職業建筑師的品格中芬建筑實踐之思考

作者：方海（廣東工業大學藝術設計學院院長、教授）

佩卡?薩米寧對自己設計構思的執著追求，以及無錫大劇院設計構思的最終實現，為中國建筑師們樹立了良好的榜樣。我由此想到當代中國建筑師的現狀和中國建筑師們的工作環境，并開始深入思考無錫大劇院這一案例帶來的教育與啟發。不久前我寫了一篇《普利茨克建筑獎與當代建筑思潮》的文章，其中羅列了中國當代建筑的“十二病”。在此擬結合薩米寧在無錫大劇院項目中從設計到施工過程中展現的建筑專業性，對此“十二病”進行進一步的分析。

中國建筑的第一病是過分屈從于領導與決策者，亦稱“長官意志”。這種領導風格是中國建筑師抱怨最多的其中一個方面，也確實是影響中國當代建筑發展的最重要的因素之一。在中國，建筑上許多問題的產生原因是由于決策者與業主（往往是公職人員）制定的設計施工進度表過于緊迫，導致建設上一味求快躍進。在無錫大劇院施工白熱化的階段，佩卡?薩米寧在給當時的無錫市市長寫的信中援引了2011年溫州動車事故的例子，并指出在極短時間內可以達到的設計施工質量是十分有限的。

在這樣的環境下，中國建筑師往往把自己作品最后不如人意的結果歸咎于長官意志。然而，知道如何向官員和其他決策者提出并解決觀點分歧，其實是建筑師專業基本素養的一部分。在無錫大劇院的設計施工階段，薩米寧和中國建筑師們的處境相同。他非常了解業主的重要作用，也很清楚任何項目都不可能在脫離業主的情況下得到實現。薩米寧提到了荷蘭建筑師阿爾多?凡?艾克（Aldo Van Eyck）在芬蘭演講時說的話，“業主從來不會在設計合同中對可能達到的最佳質量作特別要求，故而提升設計質量是建筑師的職責”。薩米寧堅持認為建筑師應該成為這方面的專家，即在項目各個階段一旦遇到任何問題，都必須具備勇氣與辯才去說服業主采取最佳的解決方案。

在過去的二十年里，事實上無論是政府還是私企，中國的業主們，至少基于他們自己對建筑質量的理解，已經開始對最佳質量有所要求。不過，一座良好的建筑最終能否得以實現取決于給設計和建設工作預留的時間，以及建筑師、業主和其它相關人員之間的協作與溝通。在此過程中，建筑師的專業素養和敬業精神起到了決定性的作用，這一點在西方早已得到公認。這也是為什么在過去的二十年間，在中國建成的能夠稱得上“最好的建筑”的絕大多數建筑物基本上都出自西方建筑師之手。

中國當代建筑十二病中的第二病是為“不專業”。中國建筑師在工作中往往缺乏專業方法，這主要是由于中國建筑教育系統“紙上談兵”的模式造成的。大學教學中大量空洞的內容不僅浪費了師生的寶貴時間，而且也導致了培養出的建筑師在專業技能上的嚴重缺失，這使得他們在說服業主接受自己的設計理念時缺乏應有的權威性與專業性。在與項目中的其他各類專家合作的過程中，這種專業性的不足往往就會暴露出來。設計與建造是一個協作的過程，它涉及了許多不同領域的專業技術。建筑師的主要職責之一是組織和協調各部門的工作從而達到最佳可行的結果。薩米寧在無錫大劇院項目中成功領導了他的設計團隊，這顯示出了中歐建筑事務所在項目規劃與管理方法之間的差異。

第三病是建筑師的“不敬業”。敬業程度是不能簡單地通過“經常加班”來提升的。敬業與專業性密切相關。在北歐的專業建筑教育體系中，要求職業建筑師就自己負責的設計項目貢獻盡可能完美和實用的解決方案。無錫大劇院規模宏大，其結構、功能、細節復雜。在設計與實施的階段，業主、中方合作伙伴和承包商發現他們在經驗與專業技術上常常有力有未逮的情況。憑借精湛的專業知識技能和敬業精神，薩米寧成功展示并實施了建筑和技術上的最佳解決方案，并最終實現了他的設計構思。

