Fitch Colloquium: Preservation in China’s Future

2022 Fitch Colloquium: Preservation in China’s Future

This two-day conference will take place virtually, please register in advance for the Zoom webinar links below. Please note that a separate registration is necessary for each day of the conference.

• Thursday, March 3 (6–8PM EST)
  
• Friday, March 4 (9AM–12PM EST)
  

The 2022 Fitch Colloquium will critically examine how Chinese architects are engaging with preservation to imagine new forms of creativity and cultural relevance. The event is organized by the Historic Preservation Program at Columbia GSAPP in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Named for the founder of formal preservation education at Columbia University and in the United States, the James Marston Fitch Colloquium became an annual event in 2000. In a day-long colloquium, students, alumni, and guests hear speakers and engage in discussion over current issues in preservation— attempting to discover and define the leading edge of the discipline.

SCHEDULE
Please note that all times are listed in EST, and all panels are virtual.


Thursday, March 3rd from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM, New York EST
(Friday, March 4th from 7:00 AM-9:00 AM China Standard Time)

6:00 PM
Welcome and introduction by Jorge Otero-Pailos

6:30 – 6:35 PM
Introduction to the first panel by Martino Stierli

6:35 – 7:30 PM
Presentations by Zhang Ke, XU Tiantian, and Philip F. Yuan

7:30 – 7:35 PM
Discussion among panel participants moderated by Martino Stierli

7:55 – 8:00 PM
Closing Remarks

Friday, March 4, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM, New York EST
(Friday, March 4, 10:00 PM-1:00 AM China Standard Time)

9:00 AM
Welcome and introduction to the second panel by Jorge Otero-Pailos

9:20 – 10:50AM
Presentations by Dong Gong, Wang Hui, Lu Wenyu, and Pei Weiyi Chloe

10:50 AM – 11:55 AM
Discussion among panel participants moderated by Jorge Otero-Pailos

11:55 AM – 12:00 PM
Closing Remarks

SPEAKERS

DONG Gong
Founder, Design Principal of Vector Architects; Foreign Member, French Academy of Architecture

DONG Gong founded Vector Architects in 2008. He was elected as the Foreign Member of French Academy of Architecture in 2019. He has been successively employed as design tutor of Tsinghua University and Central Academy of Fine Arts, Distinguished Visiting Professor of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Visiting Professor of Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy.

He and Vector Architects have been invited to various major exhibitions, including the first Chinese architecture exhibition at MoMA; the 2018 “FREESPACE” Venice Biennale. DONG Gong’s practice has earned international recognition by his representative works, including Seashore Library, Seashore Chapel, Alila Hotel in Yangshuo, the Renovation of the Captain’s House, and Changjiang Art Museum.


Wang Hui
Co-Founder, URBANUS Architecture & Design

A New York State registered architect, and a RIBA chartered architect, Wang Hui is a co-founder of URBANUS Architecture & Design, one of the most visionary architectural practices in China. He is a council member of the Architectural Society of China. As a part-time educator, Mr. Wang is also a studio master at School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, and a visiting professor at the Center of Architecture Research and Design, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. His design efforts to balance the complexity and contradiction of today’s urbanization between the old and the new, and to explore new spatial solutions to reconcile conflicts between everyday urban life and the high speed capitalist development. Some of his recent projects focusing on new ways of revitalizing ignored historic monuments have aroused hot debates in the circle of China’s historic preservation, such as the Environmental Upgrade for the Five Dragon Temple, and the Holy Flame Plaza at the Xi-Hou-Du Relics.


Zhang Ke
Founder, ZAO/standardarchitecture

Zhang Ke is the founder and principal architect of ZAO/standardarchitecture 标准营造. Zhang Ke received his Master in Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) in 1998 and his Master and Bachelor in Architecture from Tsinghua University in Beijing.

He has been teaching Design Studios at Harvard GSD since 2016. With a wide range of works realised over the past 20 years, his studio has emerged as one of the most critical and innovative protagonists among the new generation of Chinese architects. Recent works include the Novartis Campus Building in Shanghai, the Community Art Center in Rizhao, the Camerich R&D Campus in Beijing, a number of hutong transformation projects in the historic centre of Beijing and various buildings embedded in the landscape of Tibet. Zhang Ke was awarded the Alvar Aalto Medal in 2017 and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2016. Other notable awards include the International Award Architecture in Stone, Verona, Italy (2011), Design Vanguard by Architecture Record (2010), China Architecture Media Award (CAMA), Best Young Architect Prize (2008) and the WA Chinese Architecture Award, Winning Prize (2010 and 2006.


