15th Vienna Architecture Congress

The aim of the 15th Vienna Architecture Kongress is to reflect as comprehensive an image of current ‘Chinaproduction’ as possible, on the basis of project descriptions and analyses by Chinese architects and architecture theorists. Traditional China and a country modernising rapidly usually confront one another directly. The building boom with projects by Chinese and international architects is behind a continuous exchange of ideas and expertise between China, Asia and the Western world. A critical observation of the massive process of urbanisation in China and the questions raised by the prospects for the future of a “world laboratory” of urban planning and architecture in the global context do not only affect China.

Programme

01:00 pm Welcome Address
Dietmar Steiner, Director Architekturzentrum Wien

01:15 pm Introduction
Johannes Porsch, Curator of the exhibition ‘Chinaproduction’, Architekturzentrum Wien

01:30 pm
Jianfei Zhu
Architecture Theorist, Melbourne, Australia
„China as a Global Site: Notes for a Critical Geography of Design“

02:30 pm
Kai Cui, Architect, Beijing, China
„Local Identity under the Wave of Globalization“

03:30 – 4:00 pm Break

04:00 pm
Pei Zhu, Architect, Beijing, China
„Urban Incubators“

05:00 pm Mingxian Wang, Architekturtheoretiker / Architecturre Theorist, Beijing, China
„Diversity and Complexity in Chinese Architecture and Cities“

06:00 pm – 06:30 Break

06:30 pm
Shu Wang, Architect, Hangzhou, China
„Reconstruction of the nearness living places in Collapsing Cities“

07:30 pm
Mladen Jadric, Architect, Vienna
„Austrian-Chinese architectural summer workshops, Made in China“

Moderated by Mladen Jadric
Simultaneous Translation
Subject to Alteration

Partners:
International Liaison Department, China Federation of Literary and Art Circles
Mumok, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien
The Az W is supported by:
Geschäftsgruppe Stadtentwicklung und Verkehr
Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur
Geschäftsgruppe Kultur und Wissenschaft
Förderer des Az W: ARCHITECTURE LOUNGE

Impressions from the 15th Vienna Architecture Congress, Nov. 24 2007.

Pei Zhu (cen.) and Mingxian Wang (ri.)
© Pez Hejduk

Ylva Haberlandt, Jianfei Zhu and Shu Wang
© Pez Hejduk

Shu Wang, Hermann Czech and Bettina Götz (ARTEC Architekten)
© Pez Hejduk

Lectures

01:30 pm – 02:30 pm

JIANFEI ZHU

Born 1962, architectural education in China and the UK with a PhD from University College London; Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne; Guest Editor of Time + Architecture, Shanghai; Guest Professor University Beijing; author of Chinese Spatial Strategies: Imperial Beijing 1420-1911 and many articles on current Chinese architecture including ŒCriticality in between China and the West with focus on Beijing, modern Chinese architecture, and China-Europe interactions; current research concerns modernization in architecture and urban form in China since 1729 and 1911, and through critical periods of 1930s, 1950s, 1980s and 1990s. The change from tradition to modernity in construction and urban form, the difference between Renaissance and Chinese traditions, the impact of the West upon China, and the emerging urban forms in China, are some of the key issues encountered in the research.

„CHINA AS A GLOBAL SITE: NOTES FOR A CRITICAL GEOGRAPHY OF DESIGN“
There has been a dramatic opening-up of China and its building profession since 1976-78.
Though still new and challenging to us today, this situation is already 30 years old, with waves of changes in the pattern of interactions between Chinese and overseas architects. What has been really going on in this exchange of ideas and knowlegde between China, Asia, Europe and the Western world?
This lecture presents the recent reflections on this issue with a historical and a geo-global perspective.