中國建筑的第四病是中國“山寨成風”的文化。山寨文化有其藝術史上的根源：在中國藝術發展的過程中，無論是書法、繪畫、陶瓷或木雕，“臨、仿、模”大師的作品都是最基本的學習和創作方法。因此，當代中國主流藝術、設計和建筑領域普遍存在模仿和照搬的現象，便也不足為奇了。

反之，在芬蘭，創造性和個性是藝術與設計的核心。建筑創造的過程需要大量的時間與精力。正如埃里爾?沙里寧所說，“勉力是增強頭腦創造性的關鍵”。對芬蘭建筑師而言，創作過程需要反復起草、深思熟慮并帶著批判和開明的態度探索不同的可能性。這個過程對全新事物的創造極為重要，然而許多中國建筑師還很難領悟這點。

第五病是“沽名釣譽”，這一點尤其表現在中國的評獎系統中。為了“單位的發展”，主建筑師和其他領導必須掛名在設計師名單的首位，即便他們在項目中并沒有實質性的作為。真正參與其中的建筑師和設計師得不到嘉獎或認可，便不太可能會積極地為設計工作付出更多的努力。反之，薩米寧與他的團隊維護了設計師的權益，是無錫大劇院名義與實質上真正的負責人。這意味著他們深知自己的職責所在，他們對工作的全身心投入是基于對專業的自豪感而非對名利的追求。

第六病是“安于現狀”，“小富即安”是當代中國建筑師的普遍寫照。改革開放后的建設熱潮給中國建筑師們帶來了新的機遇，也使他們進入了小康。也許是中國的長期貧困帶來的后遺癥，大多數中國建筑師易于滿足現狀，不思進取，隨波逐流。

近代芬蘭也是從貧困中起步發展的，但是芬蘭建筑師保持了他們對學習新知識如饑似渴的態度。他們意識到了建筑行業日新月異的發展要求他們不斷更新自己的知識儲備與技能。一個實例是芬蘭對建筑信息模型（BIM）的運用處于國際領先水平。

在與業主的溝通之中，掌握最新知識能夠極大地增強建筑師的說服力。如果建筑師沒有更高層次的專業知識，在與業主的交涉中必定會處于下風，越發難以實現自己的設計理想。以無錫大劇院為例，在制作和組裝翅膀下端的三角幾何模塊雙曲穿孔鋁板時，針對如何運用合適的電腦軟件及如何定位幾何控制線這一問題，PES建筑設計事務所對中方合作伙伴進行了全程的指導。

中國當代建筑的第七病是“漠視以人為本的功能性”。北歐建筑設計的核心是功能主義：建筑必須滿足使用者的需要，熟悉理解實用性是建筑師的核心素養。在設計無錫大劇院的過程中，盡管在設計觀演類建筑方面已經有了長期的經驗，薩米寧仍然非常深入地研究了實用性與功能性的問題。為了創造出中國最好的劇院建筑，薩米寧研究了世界范圍內所有最具代表性的新近劇院建筑，他與中方業主一起親身考察了其中的許多劇院，并得到了功能性方面關于細節與解決方法的第一手資料。之后，他調整自己的設計以符合中國的規章制度與國情。遺憾的是許多中國建筑師缺乏這方面的考量。除了中國的政治、體制和社會因素之外，中國建筑師已習慣于趕進度，經常滿足于復制或修改前人的設計或標準圖，完全忽視建筑使用者的需求。結果許多建成項目完全無法滿足預期用途，而新一輪的改造又將導致巨大的花銷和浪費。

第八病是為“漠視真正的生態設計”。改革開放后的中國緊跟國際潮流，與時俱進。特別是生態設計在過去的二十年間已經成為了中國建筑界的流行詞。遺憾的是，中國建筑行業對生態設計的理解往往流于表面。

另一方面，無錫大劇院的設計反映了芬蘭設計師對生態設計因地制宜的深刻思考。這意味著致力于最好的建筑實施，將當地的環境狀況同時納入室內外設計方案的考量中，并通過選擇合適的材料與結構以保證建筑有較長的生命周期。這其中包含了高科技結構手段的應用，以及對中國本土材料、技術和建造方法的運用，尤其是在室內設計中。

