张轲,转瞬与永恒之间的建筑
01 November 2009
 

Zhang Ke, architecture between the ephemeral and the eternal

Zhang Ke graduated with a Master of Architecture in Urban Design at Tsinghua University in 1996 and a Master of Architecture at Harvard Universityin 1998. In 1999 he established standardarchitecture in New York, a professional partnership formed with a group of international young designers. In 2001 standardarchitecture moved to Beijing, following the good results of several important projects in China. Today the office has four principals:
Zhang Ke, Zhang Hong, Hou Zhenghua, and Claudia Taborda.
Standardarchitecture sets its own practice aside from mainstream design trends in China and around the world, preferring a more conscious approach to the cultural, natural and social environment in which every project is located.
Distant from thriving for media coverage and loud trendy solutions, Zhang Ke tries to get to the essence and meaning of the places he works in; each one of his works is "always rooted in the historic and cultural settings with a degree of intellectual debate", aiming for the realization of urban visions and ideas.

Genesis of the philosophy
Standardarchitecture's research involves an accurate study and understanding of the natural and cultural surrounding in which the design takes place and to which
the project has necessarily to relate. Deliberately standing far from those design theories that put the shape, the object image as the sole and only porpoise with no interaction with the surrounding whatsoever, theenvironment is carefully analy-zed, understood and discussed; the cultural stratifications are brought back to light, the social implications and history become main elements of design, the natural setting and environment set unavoidable references for the architecture to be.

Early projects such as the Beijing Dongbianmen Ming Dynasty Cily Wall Relics Park and the Yangshuo Storefronts in Guilin show a particular attention to the history and culture of the sites  and the interrelation of architecture, history and contemporary society.

The first, located in one of the few critical juncture points betwe-en the capital's past and present urban tissues, avoids any mystifi-cation of the old or interposition of the present, neither embellish an historical site with easy solutions of traditional landscape design. Instead, "We started by reading intensively into the place: memories, materials, lives, and possibilities.

Our challenge became one of finding a way to weave these dements back into the continuously changing urban fabric of the city, and activities into the piace through events". Applying exclusively works of  consolidation and preservation on the remnants of the walls, the surrounding areas, organized into five different zones each one characterized differently, provide spaces for activities and events, engaging with the communities of the people living around but still confirming the walls as the center focus of attention, the eternal scenography for tempo-ral activities.

In the Yangshuo Storefronts project, the attention is pri-marily given to the traditional disposition of buildings and streets facing the surrounding Karst Mountains, and the use of common, popular materials and construction techniques, such as the blue-greenish Yangshuo sto-ne, larch wood panels, grey tiles and bamboo stripes. The plot is subdivided into different, smaller buildings to provide a general village-like feeling, perfectly inserted inside the urban tissue of the small city. From the river, the architecture almost merges with the surrounding, while suddenly emerging on a closer look thanks to the unusual, perfectly fitting bamboo stripes facade that covers the central building.

Dialectic aesthetic
Contemporary design and analysis of tradition becomes the theme of a Teahouse in Chengdu, a project that portrays a very mo-dern image on the outside while reinterpreting Sichuan style tradi-tion in the inside. The courtyard is subdivided into five smaller plots, while a floating wooden roof becomes a pure work of art. Local materials and craftsmanship allow a sustainable, conscious construc-tion process.

The dialectic relationship belween architecture and environment finally matures in a series of small projects located in the Autonomous region of Tibet, and identified in a Boat Terminal along the Yaluntzangpu River, the Linzhi Namchabawa Visitor Center and the Namchabawa Contemplation. Still preserving the useful notions and recurrent simplicity of western practices, Zhang Ke's research moves be-yond their limitations and explores the infinite possibilities of a new contemporary discipline, rooted in traditional Chinese values and processes, constantly referring to the environment as the principal interlocutor, the real immanent ac-tor of an eternal play in which the works of men are merely transient addictions.

The first two projects are built to function as simple resourceful cen-ters for the touristic activities along the river, connected to the nearby village of Linzhi. Everything is perfectly simple and functional to the purpose; unnecessary ad-dictions are avoided to privilege materials taken from the areas nearby, local Tibetan masonry builders and techniques, local timber for the door and window frames, showing a unique respect for the indigenous environment. 

The design merges indissolubly with the imposing nature around it, dialogues with it, embodies its very own materials and finally becomes a natural addiction to the landscape. From afar, the buildings are merely distinguisha-ble, perfectly in tune with the grea-ter scenography of the Tibetan Mountains.