Xu Tiantian
Founding Principal, DnA_Design and Architecture

Xu Tiantian is the founding principal of DnA_Design and Architecture. She has received numerous awards such as the WA China Architecture Award in 2006 and 2008, the Architectural League New York’s Young Architects Award in 2008, the Design Vanguard Award in 2009 by Architecture Record and the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architect in 2019. In 2020, she was appointed an Honorary Fellow of American Institute of Architects. Xu Tiantian has engaged extensively in the rural revitalising process in China. Her groundbreaking “Architectural Acupuncture” is a holistic approach to the social and economic revitalization of rural China and has been selected by UN Habitat as the case study of Inspiring Practice on Urban-Rural Linkages. Xu Tiantian received her masters in architecture and urban design from Harvard Graduate School of Design, and her baccalaureate in architecture from Tsinghua University in Beijing.


Lu Wenyu
Co-Founder, Amateur Architecture Studio

Lu Wenyu as an architect co-founded Amateur Architecture Studio with Wang Shu, and together they founded the architecture department at China Academy of Art in 2003. Lu was a visiting Professor at Harvard GSD, MIT and UCL. Lu, working together with Wang Shu as partner, has completed numerous projects, including but not limited to Ningbo Historic Museum, Xiangshan Campus of China Academy of Art, Preservation and Renovation of Southern Song Imperial Street, Fuyang Cultural Complex, Renovation of Wencun Village, and Lin An Historic Museum.

She was awarded Schelling Architecture Prize in Germany, and an Honorary Award from the Venice Biennale in 2010 and listed among the RIBA’s 2015 Fellowships. She was the recipient of the 2019 Gold Medal of Tau Sigma Delta. Lu is the juror of UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.


PEI, Weiyi Chloe
Creative Director, Tsinghua Heritage Institute for Digitization; Vice President, RE International Center for Digital Creativity; Founder, FX Cultural & Creative Studio and ToBeContinue®

Chloe is a Chinese Canadian born in Fuzhou, who grew up in North America and travelled in more than 50 countries and regions. With an international perspective, Her research focuses on the best practice of digital technologies in the conservation, interpretation, and dissemination of cultural heritage.

She has working experience in various public and private cultural institutes for international and national projects. In 2017, she returned to China to join the Digital Yuanmingyuan project led by Professor Guo Daiheeng of Tsinghua University and began her affiliation with the Tsinghua Heritage Institute for Digitization. Currently, she is responsible for the full circle of experience design for content research and value assessment to artistic interpretation and technical implementation. She is also in charge of international communication and exchange. She is one of the core developers of the 5R (VR, AR, MR, ER, ARG) Digital Exhibition System for cultural heritage. She has participated in designing, developing, and implementing nearly a dozen national patents and original content.

In 2021, She founded the FX Cultural & Creative Studio, dedicated to sustainably utilizing cultural assets according to current needs and building bridges between people and place, resources and knowledge.


Philip F. Yuan
Associate Dean & Professor, CAUP Tongii University; Editor in Chief, Architectural Intelligence; Founder, DigitalFUTURES Association; Founder, Archi-union Architects; Founder, Fab-union Technology

Philip F. Yuan is Associate Dean and tenured professor of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP) at Tongji University. He is also Editor in Chief of Architectural Intelligence. Yuan is the visiting professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, 2019) and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT, 2021) and Thomas Jefferson professor at University of Virginia (UVA, 2019).

Yuan founded DigitalFUTURES Association in 2011. He is also the founder of Archi-union Architects and Fab-union Technology. Yuan plays a leading role in the Frontiers of digital architecture. His research has over 16 publications in the realm of computational design and robotic fabrication. His works have been collected by Moma New York, M+ Hong Kong and Centre National d'art et de Culture Georges Pompidou. He has also participated in Venice Biennale, Chicago Biennale, Milan Triennial, Russian Biennale etc.

Free and open to the public. Virtual events hosted on Zoom Webinar do not require an account to attend, and advance registration is encouraged. GSAPP is committed to providing universal access to all of our virtual events. Please contact events@arch.columbia.edu to request disability accommodations. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.