Echoes for the Future 2018
Echoes for the Future 2018
Exhibition Dates: December 6 – December 12, 2018, 9:00–18:00
Exhibition Venue: 1F, Quanye Bazaar, Beijing Fun
Exhibition Content
The exhibition is divided into two sections. "Echoes for the Future - Ten Years of Dialogue" is based on interviews conducted a decade ago by architect Che Fei and international curator Yao Jing on the theme of "The Beijing Olympics in Architectural Discourse." Today, they revisit the same nine architects, integrating media, research, and education to elucidate the relationship between the built environment and future visions. The "Past, Present, Future" section features interviews with 11 representative European architects, focusing on their personal evolution over different periods and offering open-ended reflections on future trends. Set within the unique historic architecture of Beijing Fun, these two sections construct an "Echoes for the Future Generator" that transcends culture, place, and time.
The exhibition juxtaposes video installations, allowing architectural ideas from different parts of the world to form a "spatial dialogue" in a single venue. Following the exhibition’s themes across different units, visitors establish an "interaction" with the architects across time and space. Visitors can read and connect parallel conceptual paths from their own perspective, shaping distinct interpretations of contemporary trends.
Section 1: Echoes for the Future - Ten Years of Dialogue
Nine Chinese architects who experienced the peak period of architectural practice during the Beijing Olympics were interviewed again. This time, their focus is on the "insights for the future" generated by juxtaposing the "echoes of history" with the "voices of a new era." Approaching the topic from multiple dimensions—including the future of design, tradition and modernity, cities, architecture, education, and social responsibility—and supported by the spatial installation "Jump-City" and various exhibition models, they engage in a critical reflection on architecture and the visions of the future it inspires.
Past
The Olympic construction provided a golden era of practice for architects. What are the new development characteristics of China's urban and architectural practices?
Li Hu: The Olympic period was a golden era; as long as you dared to take risks, you could hitch a ride on the trend of the times. Today, that architectural spirit of adventure has faded, if not completely disappeared.
Li Xinggang: Ten years passed quickly, yet brought many changes. The architectural industry went through a high point, gradually dipped into a low point, and has now entered a relatively stable phase. For architects, there is more reflection, and their works are becoming increasingly diverse. Many young architects are also emerging, injecting vitality into the industry. In comparison, the development of small-scale architecture has outpaced that of large public buildings.
Liang Jingyu: Regarding China itself, I believe there are imbalances. Some regions have indeed developed extremely well, while in others, the opportunities were simply too massive. Meanwhile, we lacked adequate preparation, both conceptually and materially, leading us to make many mistakes. While this is not entirely negative, it has indeed presented us with many issues that we must face and resolve today.
Wu Gang: Since 2008, urbanization has basically been a physical, urban, and architectural space phenomenon, without truly aligning with the human dimension. The Olympics projected a positive image of the country to the world, making people realize that China is constantly moving forward.
Present - Tradition and Modernity
How can the essence of traditional culture take root in contemporary architectural practice?
Li Xinggang: The expression of culture should not be forced, but natural. It should stem from the architect's deep, subconscious understanding of their culture, translating it naturally into architectural language. It should not be formalistic, symbolic, or clamorous.
Ma Yansong: When creating "man-made objects," we should learn from traditional approaches and consider that we are establishing an entire environment where nature is crucial. "Shan-shui City" is clearly about our perspective of looking at the world, rather than an architectural methodology or stylistic image.
Wang Yun: Regionalism is not about being in a specific place; rather, the architect's inherent characteristics define regionalism. Therefore, I believe regionalism is not a form, but a dialogical relationship between the architecture itself, the object, the people, and the designer.
Zhu Pei: I always believe that two factors define the value of a building: one is that it must have roots, and the other is that it must innovate.
Present - The City
In cities where regional differences are compressed, how should spatial "self-identity" be constructed?
车飞: The process of globalization is a compression and transformation of space-time relationships. Today is a critical turning point. At the same time, our model of rapid economic growth, along with mass urban production and wholesale demolition and reconstruction, has also reached a crossroads. Beyond this point, we may transition from quantity-driven development to qualitative change. I believe this is where we stand.
Liang Jingyu: Ten years ago, it was assumed that China would inevitably reach a mature stage of urbanization. Today, however, certain details and urban interfaces remain crude. For instance, in pedestrian systems or roadside greening, the interface between the city and the people still feels primitive, undeveloped, and incomplete. This reveals an unbelievable backwardness, making one feel that true urbanization is still far off.
Wang Yun: Architecture is not a product. It must be related to ideas and to the architect. The depth of the architect's personal imprint directly determines whether a structure is architecture or merely a building.
