and training in Shenzhen, Fu now never shrinks before any difficulties that may arise. He went on to further his studies of architecture, urban planning and city design at Tongji University and then at Canada's McGill University on a full scholarship.

After graduation from McGill, he worked in a prestigious architect's office and obtained Canadian citizenship. His work won him a considerable reputation in Canadian architecture circles and he became vice-principal of Bregman and Hamann Architects International Company.

Golden years

In 1996, Fu was sent back to Shanghai where he had already smelt out vast business opportunities and by 2001, he had established his own company, KF Stone.

Since then, Fu's firm has finished designs for a total area of 5 million square metres on projects such as the Da'an Residential Complex and Top City.

"A city has only 20 to 30 golden years of construction and an architect has only about 20 golden years from 30 to 50. I am fortunate because my career period just matches the rapid development of two cities, first Shenzhen, then Shanghai,'' Fu, 41, said.

But as an architect, Fu has also sensed the impetuous development environment in the city which has made it hard for architects to create projects of excellence.

"The developers are too eager to get their investment back. So they push the designers and builders to finish buildings as soon as possible. Just look at the classic buildings on the Bund - each of them is the work of a dozen years. But that is now all too rare in Shanghai," Fu said.

However, there is one "dreamland" for an architect in the city - Fengjing Residential Complex in the North-America style located in the Jingshan District, one of the city's new towns.

Fu explained his vision to the Shanghai Star. "I have a lot of time to carefully design the town which has often appeared in my dreams. The community centre is located in the very centre of a lake. Buildings are not high - only two or three storeys - convenient and comfortable for residents' lives. Children are skiing on the grass because it's impossible to have snow in Shanghai.

"I want to design not only buildings in the American style but also for a peaceful and leisurely lifestyle."