Jian Wai SOHO, the newest "upgrade" to SOHO and one long in the making, was unveiled last Saturday. The crowded star-studded opening, held at the Jian Wai SOHO showroom, felt more like the opening night of a performance than the opening of a housing project. In fact, the large number of stars and models in attendance almost relegated Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto to a supporting role, overshadowing his trip from Japan to attend the opening.

Feng Lun (Vantone Group), Lin Shaozhou (Tai He Group), Zhang Baoquan (An Di Group), Yi Xiaodi (Yinxin Guanghua Group) and many other heavyweight Beijing property developers were in attendance as honored guests. Most of the developers in attendance had little criticism for Pan Shiyi`s new project; in fact, the initial reviews were quite favorable.

The prominence of the new Jian Wai SOHO project attracted large crowds from the media as well, including journalists from Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Kunming. One puzzled media representative from Guangzhou was heard to ask, "Is this some kind of sales event?""Are these houses for sale yet?"

Architect Riken Yamamoto spoke at length about the increasing "diversification of space" in modern architecture, using many examples to illustrate the distinctive way that Jian Wai SOHO has "transformed" architectural space. In designing the project, Yamamoto says his main considerations were how to maintain a "succinct functionalism" in architecture, promote a greener architectural environment and bring people together with the natural environment. The Jian Wai SOHO project includes office buildings, Small-Office/Home-Office housing, villas and residential high-rises. The project is an architectural fusion designed to meet the diverse needs of residents and their varied activities.

In a sense, Jian Wai SOHO - with its series of pedestrian streets and buildings, their transparent facades oriented slightly to the east - is a continuation of Pan Shiyi`s innovative approach to architecture. Jian Wai SOHO`s architectural showroom itself reveals a certain distinctive character, or in the words of Pan Shiyi, a certain "cool". Where traditional showrooms attempt to recreate life, to copy it, Jian Wai SOHO`s showroom uses an approach that is quite far from reality and the realities of daily life.

Jian Wai SOHO is the first of ten construction projects scheduled to open in Beijing`s central business district (CBD) in the latter half of this year. These projects, totaling over one million square meters of building space, will certainly create intense competition in the Beijing real estate market. In the face of all of this competition, Jian Wai SOHO`s approach is simple: to increase the distance between itself and the competition.

According to one of the workers on the scene for the opening of Jian Wai SOHO showroom, over 500 automobiles flooded into the area on the day of the opening.