The Future of Sustainable Architecture可持续建筑之未来

Near the village of Hengkeng in China’s Zhejiang province， there’s a bamboo forest with an open-air theatre， also made of bamboo. The twist1， however， is that no bamboo was actually cut to build the theater. Instead， living bamboo trees were bent and roped until they formed a dome with a circular opening at the top.

在中国浙江省横坑村附近，有一片竹林，林中有一座露天剧场，也是用竹子建造而成。然而，出人意料的是，人们建这座剧场实际上并没有砍伐竹子，而是将一些活竹弯曲并捆绑起来，形成一个顶部有圆形开口的穹顶。

The so-called Bamboo Theater was designed by Xu Tiantian of DnA Design and Architecture to provide a space for cultural activities for the local community. Together with seven other projects from across China， it’s been highlighted in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art （MoMA） in New York that seeks to change our perception2 of the country’s approach to contemporary architecture.

这座所谓的“竹剧场”是由DnA建筑设计事务所的徐甜甜设计的，目的是为当地社区提供一个举行文化活动的空间。它与来自中国的其他七个项目一起参加了纽约现代艺术博物馆的一场专题展览，该展览旨在改变我们对中国当代建筑方式的看法。

Titled “Reuse， Renew， Recycle： Recent Architecture from China”， the exhibition showcases a new generation of Chinese architects who are promoting social and environmental sustainability by transforming industrial buildings， recycling materials， and reinterpreting ancient building techniques. At a time when the meaning of sustainability is often defined by a slew of3 standards and certifications rather than the lived， spatial experience， the exhibition introduces a more nuanced4 definition that’s inspired by the use of traditional materials and a stronger connection between architecture and nature.

这场展览名为“再利用、再生、再循环：来自中国的最新建筑”，展示了中国新一代建筑师正在通过改造工业建筑、回收材料和重新诠释古老的建筑技术推动社会和环境的可持续发展。现如今，“可持续性”的含义往往是由一系列标准和认证而非生活和空间体验来界定，该展览则引入了一个更微妙的定义，其灵感源自传统材料的使用以及建筑与自然更紧密的联系。

“We want to redirect5 the global conversation to ecological approaches to architecture，” says Martino Stierli， who curated the exhibition along with Evagenlos Kotsioris. In the city of Guilin， Vector Architects converted an abandoned sugar factory into a hotel complex6. In Beijing， Zhang Ke of ZAO/standardarchitecture has proposed a series of independent living units inserted into one of the city’s myriad Hutong courtyards， which have been a target of mass demolition for over a decade. And in Shanghai’s West Bund area， Philip F. Yuan has salvaged and reused grey bricks from an old warehouse to build a new envelope7 for a museum.

“我们想把全球对话转移到建筑生态学方法上。”马蒂诺·施蒂尔利说。他和埃瓦金罗斯·科齐奥里斯共同策划了此次展览。在桂林市，直向建筑事务所把一座废弃糖厂改造成了酒店综合体。在北京，十几年来市区有许多胡同院落成为大规模拆迁的目标，标准营造建筑事务所的张轲提出将一系列独立的生活单元置入其中一个院落。而在上海西岸地区，袁烽则从一座破旧仓库回收老旧青砖并重新利用，为一座画廊建造了新的外围防护墙体。

For Chinese architects， the word sustainability doesn’t come up often. Instead， Kotsioris explains that they follow basic tenets that revolve around harmony with nature or the continuation of the past. In Jinhua City， for example， Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu， of Amateur Architecture Studio， designed a humble teahouse on a slightly slanted plot. The slant was inspired by traditional Chinese inkstones used to mix dry ink and water in art and calligraphy （the exhibition features a striking mock-up8 of the façade， which boasts over a hundred different glazes inspired by the function of an inkstone）. The tie to sustainability as we know it may not immediately be apparent here （in fact， the word is rarely used through the exhibition）. And yet， using a traditional object to inspire the shape of a building speaks to9 a more nuanced meaning of sustainability in its poignant connection to history.

对中国建筑师来说，他们很少提及“可持续性”这个词。他们所做的，科齐奥里斯解释道，是遵循与自然和谐共处或历史赓续的若干基本原则。例如，在金华市，业余建筑工作室的王澍和陆文宇设计了一个简朴的茶屋，茶屋坐落在一块略微倾斜的坡地上。斜坡的设计灵感源自绘画与书法中用来混合干墨和水的中国传统砚台（这次展览还展示了一个引人注目的建筑外立面模型，这一设计受砚台功能的启发，用了一百多种釉料）。我们所理解的可持续性跟此种设计的联系，在这里可能没有直接显现出来（实际上，整个展览过程中很少用到“可持续性”这个词）。然而，用传统物件激发建筑形状设计灵感，说明在可持续性跟历史的深刻关系中蕴藏着更为微妙的意义。

With a few exceptions， the projects showcased here are small in scale （the exhibition itself is anchored by gorgeous architectural models made from porcelain， concrete， or brick to reflect each of the project’s key materials）. This is a curatorial decision that reflects many of the architects’ aspirations to revitalize the Chinese countryside through small insertions that are aligned with the community’s needs. A good example is Wencun Village， where Amateur Architecture Studio was invited by the local municipality to create a cultural complex and instead designed a series of houses connected by a new bridge and small public pavilions. Through the use of local building techniques and materials， Stierli says the projects fostered better engagement with10 the community. “And that， in turn， gives people a certain degree of dignity and a belief in their own ways of life，” he says.

除个别项目外，此次展出的项目规模都是小型的（展览本身是以一系列极其吸引人的建筑模型为基础，模型用瓷器、混凝土或砖建造而成，以体现项目所用的各种关键材料）。这一策展方案反映出许多建筑师的渴望，即通过使用与社区需求相一致的小型置入建筑来振兴中国乡村。文村村就是个很好的例子。当地市政部门邀请业余建筑工作室在该村创建一个文化综合体，工作室则设计了一系列房屋，这些房屋由一座新桥和一些小型公共凉亭连接起来。施蒂尔利表示，通过使用当地的建筑技术和材料，这些项目让人们跟社区的联系更为紧密。“而这反过来又赋予人们一定程度的尊严并且让他们相信自己的生活方式是好的。”他说。

It’s worth noting that these projects are a fraction of what’s being built in China—some of which are indeed massive. But it’s also important to remember that what we see in the West can be influenced by the monumental11 scale of a project coupled with the fact that the outsized projects are often designed by Western architects who are hired “for prestige，” says Stierli. Dr. Xiangning Li， who teaches architecture at Tongji University and was a consultant for the exhibit， says Chinese architecture has come a long way over the past three decades. “As I look back and reflect on the changes that have taken place， I am pleased to see contemporary Chinese architects constantly employing the new products emerging en masse12 to express their interpretations of tradition，” he says. “A cultural consciousness rooted in the collective unconsciousness is now taking on varied contemporary forms.”