Full Frame: Sustainable Building with Architect Ma Yansong
Summary
TLDRThe video explores the vision and philosophy of architect Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects, whose work merges nature with urban environments. Inspired by traditional Chinese landscapes, Ma believes architecture should address residents' emotional and spiritual needs. His innovative designs, such as the Garden House in Los Angeles and the Harbin Opera House, reflect this blend of nature and modernity. Despite criticism of his unconventional 'weird' architecture, Ma emphasizes creating new forms linked to the past, aiming to inspire emotional connections and new possibilities in urban life.
Takeaways
- 🌆 As cities grow denser, there are ways to integrate nature and freedom into urban life through visionary architecture.
- 🏙️ Architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, inspired by traditional Chinese landscape paintings, incorporates nature into his designs to fulfill residents' emotional and spiritual needs.
- 🏆 Ma Yansong has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Young Architects Award in 2006 and being listed as one of the 100 most creative people by Fast Company in 2014.
- 🎨 His signature style, called 'Shan Shui City,' merges architecture with natural landscapes, as seen in his projects like the Harbin Opera House and the Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center.
- 🌱 Ma’s U.S. debut project, Gardenhouse in Los Angeles, features green facades and a village-like structure that blends with nature while reducing urban heat.
- 🖼️ Ma’s upbringing in Beijing, with its mix of traditional courtyard homes and natural elements, deeply influenced his vision of blending urban life with nature.
- 🏞️ He emphasizes the importance of architecture as a conversation between humans and the world, where nature and built environments coexist harmoniously.
- 👀 Ma enjoys observing people’s reactions to his work, such as emotional responses to iconic buildings like the Harbin Opera House and the China International Park Plaza.
- 🖤 His projects, like the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, often push boundaries and provoke reactions, even receiving criticism for being 'weird' or unconventional.
- 🎭 Ma believes that architecture should innovate while drawing on historical and cultural references, but not simply repeat the past, aiming to create something truly new.
Q & A
Who is Ma Yansong, and what is his role in architecture?
-Ma Yansong is the founder of MAD Architects, based in Beijing. He is an architect and visionary known for his nature-inspired designs that blend the environment with urban structures.
What is the concept of 'Shan Shui' and how does it influence Ma Yansong's designs?
-'Shan Shui' is a concept inspired by traditional Chinese landscape paintings, where mountains and water are featured prominently. Ma Yansong uses this philosophy to merge nature and architecture, creating buildings that evoke emotional and spiritual connections for residents.
Can you describe one of Ma Yansong's nature-inspired projects mentioned in the transcript?
-One of Ma's nature-inspired projects is the Harbin Opera House in northeastern China. The design resembles a snowy mountain, reflecting the cold, wintry landscape of the region.
What is unique about Ma Yansong's first U.S. project, 'Garden House'?
-'Garden House' is a multi-family residential development in Los Angeles. The design includes green facades, trees, and plants that cover the exterior of the building, mimicking a landscape with small village-like structures on the roof. This creates a sense of community and integrates nature with the urban environment.
How does Ma Yansong's upbringing in Beijing influence his architectural philosophy?
-Ma Yansong's childhood in Beijing, where nature was integrated into the cityscape, significantly influenced his design approach. He grew up in a traditional courtyard house with gardens, hills, and lakes nearby, leading him to believe that nature and urban life should coexist harmoniously.
How does Ma Yansong view modern architecture compared to traditional Chinese architecture?
-Ma Yansong sees modern architecture as more focused on objects and spaces, while traditional Chinese architecture emphasizes the integration of nature and artificial structures. He believes in combining these philosophies to create architecture that satisfies both emotional and spiritual needs.
What is Ma Yansong's perspective on how architecture impacts people's emotions?
-Ma Yansong believes that architecture can enhance people's emotional experiences. He recalls an instance where he observed someone crying at Louis Kahn's Salk Institute in San Diego, emphasizing that architecture provides a stage where individuals can connect deeply with their surroundings.
How does Ma Yansong respond to criticism about his architectural designs, such as the 'Jabba the Hutt' comparison for the Lucas Museum?
-Ma Yansong understands that not everyone will appreciate his designs, but he values the reactions they provoke. Regarding the 'Jabba the Hutt' comparison for the Lucas Museum, he finds the criticism humorous but believes the design provides a unique experience, blending the building into the landscape.
What challenges does Ma Yansong face with maintaining green facades like those in the 'Garden House' project?
-Maintaining green facades can be challenging due to the need for efficient water systems and the careful selection of local plants, especially in large-scale projects like 'Garden House,' which has one of the largest living walls in the U.S.
How does Ma Yansong define architecture, and what role does it play in the world?
-Ma Yansong defines architecture as a conversation between the world and individuals, similar to art. He believes architecture shapes the environment and reflects personal views on culture, people, and the future.