中國是一個竹材生產大國，竹子在中國文化中具有獨特的地位。很長一段時間，竹材被認為是“窮人的木材”，被大量忽視。然而，在無錫大劇院建成后，新型合成竹材在中國成為了生態材料之選。

第九病是“忽視室內設計”。傳統中國建筑設計和室內設計是一體化的，采用的是相同的材料、技術手法與設計理念，從而形成了中國古代設計獨特與和諧的面貌。然而，也許是出于所受的建筑教育的影響，如今的中國建筑師大都對室內設計不愿重視或無法重視，這使得他們對空間概念的理解不充分且過時。這是中國建筑師與外國設計師之間最明顯的差距之一。

在北歐，尤其是芬蘭的建筑師繼承了建筑設計與室內設計一體化的設計哲學傳統。從沙里寧父子到阿爾托再到當代建筑師，在他們的設計中會同等考慮建筑、室內和家具的設計。

當然，中國建筑師忽視室內設計的部分原因要歸咎于中國的體制。很多時候，建筑師只負責建筑主體與外殼設計，裝潢公司和承包商負責室內設計，再由業主另行購置與建筑并不匹配的家具陳設物品。然而，體制的缺陷并不能成為中國建筑師專業素養不足的借口。很大程度上，由于中國建筑師對室內設計缺乏理解，使得業主無法相信并任用他們設計整座建筑。在無錫大劇院的案例中，中方業主立刻采納了PES建筑設計事務所完成的細致的室內設計，并委托其全權負責建筑的整體設計，從而使一座完整的藝術珍品得以完成。

中國當代建筑的第十病是“沒有家具觀念”。總體而言，現代中國建筑起源于以美國和日本為首的西方工業化發達國家。在中國現代建筑和建筑教育的四位開山宗師當中，三位（楊廷寶、童雋、梁思成）畢業于美國，一位（劉敦楨）畢業于日本。然而四位大師在開啟中國現代建筑新局面的時候，忽略了建筑與家具一體化這一重要的理念。從中國傳統角度出發，這一遺漏是令人費解的。中國古代建筑和家具在材料與結構上是完全統一的，這一點在明代的《魯班經》中有記載。現代中國建筑和家具設計的發展不同步也許來源于材料使用上的差異——當現代中國建筑以混凝土和鋼材為主體的時候，家具的原材料仍舊以木材為主。事實上，直至二十世紀九十年代，中國的家具設計教育都設置在林業大學。如今，許多中國建筑師，包括一些享譽中外的院士大師們，對家具僅有一些粗淺有限的認識。

考慮到中國現代建筑和家具都是現代西方影響的產物，這種建筑與家具的割裂就更加不可思議了。西方建筑師，特別是早期的現代設計大師都是同時涉足于建筑、室內與家具設計的。老一輩的建筑師，包括弗蘭克?勞埃德?賴特（Frank Lloyd Wright）、勒?柯布西耶（Le Corbusier）、密斯?凡?德?羅（Mies van der Rohe）和阿爾瓦?阿爾托（Alvar Aalto），以及現當代的諾曼?福斯特（Norman Foster）、弗蘭克?蓋里（Frank Gehry）、彼得?卒姆托（Peter Zumthor）和扎哈?哈迪德（Zaha Hadid），他們每一位都是家具和工業設計的高手。他們全方位的設計理念是創造高質量作品的關鍵。

在無錫大劇院中，PES建筑設計事務所為其公共空間設計了家具，并與薩米寧的長期設計合作伙伴芬蘭家具設計師約里奧?庫卡波羅（Yrj?Kukkapuro）一起設計了一系列的竹材家具，包括主劇場觀眾座椅和貴賓區的休閑座椅。建筑師設計了多套畫稿并制作了多款模型反復試驗，以期找出最佳的方案。盡管由于中國體制上的限制，設計上不得不做出一些妥協與修改，但是總體設計保證了建筑物基本的功能性與完整性。

