Remember to star me, otherwise you won't see me
Think of architecture too much as a work of art
We lose sight of its essence
Last night, the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the highest honor of the year in architecture, was awarded, and British architect David Chipperfield finally won the award after years of running with him.
For Bund Jun, this news also carries a hint of surprise.
This year, Shanghai's popular Internet celebrity library Xujiahui Academy and the beautiful West Bund Art Museum are all works by Chippefield, giving people the feeling of "Pritzker laureates are around".
This "honor" is not just an illusion – among the architects we are familiar with, Chipperfield is almost the one who cares most about the relationship between architecture and the city.
"A good building is not just a 'good place', it is also about how to help people live better."
So we saw that the quiet Xujiahui Academy next to the High Cathedral and the huge and silent West Bund Art Museum on the banks of the Pujiang River were all part of Shanghai as if they had grown naturally from part of the city.
"I've spent most of my life working in other people's cities." Chipperfield once explained his view of architecture.
"I have to understand why I'm here. I can't just be a speculator, I have a responsibility to prove what I can do for the city. ”
Pritzker also affirmed this in his 2023 annual review speech:
"In the public sphere, David Chipperfeld's commitment to presenting and defining a low-key but transformative civic landscape, streamlined in style, eschewing pictorial influences and moving away from fashion trends, all send the most relevant message to contemporary society. The hardened design is implemented in a thoughtful manner. ”
01
Repair, transformation
Become a new part of the city
David Chipperfield has offices in five cities around the world, with the third stop in Shanghai, China. In Shanghai, Hangzhou and other places, he has left his very important works.
As he puts it, architecture became a gift to the city, a place to share.
In China, he also has a large number of recognizable excellent works, which are worth checking in one by one.
Rock Bund Source
Rock Bund Source is made up of a series of former concession buildings on the Bund in Shanghai, which have different styles and epitomize Shanghai's urban culture.
In previous renovations, Chipperfield was responsible for 11 of the buildings. It took 15 years from the official start of construction in 2009 to the expected completion of the inner street/inner square landscape in September this year. It is precisely because of this project that they stayed in Shanghai.
Some of the 11 buildings have fallen into disrepair and their interiors have long been unusable. He put forward the overall idea of opening up the inner street, so that the originally closed and private area also became the carrier of the city's public life.
When the internal meridians of the neighborhood are connected, isolated historic buildings are woven inward and integrated outward into the city. In September, all of these interior blocks will be restored and opened to the public.
Among them, the most important thing that Chipperfield did was to retain the two walls of the original Meifeng Foreign Company.
Although the traffic on Beijing Road is very inconvenient, it preserves the city's interface and memory.
Urban protection has never been just about protecting the buildings themselves, but more about what the city can bring.
Xujiahui Academy
After three years of renovation and upgrading, the high-profile Xujiahui Academy also became one of Shanghai's landmarks earlier this year.
The library is adjacent to Xujiahui Catholic Church. From a distance, it looks like a giant beige box, wrapped in several slender fins.
At the beginning of its construction, Chipperfield came up with a very clear concept – although the church may now be relatively dilapidated, it is still the protagonist from the perspective of the entire historical heritage.
So the Xujiahui Academy we see now, the overall building is very modest, and the entire façade is very quiet, making the church truly the protagonist of the entire surrounding environment.
Climbing up the stairs, there is a semi-open-air corridor on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
From the balcony, you can enjoy the view of the church square. The century-old Xujiahui Observatory, Guangqi Park and Xujiahui Library also have a panoramic view, witnessing the changes of the times.
West Bund Art Museum
Today, the West Bank, the spiritual hipster of Shanghainese, also has works by Chipperfield.
Opened at the end of 2019, the West Bund Art Museum has a very low-key architectural form. In addition to exhibition halls, there are also a large number of public activities and public education spaces.
The museum consists of three building blocks, each 17 meters high, that visually present a geometric and minimalist modernism.
The tension of forms and elements such as columns, giant pillars and staircase steps reveals a strong atmosphere of Western classical tranquility.
The three building volumes carrying the exhibition function are arranged in a windswivel arrangement, opening up the possibility of independent operation of each part.
The museum's slender form attempts to bring more river views to visitors, while also creating a spacious terrace for the second-floor entrance, playing a public role in connecting the riverside promenade and urban space.
Taoxichuan Hotel (Hyatt Collection Brand)
The Taoxichuan Cultural and Creative District of Jingdezhen, where the hotel is located, was originally a large factory built for the production of porcelain, and is now undergoing renovation into a new complex.
He took red bricks, the soul of the old kiln factory in Jingdezhen, as the basic elements of the hotel, and then used locally fired ceramic bricks to form a transparent façade.
With clean modernist lines, a keen eye for materials and a strong awareness of environmental protection, he has always been able to define what he should be in terms of modern fashion as he understands it.
As the sun rises and the moon sets throughout the day, the periphery exhibits different chiaroscuro.
The transformation and change of the cultural district has allowed Jingdezhen culture to continue to the present with history as the root vein, maintaining its vigorous vitality.
Liangzhu Museum
Liangzhu, which has become popular in recent years, is not only because its long-standing culture is well known to the public, but also because the local area is full of master works.
The Liangzhu Museum designed by Chipperfield occupies an area of about 10,000 square meters on the lakeside, and the overall shape is inspired by the jade cones exhibited in the pavilion, with the design concept of "a jade cone scattered on the ground".
