Architecture is not architecture, Ma Yansong's lecture

I find that the profession is not enough to respond to today’s technology, today’s society, and our lives. This makes people lose interest, so we have to broaden this definition. Architecture is very important, it is related to everyone’s life, so it has to speak to many different perspectives and expand its meaning. We all remember Mies van der Rohe’s “less is more,” a motto of architects. But a stronger relationship with people’s lives is necessary.
For this year’s topic, I tried to give some new definitions.  

Yes, we tried to give ten, but there could be more, because this is an open discussion. We want every country to contribute, to make architecture more open, more connected to our lives. So it is not just about drawing a building, but much more. What is important is not materials and spaces themselves, but how spaces and materials create an atmosphere. 

I draw inspiration from the city and from architecture of the past. I believe that the ancient nature of Beijing is carefully cultivated, the mountain, the pagoda, the water, nature becomes culture. There are many landscapes, and mountains are not just mountains, water is not just water. That is why I say architecture is not architecture.

The relationship between architecture and the artifact makes me say: I am part of you, you are part of me, we are one whole, I am part of nature.

Yes, for example in the lecture I highlighted this aspect by talking about a nursery school project YueCheng Courtyard Kindergarten in which we preserved the old pitched roofs and demolished the fake ones. Then we planned the classrooms and created space for greenery and play areas. We covered everything with a very colorful roof. 
In this way, it feels like travelling through time between old and new, but also respecting nature and the trees. This is a common element. The new structures were kept low, but they still allow for a spatial experience. You can enter the nursery through the old gate, old and new are constantly in contact with each other, and you feel like you are traveling through time.
I applied the same concept in a social housing project in Beijing, the Baiziwan Social Housing, with towers resting on a floating community platform, where pedestrians can access both the second level and the ground level, which is open to the city. 
There are shared spaces, an amphitheater, and even a dedicated magazine. Social housing should create a sense of home so that people do not feel abandoned, but proud to live there.

Yes, Shanshui is an ancient Chinese concept suggesting that nature can be spiritual and emotional. I think this is completely lost in today’s modern cities. Today we all talk about nature, sustainability, green energy, but not about the emotional or spiritual aspects.

We should learn from history and believe that our cities and architecture can have beauty and emotional moments. When we live in the city, we should still feel pride, it should be beautiful, cultural. I think this is what is missing today.  

Exactly, it has very curved lines, and the real challenge was to create a building accessible to the public, integrated with the park, even the roof is an open space, so people can walk on it, and there is also an amphitheater.
In this way, the building blends with the horizon. Inside, there is a lot of natural light since we tried to use natural materials such as local wood. 
Here architecture becomes landscape. 
So why not create a volcano building? That’s what we did, with a 4,000-seat stadium with green hills outside. The result is that you don’t see a large concrete and glass building, but a large open park that people can use at any time of day.

I really like volcanoes, but I designed it because in our fast-paced society, where everyone is overwhelmed and has no time to relax, I wanted to create a space where people can reflect. So I created a stadium not only for games, speed, and strength, but also for enjoyment.

Or the Opera House, with roofs that seem to explode, we tried to create monumental buildings that merge into nature, softening their power. Architecture is no longer so dominant.

In September, my latest building will open: the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMNA) in Los Angeles, founded by George Lucas, the director of Star Wars.

It is a floating structure, we wanted to preserve the landscape at ground level and create a new landscape on the roof. It is a horizontal structure: people can walk underneath it and also go up to the roof.

The building is almost complete. It is near a campus with red-brick buildings; from there you can see downtown Los Angeles and the mountains. So the building becomes a gateway to this large open green space. Nearby there are also the space museum and the natural history museum.
The building is very organic; it is black because of the solar panels on the roof. They say it looks like a spaceship. Near the building there is a large public space with an oculus that brings in light. So it is a space that brings people together and also provides shelter from the heat.

I think I was inspired by clouds, if you walk around it, you cannot define its shape, because it depends on the point of view. This intrigues people, especially students. It is a surreal, uncertain space to be discovered, and I think this is the meaning of the building.

This is something I have observed, especially in China. There has been a big shift. In the past, architecture schools were very popular, the best students went there. Now enrollments are shrinking, some programs are closing because people are not applying.

Talented students prefer to pursue other careers, because education has become old-fashioned, it focuses only on technique, drawings, and construction. But architecture can be art, social activism, philosophy, it can be many things.

Today, if you go to China, developers often don’t know what to do. For example, when they renovate a street, they don’t know what program to create, what people like, or what activities to include.

They ask architects, but architects often lack this knowledge, they only know how to follow instructions and produce drawings. But architects should connect with many people, they should not only have the ability to design, but also to understand what to design, what to do, and what the goal is.
This is something young designers should pay attention to.

I think architecture is about life. We should focus on life, on people—not on buildings. Buildings are just a means, a part of the process.

As people, we live in cities, we talk about gardens, streets, public spaces, furniture, homes, communities, and many other things. We should observe society and define our own role, instead of waiting for a task to be given to us.

Yes, I often begin my projects with quick sketches that capture an emotion. These are later developed into something larger. I do sketches, but they come from observation.

You go to a place, you need to understand the people and their dreams, why they want something. Then you try to become part of it, and only then can you respond.

I think Milan has many important qualities: historical buildings, new architecture, young people, nature, everything is very active.

I often come here during Design Week, when it’s full of people. It feels very open and dynamic, I really love it.

Cover photo Courtesy of Domus – ©Editoriale Domus S.p.A.