Outlines
🌆 The Vision of Architect Ma Yansong
This paragraph introduces architect Ma Yansong, the founder of MAD Architects, known for his nature-inspired designs and the concept of 'Shan Shui,' which integrates natural elements into urban landscapes. Ma has received numerous accolades, including the Young Architects Award and being listed as one of Fast Company's 100 most creative people. He emphasizes that architecture should meet the emotional and spiritual needs of its residents, drawing inspiration from nature. The paragraph recounts Ma’s early experiences, such as redesigning a fish tank, which influenced his approach to human-centered architecture.
🏞️ Nature-Inspired Designs Across the Globe
This section highlights some of Ma's most famous works, like the Harbin Opera House, which resembles a snowy mountain, and the Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center, featuring high-rises designed as hills with flowing gardens. His designs blur the lines between architecture and nature, as he brings this philosophy to the U.S. with his 'Garden House' project. The building includes greenery on the exterior, creating a village-like environment on a hill, blending modern architecture with the natural landscape. Ma discusses the challenges of creating this unique design, such as using special desert plants and building green walls to lower temperatures.
🌳 Ma Yansong's Philosophy: Architecture and Nature Coexist
In this paragraph, Ma reflects on his upbringing in Beijing, a city he likens to a vast garden where nature and urban life coexist harmoniously. His childhood experiences in traditional courtyard houses, with hills and lakes nearby, shaped his vision of architecture that merges nature and urban living. He contrasts this with modern architecture's focus on buildings as objects, which lacks the spiritual connection between people and nature. Ma emphasizes the importance of integrating nature into city life to inspire creativity and emotional connections.
🏛️ Architecture as a Dialogue with the World
Ma defines architecture as a deep way of interacting with the world, much like art. He explains that architecture is both personal and global, reflecting the creator's worldview and cultural understanding. Ma shares an emotional story about visiting the Salk Institute, where the environment moved someone to tears. He sees architecture as a stage where people live their lives and express their emotions. He prefers observing people's reactions to his works rather than interacting with them directly, and he derives satisfaction from seeing how his designs impact their experiences.
🏗️ Embracing Criticism in Architectural Innovation
Ma recounts two specific projects in Beijing that received mixed reactions. The first, a reflective metal bubble in a traditional courtyard, was initially criticized by a neighbor but later praised. The second, the Park Plaza buildings designed to resemble traditional Chinese ink-painting mountains, also sparked debate. Some found the buildings too different from their surroundings, while others appreciated their uniqueness. Ma discusses the importance of linking modern architectural creations with China's long-standing traditions and philosophies, seeing this as a crucial step toward creating the future of Chinese architecture.
🎨 The Lucas Museum: A Blend of Landscape and Architecture
Ma reflects on the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art project, which he designed with a landscape-inspired approach. Initially planned for Chicago, the design was controversial, with critics likening it to a fictional palace from Star Wars. Ma admits the criticism didn’t bother him, as the project was meant to blend into the natural surroundings of the waterfront rather than stand as a typical building. He believes the design offers a unique experience, allowing people to interact with the building as if they were walking through an otherworldly landscape.
🏙️ Chinese Architecture: The Debate Over 'Weird' Designs
This paragraph delves into the Chinese government's stance on 'weird architecture,' a term they used to discourage overly experimental designs. Ma addresses the changing attitude in China, where architects are now more cautious about innovation, opting to blend modernity with traditional cultural elements. He argues that while it's important to look to the past for inspiration, architecture should strive to create something new rather than replicate history. Ma sees the term 'weird' as subjective and believes that what others deem strange can often lead to groundbreaking creativity.
🌉 Reflections on Architecture and Poetry
In this final section, Ma connects his earlier thoughts about a bridge reflecting the mountains in a lake to his bubble installation in Beijing. He likens the distorted reflections in both the lake and the bubble to the surreal, dream-like quality of human imagination. Ma suggests that architecture, much like poetry, should evoke emotions and leave room for interpretation, allowing people to see the world in new and imaginative ways. He concludes by thanking the interviewer for the opportunity to share his architectural philosophy.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Shan Shui
💡Nature-Inspired Architecture
💡Community
💡Green Facades
💡Emotional Impact of Architecture
💡Weird Architecture
💡Philosophy of Architecture
💡Courtyard Design
💡Cultural Reference
💡Sustainability
Highlights
Architect Ma Yansong's designs are heavily influenced by the Chinese Shan Shui aesthetic, blending nature and urban architecture.
Ma was the first Chinese architect to receive a fellowship from the Royal Institute of British Architects, and was listed among Fast Company's 100 most creative people in 2014.
Ma emphasizes that architecture should meet residents' emotional and spiritual needs, drawing inspiration from natural landscapes.