第十一病是“遠離對材料的研究”。這是當今中國建筑界的主要不足之一。當評價一名中國建筑師不夠專業的時候，在很大程度上是指這名建筑師對不同材料及其運用的研究不充分。中國建筑師往往把經銷商寄來的樣品漠然置之，只在完成圖紙后匆匆掃一眼。

對于許多西方建筑師來說，例如倫佐?皮亞諾（Renzo Piano）、彼得?卒姆托和赫爾佐格與德梅隆（Herzog & de Meuron），對材料及其全新應用方法的研究往往是設計過程中的關鍵部分。同樣在芬蘭，阿爾托大學設置了一項一年期的木材課程，它提供給建筑師和學生們一個對建筑中木材的新型使用方法進行學習和實驗的機會。中國的建筑設計院校在這方面比較蒼白。

佩卡?薩米寧對材料的研究是極具系統性的，他設計的出發點往往來自于對材料的考慮。他對木材與混凝土的使用尤為感興趣。1998年，在芬蘭建筑博物館舉辦了薩米寧作品展，主題為“材料、結構和空間”。無錫大劇院的設計過程同樣包括了若干階段對材料的調查研究，其中包括大型鋼翅膀及其下端的穿孔鋁板覆面層、門廳玻璃磚墻、主劇場竹材以及光柱中的玻璃元素。在最終選定材料與形式之前，每一階段都涉及非常深入的研究與測試。

中國當代建筑的第十二病是“缺乏細節設計”。佩卡?薩米寧常常引用美國詩人亨利?沃茲沃斯?朗費羅（Henry Wadsworth Longfellow）詩歌《建造者》中的一句“神之所見，一覽無余”。因此，建筑師應該在設計中關注每一處細節，包括隱藏于視野之外的內在結構。在過去的十年間，出現了許多關于“細節決定成敗”的著述。在建筑界，細節設計是決定質量的關鍵因素之一。然而在中國，細節常常被丟給建筑開發商來負責。即便是在2012年普利茨克獎得主王澍的作品中，也能發現中國建筑師細節設計上的不足。

盡管有妥協讓步，基于細致的研究和對細節的全面掌控，無錫大劇院的設計與高質量的實施體現了PES建筑設計事務所的專業素養。我們已習慣于相信是改革開放帶來的中國建設的求快躍進導致了中國現代建筑的參差不齊，也導致了對細節設計的整體忽視以及工程質量的下降。然而，建筑師對設計的每一個方面都應該負責，中國建筑師不應該縮減自己的職責范圍，無論是從最微小的細節還是到整體的質量與可持續性。鑒于此，佩卡?薩米寧領導的設計團隊通過無錫大劇院作了一次表率。

Pekka Salminen’s perseverance in the pursuit of his design vision, and its ultimate realisation in the Wuxi Grand Theatre, sets a good example for Chinese architects.This caused me to reflect on the condition of contemporary Chinese architecture and the environment in which Chinese architects work, and I began to consider in depth the lessons to be learned from the case of the Wuxi Grand Theatre.I have earlier written an article on the Pritzker Architecture Prize and contemporary architectural trends, in which I listed the twelve “diseases”, or defects, of modern Chinese architecture.Now, I will attempt a further analysis of these defects, mirrored against the architectural professionalism demonstrated by Salminen from the design to construction of the Wuxi Grand Theatre.

The first defect in Chinese architecture is excessive adaptation to authoritarian leadership and decision-making, sometimes referred to as “magisterial volition”.This style of leadership is one of the aspects most complained about by Chinese architects, indeed, one of the key factors affecting the development of contemporary Chinese architecture.In China, many of the problems in architecture are caused by the unreasonably tight design and construction schedules set by the decisionmakers and project owners, often public officials, and the resulting "great leap forward" in the pace of construction.In a letter written to the mayor of Wuxi during the hectic construction phase of the Wuxi Grand Theatre, Pekka Salminen noted,referring to the 2011 high-speed train accident in Wenzhou, that there is a limit to the level of quality that can be attained in a too short period of design and construction.