The third and most recent project, the Namchabawa Contemplation site, is nothing but a declaration of love for the majestic Namcha-bawa Mountain. Simplicily is an understatement for the rectangular viewpoint, simply characterized by a few stone outcrops while the mountain reigns over everything. Nature here is overwhelming and doesn't need futile decorations. The site is plan and monochro-me, perfect counterpart for the mountain.

Public as an open space
Zhang Ke's architecture identifies another main topic to which it constantly relates to: the interpre-tation of the public space. Unlike recent tendencies to define "public" a space usually caged into walls, perimeters or fences, mostly privately owned and managed and matter-of-factly only partially public and free, standardarchitecture seems to identify the real meaning of "public" in a practice of mutual experiencing, enjoying and sha-ring of the space. User-friendly, democratically open, interrelated amongst the city network and usually aiming to reconnect isolated parts of it, standardarchitecture definition of "public" again does not ask for any sort of diminishing compromise.

The Wuhan CRiand French-Chinese Art Center "was conceived as an urban container, within which art objects, events, acts, concepts and activities flourish. In this case the container is made out of intuitive images of ink-and-water". A surrounding wall of concrete, cut and shaped to represent traditional brush stro-kes on paper encloses the area of the Art Center, without limiting it. Shifted upwards enough to perceive the areas behind, it eventually creates expectation and invites the casual passer-by to investigate it farther. The center of the project is charac-terized by an empty area open to the surrounding, a free open space that helps the architecture to connect with the city. Inside, airy open spaces and evocative scenarios of concrete and water complete the picture.

Vanke "AN" Club House in Suzhou develops another intro-verted character of public space, in tune with the traditional treats of the local historical architecture.

A folding wall, 500m long, encloses 13 separate courtyards forming a constantly changeful micro-system to be experienced by the visitors. Here again the reinterpretation of the tradition and the free usufruct of public space are combined by simple solid walls of monochromatic material (white plaster) and nature (water canals, reminiscent of the ancient look of the city). On a more urban scale, the in-tentions towards public architecture as service to the community do not change. In Shanghai the Dancing Triangles Public Space, Zhang Ke confronts himself with a typical Chinese urban deve-lopment scenario: big highways cutting the land in different lots eliminating any possible inte-raction between them; functions and attractions completely isolated and difficult to reach and be identified; disorientation and misconnection between the elements of the neighborhood. The Dancing Triangles square experiments a geometric pattern to generate movement and con-stitute a central reference point for the area. Easily recogniza-ble, effectively connecting the urban public attractions around, the square works as a living urban tissue.

Hong Kong West Kowloon Terrace-Land Skyscraper project identifies an empty, highly valuable location in Hong Kong Kowloon peninsula, facing the famous skyline of Central District and Victoria's Peak. Here, ge-nerating a design that somehow transcends into pure theory and idealistic philosophies, Zhang Ke creates a natural landscape, hiding "inside" green hills the actual buildings. Outside, the artiticial landscape is destined to rice paddies to produce organic food for the city, farmland and experimental agriculture sites for universities. "It is both architecture and landscape at the same time". Uncountable public attractions can be placed on site: mountain climbing, exhibitions, and specta-cular views of Victoria Bay, alt still maintaining the usual performan-ces of typical office buildings, implemented with the latest eco-sustainable technologies.

Ephemeral and eternal
Zhang Ke continues his rese-arch following different paths, sometimes seemingly contrappo-sing but always focusing on the research of a method. Innovative structural systems applied to a design always conscious of its social responsibility and fun-ctions produces iconic, landmark architectures that become identifying elements of the city; besides, the discovery of local cultures and traditions develops in new projects establishing a perfect harmony between the contemporary and the past. Duality seems to be omnipresent in standardarchitecture projects, challenging the potentiality of extremely different approaches following the same method and philosophy. The public space can be openly evident or jealously concealed behind a perimeter, still never fails to be free and directed towards the people, for the people to enjoy and appropriate.

The research of weightless architecture almost suspended into space takes the shapes of the iconic Dancing Books Towers and at the same time characterizes the interiors of the simple, traditionally conscious Teahouse in Chengdu. Tradition itself is perfectly understood and represented into different con-temporary versions in the Tibetan projects, where temporary and eternal, ancient and modern finally merge in a wholesome design.

