What's good architecture and why the world doesn't need more star architects | Xi Zhang | TEDxZurich

[Music] [Applause] it is good architecture yes but are there better solutions i'm here to share with you what is good architecture and why the world does not need more star architects but better architects star architects are captivating they succeed to express their creativity in architecture but truly great architecture is selfless it's not self-serving but about making design harmony with human nature and respecting the integrity and tradition of each context i'm an architect educated in switzerland and china our office is based in zurich and shanghai we are building both in europe and asia in europe architects

are highly respected since the renaissance all architects try to put their names on history each era tries to express itself through building volume and facade but when you look at traditional chinese architecture for more than 2000 years you will find a modular system with a large roof supported by wood columns which has undergone little change over the centuries who was the architect not important architects are insignificant in asian architectural philosophy architecture is secondary i'm sure each of you can name some european style architects out of history let's say palladio michelangelo bernini orboromini but how many

of you can name one or two chinese star architects from the past or japanese or vietnamese i know it's super complicated to pronounce the names but please raise your hand if you know any zero i can maybe tell you one or two but the truth is there are not many star architects in asian history at all in order to build a house in traditional china first the feng shui master comes to decide where the punch should be where the garden or where the house is allowed to co-exist based on the terran the light and view

then the craftsman come to construct the house according to the owner's social hierarchy and function the difference is europeans are self-centered individuals and chinese are quite opposite a fun example when you ask for directions on the street in europe people will say turn left and then right but in china they will say go west and then north you see chinese people always try to put the name themselves in a greater entity of city and nature feng shui master is here to coordinate the co-existence among human objects landscape and nature functionally spatially and socially in order

to achieve the harmony of human and nature on a strategic level that's why we call this kind of study the science of harmony with universe feng shui which means wind and water it's not called clay or gold or any material it's a non-material substance intangible non-shapeable which is actually the emptiness the void but it's not empty it's not steel it's invisible energy in a constantly dynamic flow void is a force which shapes a space building is understood as a link between interior and landscape in order to promote a positive energy flow between inside and outside

we built a house in kyoto japan kyoto is a place at the first glance you think is an old town but when you take a closer look many houses are new old and new are well integrated this private house is located in a traditional area close to the imperial palace it's a small plot for only 4.2 meters by 15 meters on the west corner with public lanes on both sides you can see the roofs are set back on each floor according to kyoto's building codes the pedestrians view to the sky is protected which means the

public streets and lanes are protected as a three-dimensional space to the sky it's smart right it's like yin and yang in europe it's a building volume which to be protected but in kyoto it's a negative part it's an invisible one it's a public urban space to be protected suddenly i understood that japanese have honestly continued the asian urban concept because when public urban space is protected you can never demolish an old quarter and replace it with high rise buildings you can build high but the urban fabric stays and the human perception of the city remains

sadly the traditional concepts are forgotten in chinese building laws the consequences old neighborhoods are discarded and replaced by gigantic building blocks throughout the country legally that's what happened in beijing and in many many cities in china when i see these pictures i feel really sad of course economy is the driving force behind construction boom but architects are accomplices the fancy looks created by star architects are used as style handbook for new construction and its impact on education is even more frightening so what is good architecture for sure it's not really about the look it's about

the relation created by the building with the context and its contribution to the society and nature it's like a person it's not about how pretty this person looks it's about what this person does for the others isn't it i believe the desire to nature the harmony for outside world is human the asian architectural philosophy is perceived as a star but its core is humanity we see its contemporary values worldwide not only for preservation but also for inspiration and innovation in our own 12 years practice we use this approach to diagnose each project carefully to achieve

the best suitable solutions holistically and strategically we try to be a modern feng shui master i'm 100 convinced shifting the focus from building to the void is a big step for all of us to have a better sense on architecture to create livable cities because when you shift the focus to the void to the space you automatically shift it to the people thank you [Applause] [Music] you