Fourth 'Shanghai Creative Design Forum' held at EKA-Tianwu

Organized by the Shanghai Designers Association, the 4th "Shanghai Creative Design Forum" has recently been held at EKA-Tianwu, a newly built urban humanistic and aesthetic hall on Jinqiao Rd.

Li Xiangning, the director of the Division of Planning and Academic Development at Tongji University and editor-in-chief of "Architecture China," gave a lecture on "The Wisdom and Temperature of Architecture" at the forum.

Through sharing contemporary architecture cases, Li reflected the alienation of contemporary culture and discussed how to regain the social and humanistic nature of architecture.

Li, also the director of the Comité International des Critiques d'Architecture, said: "Architecture, as a discipline, has traditionally emphasized more on aesthetics, or a kind of visual design. However, the excessive pursuit of its visual impact in the contemporary world has shifted away from the wisdom seen in traditional Chinese architectural culture. In fact, the wisdom of architecture closely integrates visual art, engineering technology and humanistic care."

Over the past several decades, contemporary Chinese architecture has developed rapidly, distinguishing itself on the global stage with its unique "Chinese image."

"Rapid construction and critical pragmatism are important keywords among contemporary Chinese architects," Li said.

He added that the focus on daily "grassroots culture" in Chinese architectural design is sometimes more touching than the grand trend of urban development. It meets the needs of vulnerable groups, showing the humanistic care of the city.

The aesthetics of contemporary architecture has many new meanings compared to the traditional aesthetics of classicism and modernism, and architecture should contribute to the experience of public space and the enhancement of human interaction, that is, the "wisdom" and "temperature" of architecture, he said.

"Architectural design will alter from the dramatic changes of people's living conditions and space. Today, how to seize the power from the traditional and regional cultures to carry out innovative transformation is a critical topic," Li said, "In the future, 'bio-diversity' will become an important projection for exploring the relationship between human beings and nature. The wisdom of architecture is actually the relationship with nature."