02:30 pm – 03:30 pm

KAI CUI

Born 1957 in Beijing, graduated in 1984 from Tianjin University Department of Architecture. Vice President and Chief Architect of China Architecture Design & Research Group, Beijing; Vice President of Architectural Society of China, Vice Director of National Architects’ Registration Committee, Adviser of Beijing Metropolitan Government, Part-time Professor at Tianjin University and Nanjing University.
Selection of projects: Feng Ze Yuan Hotel, Beijing. Office Building for Beijing Foreign Study & Research Press; Yifu Building in Beijing Foreign Study University, Beijing; International Conference Centre of the Beijing Foreign Study & Research Press, Beijing; Capital Museum, Beijing; Songshan Lake Commercial Office Place, Dongguan, Guangdong Province; Beijing Desheng Noble Town Office Place, Beijing; Focus Building, Beijing; ScienTech Innovation Center of Tsinghua University, Beijing; Yinxu Museum; Lhasa Railway Station, Lhasa, Tibetan Autonomous Region; Chinese Embassy and Consulate in South Africa; Ningbo International Office Building, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province; Shandong Broadcasting & TV Building, Jinan, Shangdong Province;
Researches: Urban Study on Tangshan Commercial Central Area; Sustainable Development and Planning for Beijing Foreign Study University campus and Nanjing Art College campus.
Personal Awards: 1997 National Best Science and Technology Worker; 1998 Expert entitled to Government Special Allowance; 2000 National Design Master; 2003 French Literary and Art Cavalier Medal; 2006 Lian Sicheng Architecture Prize.

„LOCAL IDENTITY UNDER THE WAVE OF GLOBALIZATION“
The new century has seen urban development in China marching into a new era. The design market for most of large scaled public building is open to international Architects. So many world-famous architects won international competitions that it is said China is now the main stage and proving ground for international architects. An open market brings in international architectural design. With the wide spread of internet technology, the new trend of architectural style runs into every corner of the ancient country.
To pursue life style in vogue makes architecture originality a consumable commodity. At this time, in a country with brilliant ancient civilization, in cities that have rich cultural relics, what is the responsibility of Chinese architects? To protect traditional character, to extend urban context, to create today’s local culture, and to find out our own value, these are the spirits that support our busy work everyday.

04:00 pm – 05:00 pm

PEI ZHU

Born 1962, Master of Architecture degree Tsinghua University, China and Master of Architecture and Urban design degree from University of California, Berkeley, USA; Design principal and founder of Studio Pei Zhu; winner of many important national and international competitions; lectures in many schools in USA, Europe, and China. His works and writings were published both domestically and internationally; member of the exhibition „Alors, la Chine“, Centre Pompidou, Paris; Biennial Sao Paulo; Chinese contemporary architecture, Rotterdam; Biennial Beijing and other
Awards: Award of Ten influent architects of China, Architectural Record China Award
Selection of projects: Digital Beijing, Beijing; Guggenheim Art Pavilion, Abu Dhabi; Blur Hotel,Beijing; Publishing House, Beijing; Guggenheim Museum, Beijing; Urben Incubator, Beijing; Ningbo Book City, Ningbo; Shenzen Urban Planning Bureau, Shenzhen

„URBAN INCUBATORS“
Beijing today has become an urban archipelago, a collection of isolated city islands each with a distinct character. Floating in a vast urban sea, each is a city within a city, defined by new city walls in the shape of Beijing’s over-sized road network. But essentially, buildings are not isolated whether it is situated in historical or modern developed contexts. Each new building should be a new system that is introduced to the existing surroundings in order to stimulate and rejuvenate the city. This talk will examine the character of these various islands, and using projects as examples, suggest how we might shape developments to create a more connected and vibrant city. Each project is situated in different types of contexts, be they historical, “new” old buildings from the People’s Republic, or modern cosmopolitan.

05:00 pm – 06:00 pm

MINGXIAN WANG

Born 1954, chief editor of Building Review; Vice Director of Institute of Architectural Arts Research of China Art Academy; specialized research on architectural aesthetics, contemporary Chinese architecture, and the modern China’s art history; member of Modern Chinese Art Exhibition PC in 1989, Secretary-General of Chinese Contemporary Architectural Art Exhibition in UIA International Congress of Architects in 1999; curator for the Chinese Pavilion of the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005, and the 10th International Architecture Exhibition of Venice Biennale; curator of the “Exhibition of Experimental Works of Young Chinese Architects.”
Writings: Chinese Architectural Aesthetics Document; New China Art History: 1966-1976

„DIVERSITY AND COMPLEXITY IN CHINESE ARCHITECTURE AND CITIES“
For the last few decades, Chinese cities and architecture have been undergoing tremendous changes. But the architecture of contemporary Chinese cities must not be a re-enactment of Western Modernism, nor should it be a new version of traditional and historical architecture. It is the notion of contemporary cultural phenomena that is rapidly transpiring in specific urban spaces. It is so diverse and complex that architects must come to terms with and embrace this modern context instead of circumventing and avoiding it. Such a predicament has never happened before in Chinese history, where space becomes entangled in complex layers of history and contemporary reality. Architecture becomes conflicted when subjected to different environments and time periods. Such is the reality of contemporary Chinese cities. With the rapid urban renewal, Chinese cities look like a big construction site. At such a pace, these cities are vastly different from Western cities that are more stable. Furthermore, they are faced with limitless possibilities and unknown outcomes. But with such high-speed urbanization, there will be plenty of problems that disrupt daily lives. Because architects need to explore for solutions within such difficult conditions, the architecture will reflect its energy and vibrance, thus creating a special and unique characteristic for Chinese cities.

