Robin, an architect from Brunei, came to Beijing in the early 2000s and lived in a hutong for about 10 years. His reconstruction turned the old Goddess Temple near the Bell Tower into a fashionable cafe. As an expert on structure and design, Robin talked about his opinion of the renovations and reuse of old buildings and communities.
Also see:
Building new lives: Zhang's memory
Special coverage: Drum and Bell towers: past, present, future
Video: Sun Peng
Subtitles: Christie Lee & Chris Clark
Producer: Flora Yue