The museum consists of four rectangular buildings with sharp angles, taking advantage of the difference in arrangement to create a visually staggered feeling, light and simple.
The courtyard and cloister have become the medium of transformation space, and the sparse and moderate greenery has become the protagonist of the space, balancing the visual single.
The corridor has a clean and clear flow line, which is very suitable for visiting.
The irregular color changes brought about by the natural texture of the façade are warm and comfortable, and the gray color adds a tranquil tone to the water.
Nine Trees Apartments
Compared to other works, Nine Trees may not know many people, but this is an important starting point for Chipperfield in China.
Nine Trees Apartment is adjacent to the "Nine Creek Smoke Tree" and "Yunxi Bamboo Path" in the ten views of New West Lake, and is one of the top mansions of the year.
In 2009, as the only residential project in China, Nine Trees Apartment won the Royal Institute of British Architects International Award together with Beijing Bird's Nest and Water Cube.
Each house has a 360-degree corridor that circles the residence, allowing the view to be seen everywhere you look.
A unique movable wooden grille on the outside of the enclosure not only blends oriental Zen with modern minimalism. And according to the different requirements of indoor lighting and privacy, the wooden grille can move freely to form a rich change of light and shadow.
Xixi Paradise Yuezhuang
Another private home he designed is Xixi Paradise Village adjacent to Banyan Tree Xixi.
In the land of Xixi Wetland, he uses simple and neat brushstrokes to let Yuezhuang continue nature.
The building is surrounded by a water garden, which looks like black stones embedded in the water garden, which contrasts with the green surroundings.
The interior is also a minimalist space that pays homage to Chipperfield.
In the glass tiles, a waterway leads to light, and the wall "cracks" an equidistant gap that echoes the entrance.
The pure white spiral staircase resembles a nautilus and blocks vision.
If you look out of the stairs or look at the stairs from the outside, you can't see the whole space of the other person. A staircase resembles a semi-enclosed Zen room, a wabi silence integrated into the Xixi wetland.
02
"Don't take architecture too seriously as a work of art"
Born in London in 1953, Chipperfield spent his childhood in the countryside of Devon, southwest England, where he walked through barns and farmhouses every day, giving him his first impression of architecture.
After completing his studies at Kingston School of Art and the British Architectural Union, he went on to work in Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Douglas Steven, before establishing his own doors in London in 1985.
Early in his career, Chipperfield came into contact with many Japanese clients, including interior decoration for a Issey Miyake store, before moving to Germany to complete the reconstruction of the Neue Museum in Berlin.
This process broadened his international perspective, built buildings for local cultures overseas, and made him aware of the responsibility of an architect.
New Museum Berlin, Berlin
"In a city where land is expensive, building a residential building or a shopping mall may be more profitable than building an art museum or a park, but the latter is more important to the city's civilization and citizens' lives."
Chipperfield firmly believes that the lifestyle of city dwellers should not be limited to making money, shopping, and food, but there is another more valuable possibility.
He is trying to find this more valuable way of living for the city and for the next generation.
New National Gallery Berlin, Berlin
Chipperfield set up a research group in Spain that included architects, scientists, artists, and philosophers.
Most of the time, they work on topics other than design, studying the environment, transportation, sustainability, and employment, "which are often the things that we as architects and creators need to change the most." ”
Avenue Moran complex, Paris
As one of the main exponents of minimalism in architecture, Chipperfield's work does not pursue ostentatious individuality and certain incomparable characteristics.
Instead, after integrating into the environment in a simple form as much as possible, becoming a part of the environment, and revealing a unique temperament in introvertedness.
He doesn't expect people to pay too much attention to his work, he even wants his work to be ignored and become part of everyday life.
BBC Scotland, Glasgow
In 1996, Pritzker laureate Spanish architect Rafael Monio wrote an article about Chippefield from the perspective of modernist architecture, which contains a very clever summary of him.
"For the architects, the city itself becomes a collection, and their signature buildings are exhibits."
"David Chipperfield sought to create another possibility, countering the presuppositions of modernist architecture, avoiding making architecture a work of art without losing sight of its essence."
Old Executive Residence Building, Venice
From Berlin, to Venice, to Paris, Chipperfield has renovation projects all over the world. But at the same time, he is hidden in the city, emphasizing that the whole is far more important than the part.
David Chipperfield is currently designing the expansion of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece.
As he puts it, his vision goes beyond integrating individual buildings into their location and culture, but extends to a broader definition and understanding of place and culture.
Text, Editor/Bund Jun, Bund Design Hotel
Data from The Paper, NOWNESS Now, etc
Some pictures come from the Internet, if there is infringement, please contact to delete
The above content is from "The Bund" (WeChat: the-bund)
Lawyers have been authorized to pursue and protect the copyright of articles
Welcome to share, leave a message to communicate. Please indicate the source of reproduction
Recruitment
The Bund is hiring! We look forward to you:
Love city life;
Expertise in fashion, design, culture and other fields;
Keen on trends;
Competent for independent editing
Life Editor (1)
Excellent text, or visual presentation skills
Hotel Editor (1)
Hotel control, excellent English expression
Business Development (1)
Familiar with brands, more than 2 years of experience in digital media
Intern (1)
Interest is the biggest self-driving force
Coordinates: Shanghai "Huge Wealth and Growth"
Treatment: Provide competitive salary and upside
Contact: [email protected]
- THE END -
Click to follow "The Bund (the-bund)"