Lecture Topic:
This lecture explores how, even amid rapid urbanization in China, thoughtful design of large-scale urban architecture can still embrace the smaller, everyday spaces essential to daily life. Highlighting recent projects by Amateur Architecture Studio, the talk examines the potential to enhance small-scale infrastructure in both urban and rural contexts. By improving quality without altering the traditional forms of rural architecture, these projects demonstrate how sustainable lifestyles with urban qualities can emerge. This approach fosters a harmonious dialogue between urban and rural environments, celebrating the diversity of lifestyles across these contexts.
Speaker Biographies:
Architects and educators Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu, cofounders of Amateur Architecture Studio, are renowned for redefining contemporary Chinese architecture. Wang, the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate and a recent inductee to the French Academy of Architecture, has held prominent academic positions at institutions including MIT, Harvard University, and Tongji University. His accolades include gold medals from the French Academy of Architecture and Tau Sigma Delta, honorary doctorates from the Rhode Island School of Design and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and recognition as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2013.
Lu Wenyu, also a 2023 inductee to the French Academy of Architecture, is the director of the Experimental Centre for Sustainable Building at the China Academy of Art and has served as a visiting professor at Harvard University and MIT. Her honors include the Schelling Architecture Prize, an honorary award from the Venice Biennale, and an international fellowship from RIBA. She chaired the 2024 RIBA International Prize jury and contributed to UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
Together, Wang and Lu have built a legacy that bridges tradition and modernity. Their notable works, such as the Ningbo Historic Museum, the Xiangshan Central Campus of the China Academy of Art, and the Fuyang Cultural Complex, reflect their commitment to infusing Chinese architectural heritage with contemporary design. Their Xiangshan Central Campus was named one of “The 25 Most Significant Works of Postwar Architecture” by The New York Times in 2021, a testament to their enduring influence.