Duplicity is also evident in the new creative challenges that Zhang Ke is starting to take. Besides architecture, landscape and interior design, his research will soon cover the fields of product and fashion design as well, experimenting with different disciplines the potentiality of a creative vision and merging methods and approaches in a constantly changing intellectual experiment.
张轲,转瞬与永恒之间的建筑
文:陶德祺(Stefano Tronci)

张轲,1996年获清华大学建筑与城市规划硕士学位,后赴美深造,于1998年获哈佛大学建筑学硕士学位。1999年他在纽约正式创建了标准营造 (standardarchitecture)事务所,并有着一组国际化的年轻合伙人。2OOl年标准营造迁至北京,随后在中国成功设计了一些重要项目。事务所现有四位合伙人:张轲,张弘,侯正华和Claudia Toborda。标准营造自觉不受中国和世界上的主流设计潮流过多的影响,更加努力保持清醒,尊重每一个项目当地的文化、自然和社会环境。张轲始终与过多的媒体报道和时尚喧闹的设计方法保持一定距离,而是努力探究项目地点的本质与涵义。他的每件作品“都植根于历史和文化环境,并包含了一定程度的思想辩论”,致力于他对城市的见解和想法的实现。

设计理念的缘起
标准营造进行深入探索,其中特别注意准确研究和理解项目当地的自然和人文环境,而这正是设计必须与之发生关系的。那些将形状和图像作为唯一目的,与环境没有任何互动的设计理论,他们敬而远之,转而仔细研究、理解和讨论周围环境。他们将文化满足感再次引入人们的视线,把社会状况和历史作为设计的主要元素,让自然状态和环境成为建筑存在所不能或缺的参照系。
在北京东便门明城墙遗址公园和桂林阳朔小街坊这些较早的作品中,张轲就显示出了他对当地历史和文化特别的关注,还有对建筑与历史和当代社会之间关系的关心。前者位于首都过去与现在城市组织的少数几个关键接合点中,但它成功地避免了在古老部分的故弄玄虚或是对现代部分的过分干涉,并没有简单地运用传统景观设计方法给历史遗迹添枝加叶。相反,“我们所有的设计都从深入阅读这一地点开始:记忆、材料、生活和可能性,挑战在于如何将这些元素重新编织进不断变化的城市结构中,并且将他们扮演的角色融入在此发生的活动中。”作业部分仅局限于对残余城墙和周边区域的加固和保护,而这些元素被组织在五个不同面貌的区块之内,为各种活动提供空间。它们既融入了住在附近居民的生活,又确定无疑地传达这样的信息,即城墙才是注意力的焦点,是临时活动的永恒背景。
在阳朔小街坊这个项目中(本页图),设计的主要精力放在了当地的一些传统习惯上,比如将建筑和街道朝向周边的喀斯特山峰;并使用一些当地惯用的建筑材料和技术,比如青灰色阳朔石、杉木板、小青瓦和毛竹片。整个街坊由姿态各异、体量较小的建筑组成,感觉比较像一个村落,完美地嵌入了这个小城市的城市肌理之中。从江上看这些建筑,他们几乎完全融进了周围的环境之中,而走进一着,中心建筑外用毛竹片恰到好处地包裹而成的立面又给人以新的惊喜。

对话式的美学
在成都青城山“石头院”(下页下图)这个项目中,对传统的当代设计与分析才是真正的主题。这个设计从外面看来非常现代,而内部实际上是对四川传统的转译。整个院落被分成五个部分,似乎飘浮于其上的木结构屋顶是真正的艺术品。采用当地材料和技术的做法成就了可持续、理性的建造过程。
这种建筑与环境之间的对话关系终于在西藏自治区的一系列小型项目中趋于成熟,包括雅鲁藏布江小码头、林芝南迦巴瓦接待站(左页上图)和南迦巴瓦雪山冥想台(本页图)。张轲的探索保留了西方设计中有用的观念和直率的方式,但他已超越了这个层面,去探寻新的当代设计中的无限可能性。这些新的探索以中国传统价值观和操作方式为木,始终将环境作为主要对话者来对待,因为那才是永恒世界中的真正角色,而人的作品不过是暂时附于其上的物件罢了。前两个项目就是很明确为游客在江边的活动而建的简洁好用的接待点,并都与林芝地区的村落相联系。一切都为了这一目标,因此该设计十分简洁而好用,没必要的附加物全部都省略,真正的重点在于使用当地的材料,当地的藏式建筑石匠和技术,还有当地的木材用于门窗框架,如此展现出对原生态环境的真正尊重。这一设计与周围壮丽的自然环境结合得不分你我,并与之展开对话,最终将它自己的构成材料结合成自然景观的天然附属物。从远处看,这些建筑几乎无法从周围环境中被辨认出来,它们已经完全融入到西藏的群山之中了。
南迦巴瓦雪山冥想台是第三个也是最近的一个项目,而它完完全全就是对南迦巴瓦雪山爱的宣言,这个长方形的观景点蕴含着简洁处理的原则,仅有排在地面上的一些石头作为陪衬,而大山才是统领一切的主角。在这里,自然的力量气势逼人,己经不需要任何多余的点缀了。这一处朴实无华,恰与山峦相辅相成。