In such an environment, Chinese architects often attribute the unsatisfactory outcome of their work to this magisterial volition imposed on them from above.However, it is part of the basic professional competence of an architect to be able to address and resolve differences in opinion with officials and other decisionmakers.During the Wuxi Grand Theatre design and construction process, Salminen was in the same position as Chinese architects in this regard.He has a clear understanding of the role of the client and is well aware that there is no project without them.According to Salminen, the Dutch architect Aldo Van Eyck once said in a lecture in Finland that clients never specifically require the best possible quality in design contracts, and it is therefore the task of the architect to “smuggle” quality into the design.Salminen insists that the architect is the expert and must possess the courage and argumentative skills to convince the client of the best solution for any problem encountered throughout a project.

In the past twenty years, Chinese clients, both government and private enterprises,have in fact begun to require top quality, at least according to their own vision of quality in architecture.However, whether good architecture can eventually be produced depends on the time reserved for design and construction, as well as the cooperation and communication between the architect, client and other parties involved.In this process, the architect’s professionalism and dedication to work play a decisive role, as has long been recognised in the west.This is why most of the buildings built over the past two decades that are considered "the best architecture"in China have generally been designed by western architects.

The second of the twelve defects of Chinese contemporary architecture is unprofessionalism.Chinese architects often lack a professional approach to their work, which is mainly the result of the theoretical orientation of the Chinese architectural education system.The lack of substance in the university curriculum not only wastes the valuable time of teachers and students, but also produces architects seriously lacking in professional skills.Consequently, they also lack the authority and expertise to convince the clients of their design ideas.More often, however, the lack of professionalism is evidenced in the cooperation between the different specialists participating in the project.Design and construction is a collaborative effort, involving many different fields of expertise, and one of the main responsibilities of the architect is to organise and coordinate the work of the different players so as to achieve the best possible result.Salminen’s success in leading his design team in the Wuxi Grand Theatre highlights the differences in the project planning and management methods between European and Chinese architectural firms.

The third defect is Chinese architects’ lack of dedication to work.This cannot be remedied simply by working extra hours.Dedication is closely related to professionalism.In the professionally oriented architectural education system in the Nordic countries, architects are expected to be capable of developing the most perfect and practical solutions possible for the design project that they are responsible for.The Wuxi Grand Theatre is a large building, complex in structure,function and detail.During the design and implementation process, the client,Chinese partners and contractors often found themselves in situations for which their experience and expertise were inadequate.Backed by his profound professional competence and dedicated approach, Salminen was able to demonstrate and justify the best architectural and technical solutions, which ultimately enabled him to realise his design vision.

The fourth defect of Chinese architecture is China’s pervasive copycat culture.This has its origin in art history: in the development of Chinese art, whether calligraphy,painting, ceramics or wood sculpture, the most common method of learning and creation is to "follow, imitate and copy" the work of the masters.Hence, the prevalence of imitations and outright copies in mainstream contemporary Chinese art, design and architecture is hardly surprising.

In Finland, on the other hand, creativity and individuality are at the heart of art and design.Architectural creation is a process requiring both time and effort.In the words of Eliel Saarinen: "Work is the key to creative growth of mind".For Finnish architects, the creative process consists of iterative phases of drafting, reflection and the critical and open-minded exploration of different alternatives.This process is essential for the creation of something genuinely new, a fact which many Chinese architects find difficult to grasp.

The fifth defect is fishing for fame.This is especially exemplified by the Chinese recognition system.The leading architects and other management must be placed at the top of the list of designers for the sake of "the development of the organisation", even if they have no real role in the project.The real architects and designers, who receive little credit or recognition, are hardly motivated to put in any extra effort in their design work.Salminen and his team, on the other hand, who stood up for their rights as the designers, were in charge of the Wuxi Grand Theatre project both in name and in practice.This meant that they were also deeply aware of their responsibilities, and their dedication to their work was based on professional pride rather than a quest for fame.

The sixth defect is resting on one's laurels.It is often said of contemporary Chinese architects that they are "content with small wealth".The construction boom following China’s economic reform and opening up to the outside world has brought new opportunities for Chinese architects, along with financial comfort.Perhaps it is an after-effect of the long period of poverty in China that most Chinese architects are content with their current situation, going along with the flow rather than seeking new challenges.

