As a Chinese architectural educator and practicing architect, Zhu Pei has founded Studio Zhu-Pei in 2005. Since then, he has been focusing on cultural architecture in both theoretical and practical ways. Based on the concept of 'natural architecture’, he has designed a series of experimental and artistic buildings.
In 2018, Pei became Dean of architecture school at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. On the occasion of CAFA’s 100 anniversary in 2018, he has curated a forum titled “Challenges: Reflexive perspective on architectural thoughts, education and practices”. With the effort of more than 50 international architects and scholars, the forum talked in-depth about our current living environment, including challenges and solutions.
This interview comes after the COVID-19 lockdown in Beijing. We talked about the challenges of designing post-pandemic urban public spaces, the future of design, the experience with online teaching and how to adapt new teaching strategies in architecture schools.