公共空间的解读
张轲的建筑表明了他对另一个人们经常提起的概念的认识,即对公共空间的解读。
最近大多数人都倾向将“公共”空间定义成那些圈在围墙、界线或栅栏之内的空间。它们人多为私人所拥有和管理,事实上只有小部分是对外开放,任人自由出入的。在这里,标准营造的观念有所不同,他们似乎吏乐意将“公共”的真正含义定义为那些大家共同体验,享受和分享的空间。他们所理解的“公共”空间往往是友好的,对所有阶层开放的,并且与城市网络相联系,致力于重新联结上那些孤立的碎片----他们不在“公共”的概念上做出任何让步。
武汉华润中法艺术中心(下页图)是接照一个城市容器来构想的。在这里,艺术作品、事件、表演、观念和活动连连上演。整个容器的构建依据的则是写意水墨的意境。艺术中心由水泥外墙所包围,这些外墙被切割和塑造成水墨笔触的形象,并没有将中心封闭住。朝马路的那一面被抬升到离地面高到能够让人看到后面的东西,这种做法让人对之产生期待,似乎在邀请普通路人进去一探究竟。项目的中心部分是一块向周围开放的空地,这块自由开放的空间让建筑能够更好地与城市相连。在室内,高敞透气的空间还有用混凝土与水玩的水墨游戏让整个气氛显得完整丰富。
万科苏州“岸”会所(本页上图)创造了另一种内向型的公共空间,并与当地历史建筑的传统处理方式相契合。会所由一面长达500余米的连续墙体转折而成,其间围合成十三个相对独立的院落,形成了一个不断变化的微系统,引导人在其中享受“曲径通幽”的体验。在这里,传统的转译与公共空间的营造再次由那些简洁的元素连接----单一白色石灰粉刷的坚实墙体和运河这样令人怀古的自然景观。
在更城市化的氛围中,张轲仍然没有改变让公共建筑为邻近社区服务的意图,在上海“舞蹈的三角”公共空间中(本页右上图),他面对的是中国城市发展中典型的一幕:大型的高速公路网络将土地切割成不同的区块,让他们之间的互动变得非常困难;城市功能的一面与居民生活的一面彼此孤立,难以跨越;社区的构成要素之间关系错乱,让人迷失。“舞蹈的三角”这个广场用几何形的布局提高了人员流动的能力,并且给这个地区创造了一个中心参照点。这一广场易于辨认,有效地将周围的公共生活元素连接起来,已然成为一片活生生的城市组织。
香港西九龙梯田摩天楼(本页右下图)这个项目的地点在九龙半岛上目前被闲置的,但价值非常高的地块之上,面朝着的是中环著名的城市轮廓和维多利亚山。这次,张坷的设计更加倾向于理论层面和理想化的概念。在这个设计中,他营造了一个景观,将实际的建筑隐藏在绿色山体的内部;在外面,这一人造景观又不可避免地成了为城市提供有机食品的稻田、农场和大学的试验田。正如他自己说的,“这同时既是建筑又是景观”。这里能够提供的公共活动不胜枚举:爬山、展览、眺望维多利亚港……同时不影响一般办公楼的典型功能,还能够运用到最新的可持续环保科技。

转瞬与永恒
张轲一直通过不同的路径进行探索,有时候这些途径看上去彼此无关,实际上却是在集中精力寻找解决方法。那些创新的结构系统背后永远蕴含着对社会责任和功能的清醒认识,同时又成为城市中让人明确辨识的地标式建筑;此外,对当地文化和传统的探寻在新建项目的创建过程中不断深入,当代与过去之间的和谐关系也由此建立。标准营造的设计似乎永远都有两面性,一面是极为不同的设计语言,另一面又是如出一辙的手法和观念。公共建筑可以敞开肚皮,也可以圈地自乐,但始终都能让人怡然自得,畅游其中。张轲在他面临的新挑战中依然游走在事物的两面之间。在建筑、景观和室内设计之外,他的触角很快还会伸向产品设计、时装等行业,在不同的领域试验他创造性的观念,用他层出不穷的想法给我们以新的惊喜。
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