Spring 2022 Graduate Course "Frontiers of Design" Lecture Series

Brief Introduction

The work of an architect cannot be separated from his observation and response to reality, which is quite complex and changeable today – from urbanization, digitalization, to the era of epidemics – new waves push on but it is still wrapped in problems. Against this backdrop , it is still a difficult challenge for architects to maintain a clear value judgment in the midst of a long period of intense work, to balance between contradictions and constraints, and to consistently give practical solutions.

In this lecture, Dong Gong, the founder of Vector Architects, will share the real and multi-faceted working condition of the office in the context of his recent works.

The work of architects cannot be separated from the observation and response to reality, and today's reality is so complex and changeable - from urbanization, digitization, to the epidemic era, waves are emerging one after another, but they are also threatening many problems. Against this background, it is a difficult challenge for architects to maintain a sober value judgment in long-term high-intensity work, mediate balance among many contradictory constraints, and continue to provide meaningful solutions to problems .

In this lecture, Dong Gong, founder of Zhixiang Architecture, will share the real and multi-faceted work status of the firm based on his recent work.

Speaker Information
Dong Gong

Spring 2022 Graduate Course

Founder and Chief Architect of Straightforward Architecture

Foreign academician of the French Academy of Architecture

Founder and Principal, Vector Architects

Foreign Member of French Academy of Architecture

Dong Gong founded Zhixiang Architects in 2008 and was awarded a foreign academician of the French Academy of Architecture in 2019. He has successively been employed as a design tutor of Tsinghua University and the School of Architecture of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, an outstanding visiting professor at the University of Illinois in the United States, and a visiting professor at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy. Dong Gong also serves as the editorial board member of World Architecture and Urban Environment Design, a member of the Architectural Culture Academic Committee of the Architectural Society of China, a member of the Art Review Committee for Urban Quality Improvement in Xicheng District, Beijing, and an academic member of Shenzhen Pingshan Art Museum.

Dong Gong and his firm have been invited to participate in important exhibitions at home and abroad for many times. In 2021, they will participate in the first Chinese architecture exhibition at the MoMA Museum of Contemporary Art in New York; in 2018, they will participate in the FREESPACE theme exhibition and China Pavilion exhibition of the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale. The firm has won the first prize of the National Excellent Engineering Survey and Design Industry Award for many times (Zhangjiawo Primary School, Xiqing District, Tianjin, 2013, Suzhou Intangible Culture Museum, 2017, Yangshuo Sugar House Hotel, 2019), and won the RIBA Royal Institute of British Architects. "International Outstanding Architecture Award" (2021); Domus, Italy "100+ Best Architecture Firms" (2019); Swiss Architecture Award Finalist (2018); Italian "Archmarathon" Architecture Award (2016); American Architectural Record International Top 10 Design Pioneers (2014) and other important awards.

Dong Gong has been invited many times to give speeches and teaching evaluations in domestic and foreign universities and academic institutions such as Tsinghua University, Madrid Polytechnic University, University of Illinois, ETH Zurich, French Institute of Architects, and Casabella Formazione in Italy. The world-renowned architectural journal "AV Monographs" published the 220th issue of the straight-forward architectural album "Cosmopolitan Vernacular", and his works have been featured in "CASABELLA", "Arquitectura Viva", "The New York Times", "A+U", "Detail", "The Architectural Review, L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui, Lotus, Domus and other media publications.

His representative works include: Seaside Library, Seaside Church, Yangshuo Sugar House Hotel, Renovation of Captain's House, Changjiang Art Museum, Pingshan Art Museum, Haibing Building of Nankai University, etc.

Spring 2022 Graduate Course Seaside Library Photography: Su Shengliang