Back to the Origin of Creation

XIAMEN, Nov. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 7, 2024, the 15th Global Architecture Masters Forum was held in the International Conference Hall on the 4th floor of Xiamen International Convention and Exhibition Center-C Hall. The forum invited Japanese famous architect Mahiro Harada and National Engineering Survey and Design Master Han Dongqing to deliver keynote speeches on the theme of "Origin and Coordinates of Creation", combining their architectural concepts and practices. The forum was held in the context of the major changes in the domestic construction industry, hoping to return to the origin of architectural creation with a future-oriented attitude, and to think about the freedom and value of creation with the participants.

Mahiro Harada

Architecture is the second nature

"Architecture needs to integrate two rationalities, one is the rationality of nature and the other is the rationality of society." Mahiro Harada has always adhered to these two rationalities in his creative process. In the design process of his works such as Chiritsuji Ziya and Ikukoji Station, he insisted on the use of local materials, drew on natural structural principles, and followed folk craftsmanship, striving to adapt to the surrounding natural environment and satisfy human needs to the greatest extent possible.

According to Mahiro Harada, the word "architecture" means to build a framework and to build a structure. When building a frame, it is necessary to perceive and understand the state of the natural environment, so that the building can be integrated into and connected to nature. In the design of the Terakoya in Chiryu City, on the one hand, the gently curved roof blends in with the rolling hills. On the other hand, the Terakoya follows the structural principles of nature, namely a spider web-like structure with evenly distributed loads, supported by two parallel steel torii shaped frames, with the curved roof covering the entire space like a cloth made of wood, creating a gentle building for children.

Since buildings are one of the main sources of carbon emissions, Mahiro Harada believes that architectural design needs to seriously consider environmental friendliness in order to create a virtuous ecological cycle inside and outside the building. The first step is to make full use of the natural environment by designing the building's lighting and ventilation systems. For example, the Seto Apartments in Hiroshima took advantage of the building's location on the edge of a hillside cliff to bring in light and natural breezes by installing an atrium. In terms of material selection, he shared how the building was decarbonized by taking natural resources from the local environment or using CLT materials (cross-laminated timber, a new type of log building material). In addition, Mahiro Harada mentioned that history and culture should also be part of the architecture. When folk crafts are involved in the construction process, such as production and processing, art creation, etc., a closer connection between people and the local area is created.

"The good architecture is a second nature that fulfills the demand of its people." Mahiro Harada concluded, quoting Goethe, that good architecture is like a second nature that fulfills the demand of its people. In his view, architecture is like a living organism, a circulatory system. The design should be based on the needs of nature and society to create a "second nature" that is adapted to the needs of people, and to create a building that conforms to the laws of nature.

Han Dongqing

Getting Rid of Split Linear Design Concepts

In the process of global low-carbon development, Han Dongqing proposes that design should get rid of the traditional concept of professional separation and move towards the "integrated design of urban architecture", which is also the origin of Professor Han Dongqing's creation. This design concept integrates the micro material space and place characteristics of buildings and cities into a complete system through systematic overall design. He noticed that urban planning and architectural design often use different "languages" when describing urban space, just like two "currencies" that need to be "exchanged" with each other, which leads to a decrease in efficiency. Therefore, he advocated the establishment of an interdisciplinary "common language" to achieve unity in the perception of urban physical space. Through the concept of "cross-coordinate", he distinguishes between "network" and "block" material objects, and combines the geometrical and configurational perspectives to unify the expressions of quantity, shape and nature, in order to enhance the effective expression of spatial form and avoid the differences caused by professional fragmentation.

In China, where resources are limited, the concept of saving is particularly important. Han Dongqing pointed out that integrated design not only requires multi-disciplinary synergy, but also unification of ideas to form a good interaction among various links. Cities and buildings are shaped by each other, and buildings are not only the carriers of urban functions, but also the embodiment of their quality. Therefore, both macro-planning and micro-architectural design should jointly pursue the goal of low carbon. In addition, he mentioned that compact urban form has a significant advantage in realizing low carbon, and that high-density buildings with a low number of floors have a better carbon reduction effect than low-density buildings with a high number of floors. By comparing examples from cities such as Barcelona and Hong Kong, Han showed how compact layouts can enhance spatial efficiency, optimize the allocation of public facilities, and promote low-carbon lifestyles.

All in all, the integrated design of urban buildings should achieve a balance of form, efficacy and energy efficiency in limited resources through source and systematic carbon reduction strategies, maximizing the savings and efficiency of the design.

According to the introduction of the organizer, the Global Architecture Masters Forum was founded in 2014, based on the context of globalization, with pluralism and humanism as the general principle, and has successively invited Sou Fujimoto, Bernardo Fort, Liu Jiakun, Xie Yingjun, Robert Terra, Robert Das and others. Robert Terradas, Kazuhiro Kojima, Ryue Nishizawa, Seung H-sang, Ma Yansong, Zhang Yonghe, Yao Renxi, Huang Shengyuan, Zhu Pei, Carlo Ratti, Vincent Guarriarte, and others. -Carlo Ratti, Vincente Guallart, Xu Weiguo, He Jingtang, Daniel Statham, Cui Kui, Meng Yan, Zhang Ming, Roberto Bannura and other famous architects. as keynote speakers. The Forum will be integrated into Xiamen Urban Design Week from 2023 and will be the grand finale, open to the public at a higher level. This year's event is organized by Xiamen Planning Association, Xiamen Survey and Design Association, Xiamen University School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, and supported by Urban China, UED City-Environment-Design, Sanlian Life Weekly, Yizhu Matters, CBC Center for Architecture, TOP Innovative District Research Institute, and Urban Eight.