Finland is a country that has also risen from poverty in recent history, but Finnish architects have maintained their thirst for new knowledge and continuous learning.They recognise that the rapid advances in the building industry require them to continuously update their knowledge and skills.As a result, Finland is a global leader in the adoption of BIM design processes, for example.

In communication with clients, possession of the latest knowledge greatly enhances an architect’s position.If architects cannot maintain the upper hand in terms of professional expertise, they will certainly be at a disadvantage in negotiations with clients and have little chance of being able to drive the realisation of their design vision.In the case of the Wuxi Grand Theatre, for example, the implementation of the geometry of the underside of the steel wings required PES-Architects to prepare instructions for their Chinese partner on the use of the appropriate computer software.

The seventh defect of contemporary Chinese architecture is a disregard for useroriented functionality.Functionalism is at the core of Scandinavian architecture and design: buildings must serve the needs of the users and an understanding of usability is part of an architect’s core competence.In the process of designing the Wuxi Grand Theatre, Salminen studied issues of usability and functionality in great depth, despite his already lengthy experience in designing performance buildings.In order to create what is possibly the best theatre building in China, Salminen examined all the recent important theatre buildings in the world, personally visiting many of them with his Chinese clients to gain first-hand experience of their functional details and solutions.Then, he adapted his design to Chinese regulations and conditions.The work ofmany Chinese architects is sadly lacking in this respect.In addition to the effect of political, institutional and social factors, Chinese architects are accustomed to focusing on the swift completion of the building project at hand, often being content to copy or modify earlier designs or standard drawings with complete disregard for the needs of building’s users.As a result, many designs turn out to be entirely impractical for their intended use, leading to costly and wasteful modifications.

The eighth defect is a disregard for true ecological design.After the economic reforms and opening up to the world, China has sought to keep up with the times by eagerly adopting the latest international trends.Ecological design, in particular, has become a buzzword in Chinese architecture in the past two decades.Unfortunately, the understanding of ecological design in the Chinese construction industry is often superficial.

The design of the Wuxi Grand Theatre, on the other hand, reflects its Finnish designers’ profound understanding of ecological design, applied to the conditions in China.This meant striving for good building practice, taking the local environmental conditions into consideration in both interior and outdoor solutions and ensuring a long life span for the building through the choice of materials and structure.These included both high-tech structural solutions and, especially in the interior, the use of local Chinese materials, techniques and construction methods.

China is a major bamboo producer, and bamboo holds a unique status in Chinese culture.For a long time, bamboo was largely neglected in building as “poor man’s timber”, but, after the completion of the Wuxi Grand Theatre, the new type of technological bamboo has become the ecological material of choice in China.

The ninth defect is the neglect of interior design.Traditional Chinese architecture and interior design were fully integrated, employing the same materials, techniques and design concepts, resulting in the singular harmony of ancient Chinese design.However, perhaps due to the design education they have received, most Chinese architects today are unable or unwilling to pay much attention to interior design.This has resulted in an inadequate and old-fashioned understanding of the space concept.This is one of the most obvious gaps between Chinese architects and foreign designers.

Northern European architects, especially Finnish ones, continue to carry on the tradition of an integrated design philosophy.From the Saarinens and Aalto to contemporary architects, they seek to equally take into consideration the architecture, interior and furniture in their designs.

It must be said that the neglect of interior design in the work of Chinese architects can partly be blamed on the Chinese system.In most cases, the architect is only responsible for designing the overall structure and elevations of a building.Interior decorators and contractors are responsible for interior design, with the building owners making purchase decisions that bear no relation to the architecture.However, the defects of the system are no excuse for Chinese architects’ lack of professional competence in this respect.To a large extent, it is the Chinese architects’ inadequate understanding of interior design that prevents clients from trusting them to design an entire building.In the case of the Wuxi Grand Theatre,the Chinese clients were immediately won over by PES-Architects’ accomplished and detailed design for the interior, entrusting them with overall responsibility for the design of the building.This enabled the creation of a true total work of art.