Wu Gang: I often think that a sustainable city is one that can function healthily without technology, independent of external forces, relying instead on its natural structure.
Present - Public Buildings
How do you view the role of public buildings in modern life? How should social reflection be integrated into design?
车飞: Large-scale public buildings are more than just architecture; they are public services, as well as urban policies and tools. For this tool to function sustainably, a comprehensive set of urban management practices is required.
Li Hu: Investments in public buildings and resources require caution and careful validation. This country is not as wealthy as we think. We must not blind ourselves or become so inflated that we forget how to live simply and build reasonably. Humility is our national tradition; inflation, on the other hand, precisely reflects our cultural insecurity.
Liang Jingyu: We take for granted that public buildings mean civic or official architecture, so the public perceives public buildings as detached and superior. This is caused by a mistranslation of "public building," which is a deep-seated issue.
Wu Gang: We must insist on using low-tech, high-efficiency methods to build, rather than high technology. For example, converting basements into community public spaces is what truly delivers what everyday people need.
Present - Residential Architecture
How does architecture balance the relationship between the human spirit and the body?
Li Hu: I am more interested in a universal issue: the basic dignity of living, especially for young people. If young people cannot live with dignity, where is the hope? This is a social issue requiring institutional design, and it is also a design issue. We need to protect young people, who are the pillars of our society.
Li Xinggang: Within the framework of standardized urban collective housing, we create non-standard artificial terrains, such as variations in interior floor levels and duplex layouts. This allows residents in high-rise apartments to still experience the shifting qualities of an artificial "natural" space, generating a positive interaction with the otherwise monotonous urban landscape.
Wu Gang: My philosophy is not to chase architectural aesthetics, but to constantly reflect and innovate at the product level, the urban space level, and the human services level.
Zhu Pei: Build naturally, starting from daily life, climate, and family structures. Today, because we possess powerful technologies and operate under a premise of waste, we transplant a building meant for Shenzhen straight to Beijing.
Present - Architectural Education
As educators in a new era, how do you help beginners build their own architectural perspective?
Li Hu: Universities severely lack history education, which is alarming and leads to superficiality. We must place current issues in a historical context to see them clearly. History and theory education across universities is deficient.
Liang Jingyu: Western architectural education is tied to Western contexts and the political spectrum of schools. Western thought is divided into left, center, and right, and training under these frameworks influences how students view architecture and cities. Chinese schools lack this political spectrum, and there is no clear judgment in individuals' subconscious. We do not have a highly idealized left wing, a highly practical right wing, or the various balances in between.
Wu Gang: When training students, our first step is to spend a great deal of time explaining *why* we design for living. The second step is to identify *what* to design and what to make. The third step is to understand *how* to do it—the tools.
Zhu Pei: Undergraduate education should completely liberate students, filling them with illusions and dreams; the first year should be about dream-making. However, we do the exact opposite. Upon entering university, students are immediately subjected to rigorous rendering training and rigid architectural thinking, quickly constraining a young mind full of love and imagination for architecture. This is a major issue.
Present - Architecture Students
Where is the path to breaking through existing knowledge frameworks? How can students find their own architectural attitude?
车飞: Students must work in a down-to-earth manner, communicate more, and broaden their horizons. They need a spirit of independent exploration. Youth is a time of vitality and fearlessness; you should see what the world is really like and look up at the stars. I think this is crucial, and it's not necessarily about what specific knowledge you acquire.
Ma Yansong: If a young person does not yet know what they want, they can start with what they do not want. On this path, they must constantly contemplate who they are, preserving their independent and rebellious spirit.
Li Xinggang: How do we cultivate an architecture student’s acute perception of life, enabling them to capture intentionality and translate it into architectural language? Architects cannot simply become pure craftsmen; they must possess sensibility and the ability to express it.
Zhu Pei: I believe cultivating students' artistic sensibility and simple, tolerant values are both indispensable. For an architect, artistic sensibility determines how far they can ultimately go. Balanced, tolerant, and socially responsible values ensure that the architecture they create feels open and welcoming.
Present - The Architect's Responsibility
How should today's architects act?
车飞: Architecture is not just about designing solid, physical objects; it spans a broad scope. For instance, the design of policy, management—everything. Anything can be designed.
Ji Tienan: On one hand, it is about doing what you find meaningful; on the other hand, it is about aligning with the general direction and figuring out how to do it better.
Li Hu: Architects should not stand idly by; they must take the initiative, incorporating enough programs to ensure the building is fully utilized.
Ma Yansong: Architects possess great passion for reforming this imperfect society. I believe when architects are dissatisfied with their era, they must take action to change it. Whether ten years ago or today, doing so demands immense personal courage.
