Transferred from: WIIISH Space
Learning Travel Series – Share the scenery along the way
Welcome to the Weixue Travel Series~ For designers, travel is not only a relaxation, but also the best way to learn. Here, the members of the Weixue family will share with you the large and small towns we have visited, the buildings of different forms, and more or less their own feelings, of course, I also hope to hear your voices and stories!
Author: YC
Master of Architecture, University College Dublin
When I received the request for a trip to European architecture, I was both happy and apprehensive.
Happily, I do like to look at architecture while traveling, so much so that I have forgotten that there are entertainment items other than appreciating architecture when traveling, and I am willing to share;
I am worried that my architectural travels are very personal and do not have a systematic knowledge framework, and I dare not say that my subjective feelings can describe the perception of European architecture by most of my peers. So, I didn't know how to write for a while.
Until June 2023, looking at the design panels that I was a little out of place with others, I thought that maybe I could write an article that combines the journey of the real and the journey of the heart based on my knowledge and self-perception of foreign architecture and architects in the past two years.
Before I begin, I would like to borrow my mentor's comment that I am a "Black Sheep" to explain that my thinking about architecture is an example, and it does not represent the majority.
1. Ireland
- Expectations and surprises
In 2020, my perception of architecture is still the presence of avant-garde heroism. Although he will honestly say that he cares about green building and humanistic care, he still dreams about Avant-Garde (worship of the masters of the 20s and 80s of the last century) every day. Thinking so, I applied to Ireland because of my admiration for the Pritzker Prize.
▲ Irish historic buildings, the most common architectural forms and street spaces
▲Commemorative city nodes
▲ relatively sophisticated historical building monomer
From September 2021 to February 2022, after studying and observing Dublin for half a year, I felt unexpected and a little lost, as if it was not the same as the expected Western avant-garde architectural environment. The best thing about Irish architecture and cities is that the historic buildings and traces of the city's history have not been damaged on a war-scale scale, and many centuries-old buildings can be seen here. These historic buildings are protected by strict ordinances.
However, this is a burden and a constraint for those who engage in modernism. Because Ireland's historic buildings are not 'Irish', they inherit more of the Georgian style of the British, which the Irish most dislike, and the rough mixture of the European continent, so that ordinary people, as non-architectural experts, cannot see its characteristics at all, and it has become a complex and impure architectural form.
Irish architects, in the complex feelings of love and hate for Britain, are under the pressure of preserving historic buildings and finding their own culture, but they are careful to take care of their own British-based architectural culture.
▲ Try your best to find modern architecture in Ireland
上：都柏林会议中心 by Kevin Roche
下：UCD 城市研究中心 by Grafton Architects（源自网络）
Based on this mentality, the working model becomes: the concept of architectural design becomes based on a large number of readings, and people find historical evidence in the materials as much as possible under the premise of strictly abiding by historical materials, as well as the symbols that distinguish them from other countries, especially the United Kingdom, which can be called Irish symbols, and then combine the concepts of green building and humanities to make very restrained creations, and take into account the strict protection of the historic city.
▲ Studio research participated by the author - the general abandonment and obsolescence of historic buildings
and strategies for reuse - the object of study
In such conditions, it is difficult for me to see historical buildings that belong to Irish culture, and there is a lack of avant-garde modern architecture in the city. Therefore, at this stage, I was very confused, so I often left the building and went to the beach to stay quietly, look at the beautiful scenery, and relax myself.
▲ Appreciating nature may be the best way to escape life
2. Paris + Barcelona
- renewed hope
In 2022, there were two trips to Europe, one was to Paris arranged by the school, and the other was to go to Barcelona by myself. Before I went, I thought about whether I wanted to change myself for the sake of making a living and conforming to the herd. But after these two trips, my feeling about the architectural world is that in fact, I still have a confidant as a "black sheep", and the architectural journey during that period has rekindled hope for the compatibility of self and contemporary architecture.
Paris, March.
I have to say that I still envy the French architectural circle, where the professional environment is very good, there are fewer cases of restrictions on thinking because of policies and regulations, and people have more freedom to think. As a tourist, I can not only see the historical buildings and urban planning with excellent technology, but also the avant-garde design with the spirit of backbone, and as an architect, I really feel that I can think and design freely.
▲ Centre Pompidou by Piano
▲ Place du Louvre by I.M. Pei
▲ Luxembourg Mansion and Park
▲ Parc de la Villette by Tschumi
▲ Pantheon in Paris
Barcelona, July 2022.
Barcelona is actually the result of a number of coincidences. At first, in order to return to China, I had to apply for a Schengen visa when I was transiting in Spain, but I didn't expect that the country did not return in the end, and the visa was done. The journey itself is still very fulfilling, unlike Paris, this trip is basically my favorite buildings, and there are few historical buildings.
▲ "Blue Cheese" Natural History Museum by Herzog & de Meuron
▲ Sagrada Familia by Gaudí
▲ Mila Apartments by Gaudí
▲ Catalan Concert Hall
3. Celtic region
- Relaxing journey
In January 2023, a friend in Edinburgh said that he was going back to China and asked me to go to Scotland for a reunion. Because I was busy with my studies, I didn't catch up in the end, but anyway, the visa was done, so let's go for it. At this time, I went on a trip, not only because of my passion for architecture, but also because I wanted to relax. So on this trip, a lot of nature sightseeing was arranged, and there were not many photos of the building. In addition to Scotland, I also walked around Ireland, which should be considered a Celtic cultural area.