His first architectural project was a redesigned fish tank, sparked by the realization that current urban spaces, like fish tanks, might not be ideal environments for their inhabitants.
The Harbin Opera House, one of Ma’s renowned projects, was designed to resemble a snowy mountain and organically blends with the landscape.
Ma’s concept for the Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center features high-rises that mimic mountain shapes and includes public gardens with waterfalls and creeks.
Ma's first U.S. project, the Garden House in Los Angeles, integrates a multi-family residential design with green walls and rooftop gardens to create a village-like community.
Ma notes that green walls not only lower building temperatures but also provide a unique façade, minimizing the need for conventional materials like metal panels.
Ma’s upbringing in Beijing, surrounded by courtyards, hills, and lakes, significantly shaped his vision of urban design combining nature and architecture.
Ma contrasts Beijing’s traditional integration of nature within urban settings with modern architecture, which often focuses solely on buildings as objects.
He views architecture as a stage where people's lives unfold, believing it should evoke emotions and allow people to express themselves freely.
While some of Ma’s projects face criticism, he accepts that his unconventional designs often challenge people's expectations, which leads to diverse reactions.
Ma’s China National Park Plaza in Beijing, designed to resemble mountains from traditional Chinese paintings, generated mixed reactions from the public.
Ma designed the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, slated to open in Los Angeles in 2021, to blend into its natural surroundings, though it faced initial criticism when planned for Chicago.
In response to China’s 2016 ban on 'weird architecture,' Ma argues that the term 'weird' is subjective and that innovation should not be stifled by such restrictions.
Transcripts
as cities become bigger and denser
is there still a way to infuse city life
with a sense of freedom and an
appreciation of nature meet architect
and visionary ma Jung song Maas the
founder of mad architects based in
Beijing whose buildings span the globe
and his designs have redrawn city
skylines in 2006 ma was awarded the
young architects award by the
architectural League of New York and
Fast Company magazine put him on their
2014 list of the 100 most creative
people in business he's the first
Chinese architect to receive a
fellowship from the Royal Institute of
British Architects Maas aesthetic
follows the concept of Shan Shui
inspired by Chinese landscape paintings
for ma nature drives design and
architecture should strive to meet
residents emotional and spiritual needs
when you look at the world you see a lot
of our problems and then at the same
time you want to propose a new
possibility that's the energy come from
I think so
the first time when I went at design the
first project was a fish tank for
example because I saw this fish leaving
there's a cubic fish tank on the street
and people selling the fish
if I were fish I don't want to live in
the fish tank what about architecture in
the city maybe those buildings was not
designed for human being we should
redesign those things as was a very
initial thinking and then I designed a
new fish tank for that fish some of Mars
well-known projects appear to have risen
up from the natural landscape his opera
house in wintery Harbin resembles a
snowy mountain in onwe province blocks
and housing towers mimic the hyung shan
mountain range the nanjing Sendai
Himalayas Center covers half a million
square meters with Hills shape
high-rises and public gardens flowing
with waterfalls and creeks now as nature
inspired designs are coming to the
United States
I met MA at his studio in Los Angeles
California
where he's finishing his first u.s.
project a residential development called
garden house some mob this is this is
the first here in the United States so
yes talk to me about the concept and
what you were hoping to achieve here is
a multi-family apartment I want to make
like a community so it's like a village
small village on top over here so the
bottom half of this building be covered
by all the greens on the wall so it look
like he'll landscape and then we put a
small house on top very nice and there's
the courtyard in the middle I think
Korea is important for community so
everyone can can see each other through
the courtyard
I think the main challenge for the
workers is everything is unique every
part every plan is a unique and the war
the green war on the outside well
actually my argument is a whip we
provide is a green facade to the city at
the same time we can lower the
temperature inside the building and we
actually don't need the facade material
we don't normally know you can do you do
metal panels now we don't have them so
inside we put a wheel but then
maintenance of the green is the issue
this have become very large leaving wall
I heard that's the largest and living
wall in u.s. and they have to use very
special plants from desert from local
and then the the
the water system need to be very
efficient to save water and the next
space I guess is getting the trees in
right you see those concrete boxes
they're cheap hot later on they will put
a tree in those hot also on the roof so
from the street urban street you can see
we have a trees on the other hill
surrounding the small village how do you
think your upbringing in Beijing has
influenced you as an architect the
Aegean was a great city I think he's a
bit like a huge garden when I was a kid
I live in the traditional courtyard
house there's a valley hood home and
then there is a mountains and lakes in
the center of the city right behind the
Forbidden City is so-so people live in
this nature and after school I go climb
them up this small hill and then I go
swear I I thought the city should look
like that the you always has
Metropolitan Life also nature mixed only
after I came the states and after I
study architecture modern architecture I
find modern architecture is so different
modern architecture think more about
buildings about objects about the space
that I realized paging was a very unique
and then I find there is actually a
philosophy behind that in Asians China
