YEARBOOK 2018 - 2019 | XJTLU DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

143
144
BRIEF B
Open Architecture
2018-2019 YEARBOOK Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Department of Architecture 西 交 利 物 浦 大 学 建 筑 系
Architecture cannot be, nowadays, considered without understanding the
intricate relationship between local context and global development. Global
civilisation and local culture are now inextricably linked in sometimes symbiotic,
sometimes diverging ways. They could be surmised as two, dynamically linked,
permanently emerging and intertwined, faces of our discipline - Architecture.
In this context we wish to interrogate the meaning of openness in architecture:
What does Open Architecture look like in the ambit of a multi-cultural
international China?
How does a multi-millenary culture cope with the need to co-exist with and
advertise to, and perhaps even, ingratiate itself with other cultures?
What is the link between public space and civil society in an evolving China?
Can China in its current embodiment successfully provide both the stability and
the cultural openness it requires to effectively interact with foreign countries in a
spirit of mutual respect?
What bold vision can we propose for the future of China?
Through rapid changes brought to the field in both scale, speed, and efficiency
of development, Architecture has evolved into a multi-faceted discipline: one
tackling an increasing number of specialties and collaborations, and involved
in more and more complex endeavours... while taking the current state of the
field into consideration, Students are asked to design a building that is also an
architectural testimony to artistic, cultural, environmental, or socio-cultural
values, relevant to the Brief’s above questions.
Reflecting on the challenges brought by China’s rise on the global stage
may allow architecture students to re-think the transformative potential of
architecture and to clarify the evolving relationship between local culture
and the global society, through designing a socio-cultural space, or a mix of
commercial and residential spaces, dealing with the concept of openness or
confinement. The terms Openness and Confinement can be interpreted in any
sense deemed interesting by the student participating in this FYP brief, while
chosen and developed in close coordination with their tutor, provided that they
can convincingly argue that their approach is meaningful and justified.
Open Architecture can therefore refer to either spatial, historical, technological,
cultural, or physical openness or confinement, in any relevant manner, but in
any case it requires to refer to the relationship between China and the Globalised
world.
TEACHING TEAM
Li-An Tsien
CO-CONSTRUCTED ART CITY
Xinning Yu | 郁 歆 宁