06:30 pm – 07:30 pm

SHU WANG

Born in1963, since1998 Amateur Achitecture Studio, Hangzhou, China
Professor, Head of Architecture School in China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China
Selection of projects: New academy campus of China Academy of Art in Hangzhou; Museum of Contemporary Art, Ningbo; Vertical Housing, Hangzhou; Wenzheng College Library, Suzhou; The Room with a View (Upper floor Gallery), Shanghai
Major exhibitions: Chinese Pavilion for the 10th Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice (2006); China Contemporary, NAI, Rotterdam, Netherlands (2006); China International Practical Exhibition of Architecture, NanJing (2003-2006); Alors, La Chine, Centre Pompidou (2003); TU MU-Young Architecture of China, AEDES Gallery, Berlin; Chinese Young Architects’s Experimental Works Exhibition, UIA Congress, Bejing

„THINKING BY HANDS – TO RECONSTRUCT THE LIVING PLACES IN COLLAPSING
TRADITIONAL CITIES “
In Asia, particularly in China, the origin structure of cities is totally collapsing. Such collapse happens simultaneously with architectural constructions in large scale. The process of the collapse and disintegration of the city structure and way of living within and the architecture language are all subjects that contemporary architecture is facing directly now. What is interesting in the various possibilities of different times and direction exist at the same time. At this special moment, the problems of cities are more important than the problem of architecture. Architecture needs a way to shift its attention architectural singular form to the reconstruction of the city structure. To keep the tradition is not just for the tradition but that how to connect the slipped time and how to return the traditional way of life to the real city life and regional environment. Therefore, the primary consideration, for the contemporary Chinese cities, is to rebuild the basic vernacular living world. In response to the large-scale fast paced demolition and construction, we need to find a renewable construction mode, a mode which is changeable through time, and an experiment for a method both practical and surpass our metropolis.

07:30 pm – 08:30 pm

MLADEN JADRIC

Born 1964, studied architecture at Sarajevo University; PhD at Vienna University of Technology; „Staatspreis“ for experimental architecture, visiting lecturer at various universities in Europe, USA, Australia, China and Vienna; 1996–2002, partnerships with BUS Architekten, EXIT-Network, urbanFish–architects; Mladen Jadric Architects since 2002; coordinator of the exchange programme between China and the Vienna University of Technology, faculty of architecture
Selection of projects:
housing Welingergasse, Vienna, 2004-2007; modification hotel „Alga 09“, Vienna, 2005-2007; hotel „Alga 810“,Vienna, 2006-2008; Academy, Mariazell, 2005-2006; house WP, Klosterneuburg, 2005-2007; Pavilion, House of Architecture, Sarajevo, BiH 2004; GO EAST- „Architekturkaffeehaus“, Alpbach, Tirol / Az W, Vienna, 2003; MEGAdiwan, Künstlerhaus Vienna, 2002; exhibition „School of Architecture“ with Manfed Berthold, Vienna 04, 2001; MET – Center of Advanced technology, Sarajevo, BiH 2003; Graphisoft Conference Center, Budapest, Ungarn 2002

AUSTRO-CHINESE ARCHITECTURAL SUMMER WORKSHOPS, MADE IN CHINA
The faculty of architecture at Vienna University of Technology has been working for a number of years in close cooperation with several architecture faculties in China: Shanghai Tongji University, South-East University in Nanjing, University of Hong Kong, and Shenzhen University College of Architecture and Civil Engineering. These meetings are always accompanied by excursions and lectures by architects of repute from China and Austria. As a highpoint in this cooperation and knowledge exchange there has been held a commun project workshop every year since 2004: ‘Made in China’, supervised by Prof. Semsroth and Ass. Prof. Jadric from Vienna University of Technology. The goal is to familiarise students with the problems associated with the ‘high speed development’ of Chinese cities and urban development issues and to promote an understanding of the cultural and professional conditions governing the work of architects in both countries. The results and forthcoming suggestions are regularly presented to the relevant decision-makers and to a broader public in an exhibition and small publications.