Wang Yun: If everyone's duties, rights, and responsibilities at each stage are clearly defined, operations can run exceptionally smoothly.
Present - Jump-City
Individual collectivism is an architectural phenomenon within the context of Chinese urbanization. It represents the reproduction of private and public property, settlement and resettlement, and fixed and mobile structures by urban residents.
From 2009 to 2012, CU Office launched the "Jump-City" research project focusing on Beijing. Through urban surveys, data analysis, interviews, and exhibitions, CU Office interpreted this typical model of Chinese urbanization from architectural and sustainable perspectives.
CU Office strives to deconstruct Beijing through architectural thinking rather than political-economic perspectives. Over the past 40 years, Beijing has experienced reform and opening-up, transitioning from the mass collectivism of the past to a new urban style: individual collectivism. This distinct form of Chinese development holds significant meaning for global urbanization and can be referred to as the Chinese model.
Future
Section 2: Past, Present, Future
In these interviews, 11 practicing European architects exploring contemporary issues discuss the three themes of "Past," "Present," and "Future." By sharing their personal experiences and office models, they address the most pressing challenges facing today's architectural community and engage in an open discussion on future trends.
Past
How can the new generation of architects orient their practice toward the future? What role do historical and theoretical studies play?
Mario Cucinella / Mario Cucinella Architects
"In the future, we will face a series of questions. For example, how do we design more environmentally friendly buildings? How do we design zero-energy buildings? This is a moment of both challenges and opportunities. We cannot just look out from behind a window."
Cino Zucchi / Cino Zucchi Architetti
I deeply dislike it when people use dense theory and obscure terminology to mask real issues. Although architecture has a long history of theoretical research—which is very elegant—it is ultimately useless. I am not saying I am a pure empiricist; I simply wish to maintain a connection between imagination and reality.
Present
How does architecture take root in society? How can architects fulfill their social mission?
Stefano Boeri / Stefano Boeri Architetti
When facing nature, I prefer to establish a direct and clear relationship of superposition and coexistence, rather than simply mimicking natural forms. I like simple, robust buildings designed from the very beginning to accommodate trees.
Marco Casamonti / Archea Associati
Ninety percent of buildings are designed by developers, not architects. Over the past 25 years, architecture has lost its sense of purpose, turning instead to flashy, eccentric, or highly challenging designs. The foundations of architecture must be incredibly solid because people actually live there, so you must be extremely careful.
Simone Sfriso / TAMassociati
Technology has changed, but architecture itself has not. What has changed is the technology that helps us make faster decisions. We must leverage our era to create even more incredible buildings.
Francine Houben / Mecanoo
I am currently conducting international research on mobility, which is a blind spot in the architectural industry despite being an inseparable part of daily life. During the research, collaborating with other disciplines has indeed brought more inspiration and knowledge. Crucially, this collaboration must happen not just inside the office, but also outside it. This type of cooperation is highly engaging.
Jacob van Rijs / MVRDV
Architecture is not the fastest-changing industry, but it successfully combines tradition with technology. Compared to centuries ago, the architect's role in society is shifting rapidly. The next generation must realize that the professional world they enter might differ slightly from when they began their studies. Perhaps what they learn cannot entirely keep pace with the industry's rapid evolution.
Kees Christiaanse / KCAP
The traditional, holistic role of the architect was to produce designs and construction drawings, and supervise costs and the construction process—though this role has largely been abandoned. Most of the time, architects only handle the design phase, and are lucky if they get involved in project execution.
Future
What challenges will future architectural creation face? How can the new generation of architects orient their practice toward the future?
Mario Cucinella / Mario Cucinella Architects
In the future, we will face a series of issues. For example, how do we design more environmentally friendly buildings? How do we design zero-energy buildings? This is a moment of both challenges and opportunities. We cannot just look out from behind a window.
Caroline Bos / UNStudio
Our ideas must evolve through practice—you could call it "visionary practice." We can only predict the future by gradually realizing it.
Nanne de Ru / Powerhouse
We will become more hospitable; all offices will be designed like living rooms or hotels, inviting people to share spaces and moments.
Exhibition Information
Exhibition Title: Media-Construction Forum Exhibition: Echoes for the Future 2018
Co-organizers: School of Art and Design at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, ArchDaily China
Host: Beijing Digital Fashion and Spatial Visual Design Innovation Team
Curators: Zhan Kai, Chang Wei, Che Fei, Zhang Han, Gianpiero Venturini
Content Coordinators: Han Shuang, Wu Yanjing
Exhibition Design: Zhang Han, Martijn de Geus
Supporting Institutions & Media: Beijing Fun, ArchDaily China, VCG, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Visual China Group
This article was written by Winnie Wu. The translation is powered by AI.
