2017 China Prize
Atmosphere / Material / Behavior / Thoughts

The topic of my thesis at Harbin Institute of Technology was about the residential communities, mainly concentrated in the southwest of China, which are known in China as “settlements.” These settlements are unique in that the minority residents carry out their own renovations to their housing to adapt to their daily life. This practice and process has led to a complex and intricate relationship of spaces, which are the origin of a regional concept of architecture in rural China.

In the study of architecture of other countries, I have found in the innovative contemporary architecture of the Netherlands an abstract interpretation of the relationship of daily life and space which I find to be similar to the complex geometries found in the architecture of the “settlements” in Southwest China.

The purpose of my travel /research for the 2017 SOM Foundation China Prize was to conduct an extensive survey of the innovative architecture of the Netherlands, to observe and map the characteristics of the architecture for comparison with the regional architecture of southwest China.

Conclusion

The feeling of walking in a foreign country is addictive.

Dutch structuralism of the 1960s has always been of interest to me because of my initial obsession with its form. Renowned Dutch architect Van Eyck's architectural model has always been a model I have tried to crack, combining original meanings with modern architectural forms. As a result, the building has a charming fuzzy character. In my project, I am studying the settlement of ethnic minorities in southwestern of China. This primitive settlement trait is also the source of structuralism of Van Eyck trying to find out the transitional relationship, which is the purpose of my trip, trying to find the deeper link.

In my final report, atmosphere, material, behavior, and thoughts are my summary of the trip. which explores the characteristics of Dutch architecture from four aspects: the built environment, the building itself, the use of architecture, and the history of architecture. Not only was it obtained in the design of structuralism a lot of fieldwork information, but also found many other amazing construction model, a lot of gains.

In an age when the Internet is prevalent, the value of walking has become more and more important, digging, examining, positivizing, re-mining ... This cycle gives us more access to the solid "knowledge base" in a more diversified architecture. We must have a sense of crisis that resists the "knowledge bubble." Especially for China's architectural education, "study tour" is a very effective way.

Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the SOM Foundation for providing the opportunity to experience such a wonderful academic trip.