▲ 苏格兰国家博物馆-扩建 by Benson & Forsyth
▲ The Burrell 收藏馆-翻新 by John McAslan
▲ Titanic Pavilion
▲ 奥斯特博物馆-粗野主义新馆部分 by Francis Pym
▲ The natural scenery of Celtic contains the remains of pure Irish culture
4. Central Europe
- Fantasy or expectation
In the spring of 2023, in the blink of an eye, the days of studying abroad have come to an end, so the mood is inevitably complicated. The two years of study have been very fulfilling and fruitful. Especially in terms of design expression, there has been a great improvement. I'm embarrassed to mention this progress to my teachers every time, but I've actually practiced it through constant sketching, designing, arguing, and arguing.
In March 2023, we departed from the Netherlands.
As one of the most anticipated trips, the expectations of this trip were very much in line with the results, and it has to be said that the Netherlands is indeed the most beautiful fantasy of architecture for many architecture students in the country (it may have recently become Denmark because of BIG). The tour went to three places, Paris, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
▲ Branly Riverbank Museum by Jean Nouvel
▲ Apartment building design by Ma Yansong
▲ 萨伏伊别墅 by 勒 柯布西耶
This time, there is no excuse for visas, purely to seize the opportunity to see more in Europe before returning to China, and leave no regrets. After the Netherlands and the next trip to Denmark, I felt that there are still the cities I yearn for and a group of people with the same architectural ideas in the world, which made me a little reluctant.
▲ 鹿特丹市场大厅 by MVRDV
▲ City Link Corridor
▲ 艺术品仓库 by MVRDV
▲ Cube house
▲ Valley by MVRDV
▲ Monument to the Victims by Libeskin
Copenhagen, April 2023.
Thirty years ago, I went to Paris for architecture, and twenty years ago I looked at the Netherlands, and Denmark was definitely mentioned in the design of those ten years.
▲ Danish Architecture Center by OMA
▲ Organ Chapel
Copenhagen's impression of architecture and the city is that the city is still a little "new" and a little intimate. Walking in the city, there is always a feeling that buildings are not designed and built with the human senses as the first priority, including the characteristics of historic buildings - rough, large and solid - giving people a sense of alienation. If we add the simplified geometric composition of modernism, the so-called Internet celebrity architecture is basically formed.
The roughness, bigness, and solidity here are not negatively emotional, but more like a neutral evaluation.
For example, conceptually, many creations are not carefully polished, and many are brave and bold imaginations, which is a bit "rough" in unresearched. In terms of materials, especially BIG's projects, they are indeed a bit rough, which is evident when compared to the architectural center designed by OMA.
There is also the "big", many designs, such as Yamagata houses, must be based on a certain scale, otherwise the building will not be built. After looking at many well-known designs, I was suddenly surprised to find that they all have one thing in common, that is, they must be big enough, big enough to make a stepped setback, big enough to take into account the spatial performance and architectural specifications.
In addition, there is also "real", which is something that cannot be done for the Nordic countries, but it has formed a good condition for the geometry of architecture.
▲ Mountain Dwellings by BIG
▲ 哥本哈根国际学校 by C.F. Møller Architects
▲ Dortheavej Residence by BIG
▲ Copenhill by BIG
In June 2023, the graduation trip went to Brussels.
Maybe it's in France, the Netherlands, and Denmark that I like to see too much, but in other places, it seems that the initial surprise and joy are missing.
▲ Gare Maritime 改造项目 by Neutelings Riedijk Architects
▲Round walkways
▲The Cosmopolitan by BOGDAN & VAN BROECK
▲ Porte de Hal 楼梯设计
5. Architectural journey
- Set sail again, the era of architecture as I understand it
My architectural journeys are my inner reflections on my personal view of architecture and this era, and the process of learning, feeling, experiencing and struggling with Western architecture and architects. Those born in the West may never understand why a group of Chinese students like me are so excited to see the Centre Pompidou, but at the same time ignorant of its history and details. In the past two years, after many trips, my excitement about the architecture that I could only see in books and websites has gradually decreased, and my knowledge of the corresponding buildings has increased, and at the same time, I have gradually begun to appreciate the importance of historical buildings in the Western concept of architecture.
I understand that in this era of architecture, there are three trends that can be accepted so that students who can accept or already like it can continue to survive as architects.
One is to do elite design that only I can technically achieve, this kind of design is very cool, even if there is no design basis, it can survive, such as Zaha Associates, Thomas Heatherwick.
The second is to do green design, no matter what, energy conservation and environmental protection is always not wrong, it can be said that it is common in the world.
The third is the regional theoretical design, that is, the measured design based on a large number of local knowledge materials (that is, the design style of our school). I admit that it is reasonable, but it is inevitably boring and will also suppress the personality of the architect.
When I first went abroad, I was actually looking for my own way of architecture, and after two years of experience, it seems that it was only the first part of my architectural journey. I still need to work on it, and my journey will continue, to find that untouched ideal destination that exists in this era of architecture.