THE city’s historic buildings are always an attraction to expats. Aiming to further understand the protection of old houses, the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai held a casual seminar recently.

The theme was, “Balancing the development of modern buildings with the preservation of Shanghai’s historical architecture.? Wilfred Y. W. Wong, vice-chairman & chief operating officer of Shui On Land Ltd, was invited to give a speech about Shui On’s experience in developing the Xintiandi area.

Before the reconstruction, the site was a sprawling “shikumen?(stone gate) residential area, one of those built by Europeans about 80 years ago. Needing a secure place to live, these Europeans gave birth to a style of house that is now a symbol of Shanghai.

“When we first saw these beautiful houses, we found 14 families living in one house without a toilet,?Wong said.

“To develop an area, the easiest thing for a developer is to remove the old buildings. So shikumen houses are fast disappearing in the face of urban development.? “But Shui On was not going to just build any high rise, we wanted to create a stylish gathering place, a mixture of old and new,?he added.

In the reconstruction project, the First Congress Hall and a few related buildings on the site were preserved and the height of new buildings in the surrounding area was limited.

According to Wong, preserving old buildings as cultural relics is not their best use. Shui On injects new life into the historic buildings in a concept of “yesterday meeting tomorrow.? “Long term investment should not focus on one single building, but more on the large scale environment,?he said.