(urbanatomy.com)
Updated: 2008-05-07 17:09

Shanghai is positioning itself as an architecturally design-based, new-fused-with-old, heavy-hitting modern city. For proof one need look no further than Three on the Bund, 1933, Taikang Lu, Moganshan 50 and the like. Another such opportunity existed with the Gascogne, in this case the opportunity to create our metropolis' first example of large-scale restored residential space. Had it happened, Shanghai's reputation would have received a huge boost. It's a shame then that the Gasogne's owners felt otherwise.

After seeing their enticing flyer, 'Gascogne Apartments – Exclusive Shanghai Living', I toddled over to inspect the renovation, in process since 2002. After all, in the 90s I had lived there for three years and so had a great appreciation for the building's elegance.

If you read my March column on the architectural team of Leonard, Veysseyre and Kruze you may have an idea of what I mean. The Gascogne is the best example of their work in Shanghai. The architects were at the peak of their powers and created bright, wide-open, inviting spaces with soft art-deco curves and natural materials. Yes, the Gascogne had it all.

To see it in its new guise is to be astounded, for not one element of its former graciousness remains. In every apartment the high ceilings have been eliminated, due to the clever addition of dropped ceilings (to hide the air ducts and make room for sexy inset spotlights). What's more, the floors have been raised, this so that the location of the toilets could be changed and their number increased – just in case the new tenants all wish to pee at the same time. The original radiators that served hundreds of Gascogne residents right up until 2002 have been chucked and replaced with new flat-panelled units. These babies not only lack aesthetic value, they require massive new heating tanks which are installed on, and take up in their entirety, two balconies per floor. A stunning addition for those late springtime cocktail parties…

It gets worse. The owners have enclosed the broad balconies on the building's penthouses with impossible-to-heat-and-cool walls of glass (perhaps that's why they installed the frivolously expensive heating and cooling systems). What's more, the storage/ayi rooms on each level have been expertly incorporated into the flats themselves – as kitchenettes. Granted, the wonky steps up and down the half-level might be difficult to negotiate with a plate of canaps in one hand and a bottle of bubbly in the other, but that's life.

Then there's the faux-wooden coatings affixed to the outside of each and every original steel Crittall window. Alas, these light-stealing additions don't even hide the poorly made plastic inserts in the double-glazed panes. I have to mention one last irresistible touch: the granite cornice mouldings. Yes sir, just in case the granite on the floors and walls of the lobby weren't sufficient to chill your emotions, there is more granite on the ceiling. Yummy!

In the end, there are many places to live in this city of ours. And despite my comments, perhaps you or your mates may select the newly-renovated Gascogne Apartments. Afer all, it has one of the best locations in the French Concession, right in the middle of the Huaihai Zhong Lu. If so, you'll need a barrow-full of cash: each of these nearly 300-square-meter apartments rents for more than RMB 50,000 per month. By the way, there is no gym or pool, though your driver can take you to one nearby. But keep in mind that the Gascogne management cannot guarantee a covered parking space for your vehicle.

There are few tenants in the building. Five to six months since re-opening, the Gascogne is almost empty. Which begs the question: Why turn a unique historical property into a poor imitation of something that already exists? If Shanghai residents want to live in the middle of the French Concession in a modern tower block, they can choose 44 Hengshan Lu, for example. Or one of those newish towers on Zhengning Lu, each sporting a swimming pool and gym.

As mentioned above, the owners of the Gascogne should be ashamed. Modern China is trying to build a "harmonious society", but only the wealthy can afford one of the uniform spaces in this government-owned building. Even in the bad old days of the 1930s, all large Shanghai apartment buildings included flats of varying sizes, much like the old Gascogne, which had 40-sqm-studios and 150-sqm three-bedroom units, both of which were lovely. If the Gasogne is any indication, it seems only the rich and tasteless are meant to live in the center of the city.