The tenth defect of contemporary Chinese architecture is the neglect of furniture as a part of interior design.In general, modern Chinese architecture originates in industrialised western countries, primarily the United States, and Japan.Of the four founding masters of modern Chinese architecture and architectural education,three (Yang Tingbao, Tong Jun and Liang Sicheng) graduated from the United States, one (Liu Dunzhen) from Japan.In establishing modern Chinese architecture,however, these four pioneers overlooked the important concept of the integration of architecture and furniture.This omission is puzzling from the perspective of the ancient Chinese tradition, in which architecture and furniture were completely integrated in both material and structure, as described in the LuBan jing carpenter’s manual from the Ming Dynasty.The nonsynchronous development of modern Chinese architecture and furniture design perhaps derives from the difference in the use of material: while modern Chinese architecture mainly employs concrete and steel, Chinese furniture is usually still made of wood - in fact, up to the 1990s,furniture design was taught at the forestry university in China.Today, most Chinese architects, including the renowned academicians and national masters, only have a superficial and limited understanding of furniture.

Considering that modern Chinese architecture and furniture are products of modern western influences, this separation of architecture and furniture is all the more difficult to understand, as western architects, especially the early modern designers, designed the architecture, interior and furniture at the same time.The older generation of architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Alvar Aalto, as well as the contemporary masters Norman Foster,Frank Gehry, Peter Zumthor and Zaha Hadid, are also skilled furniture and industrial designers.Their overall design vision is the key to the high quality of their work.

In the Wuxi Grand Theatre, PES-Architects designed the furniture for the public spaces and, together with Salminen’s long-time design collaborator, Finnish furniture designer Yrj? Kukkapuro, a range of bamboo furniture, including the main auditorium seats and lounge chairs in the VIP areas.Several designs were drafted and models tested in order to find the best solution.Although many compromises had to be made due to the restrictions imposed by the Chinese system, this overall design approach ensures the basic functionalism and integrity of the building.

The eleventh defect is inadequate research into the properties of materials.This is one of the major weaknesses of contemporary Chinese architecture.When a Chinese architect is criticised for being unprofessional, this often refers to a neglect of the study of materials and their uses.Chinese architects typically stow away any materials sent by distributors as samples and may only glance at them after they have completed their drawings.

For many western architects, such as Renzo Piano, Peter Zumthor and Herzog & de Meuron, the study of materials and new methods for their application are often a key part of the design process.In Finland as well, the Aalto University offers a one-year Wood Programme, providing architects and students with an opportunity to study and experiment new ways of using wood in architecture.The architectural design schools and institutes in China are undistinguished in this respect.

Pekka Salminen’s study of materials is highly systematic, and the starting point of his design often comes from the consideration of materials.He is particularly interested in the use of wood and concrete.In 1998, an exhibition of Salminen’s work was arranged at the Museum of Finnish Architecture under the themes of material, structure and space.The design process of the Wuxi Grand Theatre also included several intensive phases of investigation into the materials for the large steel wings and their perforated aluminium cladding, the glass brick walls in the foyer, the bamboo in the auditoriums and the glass elements for the light columns.Each stage involved in-depth analysis and testing before the final selection of materials and forms.

The twelfth defect of modern Chinese architecture is the lack of detailed design.Pekka Salminen often refers to the line in American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem The Builders: “The gods see everywhere”.Consequently,architects should pay attention to every detail in design, including the structures that remain hidden from view.There has been much writing in the past decade on details deciding success or failure.In architecture, the design of details is one of the key factors determining quality, but, in China, this phase is usually left to the building developer.Chinese architects’ lack of interest in details can even be observed in the work of Wang Shu, who was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2012.

Despite the compromises, the design of the Wuxi Grand Theatre and the high quality of its implementation reflects the professional accomplishment of PESArchitects, based on the careful study and comprehensive control of detail.We have been accustomed to believing that the “great leap forward” in Chinese construction, brought about by the economic reformation and opening-up policy,has caused the capricious nature of Chinese modern architecture, leading to a general neglect of detailed design and a decline in the quality of construction.However, Chinese architects should not shirk the responsibility of the architect for every aspect of design from the smallest detail to overall quality and sustainability.In this regard, the design team led by Pekka Salminen has set us an example with the Wuxi Grand Theatre.