the nature and artificial can coexist
human being and nature should combine
together because human needs to have
nature as a cultural reference they
imagine a lot of things through the
nature through the tree
you rub the water that's a spiritual
quality of the life in the city let's
talk about architecture in general noted
architect once said architecture is a
deep way of engaging with the world I
want to get your definition how do you
see your architecture level how would
you describe it to someone
yeah I'm sure architecture is about the
whole world because you build the whole
world by doing buildings I would say
it's also designed by individuals is so
I think it's a conversation in between
the world and one person a little bit
like art this your creation always
reflect how you see the world how you
understand the people the culture what
you want to imagine about the future
what's that first experience like where
you've designed something and it's been
embraced and people love it it's of
blockbusters you describe the Opera
House what's the experience like going
after it's been created and walking
around and seeing people in awe and
looking at your works what's what's that
like for you I like to be behind the
scene if I go there I yeah I want to
observe people how they behave how they
react but I don't want to talk to them
but one time not not about my building I
visit Louis Krouse building in San Diago
the Salk Institute
there's a beautiful plaza facing the
ocean in the middle of the courtyard and
I saw some someone sit there and just
look at the ocean for a while and then
she started to cry I don't know what she
think about something but the
environment give enhanced her to become
very emotional I think that's really
touching me yeah that's that's reaction
I want to see people because since you
create architecture as a stage that
everyone can
form and they can have their life in
this stage when I look at my building
and people go there and they start to
love they start to jump or I feel
express themselves I feel very satisfied
you mentioned you you like to go and
watch people react you don't necessarily
want to talk to them but you like to see
what their reactions are is there one
that stands out in your mind where
you've gone to one of your places and
you've seen people reacting and
interactive it probably not that
experience where someone's crying but
one that stays with you and and and how
much of a payoff is that for you I mean
obviously you do a business to get
rewards but that's another form of a
reward we're watching that visceral
reaction from someone is there a story
or two that stand out for you there's a
I can tell you two things in Beijing
because Beijing is a very strange place
that everyone believed in something
already so it's a when you propose any
new things new architecture they will
first question for example the this
Hooten babo project it's a it's a
renovation project I built this a silver
bubble metal in the traditional
courtyard so when we construct the the
babo and the neighbors that it's a
French lady is that what are you doing
this in this traditional house you don't
understand your own culture you know
there's beautiful old house you should
you should do the same because our
building is actually not a building it's
a space with the reflect material and I
want to reflect all the surrounding into
this volume so so I want the building
disappear into the environment so after
we build it she came again she said I
love this another one also in Beijing is
the big buildings called China and Park
Plaza the two black high-rise building
we put it build it
edge of the park still a lot of people
have a different reaction to the
building there's a one journalist they
go to the street and they interview all
the people who live in the building who
use the building who passed by the
building they give all different kind of
opinions some of them they just say this
is too alien to dear friend from the
surrounding and some people say oh this
is a so unique so new but that's what
that's not what I want I designed that
building as a mountain as a black ink
painting mountain that you can find in
the in old painting there's just couple
guys that oh this reminds me that the
old traditional painting but most people
think is so different so new so I think
the past 20-30 years organization we
build many new buildings but in the long
history that's a short I think that's
just one period so after that how the
future Chinese city future Chinese
architecture should go i I really think
we should create something new but
linked to the past the the the tradition
the philosophy that we had a long time
ago so there's a there's a gap in
between as someone who pushes the
boundaries of what's expected Moz work
is not always met with universal
acceptance filmmaker and star wars
director George Lucas chose Maas design
for his Lucas Museum of narrative art
the museum is expected to open in 2021
in Los Angeles originally it was slated
to be built in Chicago
the Lucas museum design described as a
palace for Jabba the Hutt by a Chicago
politician does that hurt when people
criticize your work or do you think no
I've created a reaction people are
reacting to my design
I like that design I wouldn't feel happy
if people criticized that but the way
they criticize I do understand you know
the world you just said because i i i
didn't watch shower movie i don't know
what they're talking about I think what
the building that design bring to
Chicago was a new typology because
Chicago is a modern architecture home
other high-rise buildings our building
was on the edge of the city and connect
to the ocean to the lake to the
waterfront
so actually we designed this building
not as object not as a building it's a
almost like a landscape it's a book
makino melting into the to the landscape
it's a very unusual way that people can
walk around or approach the building or
enter the building it's I think that
should be very unique and exciting
experience for people
surreal like it's like you walk on the
moon scape right if you walk on that
landscape but they they didn't like it
some people do you know I don't know
some every time I meet real people they
said exciting they like it but you still
see the world on the internet but it
doesn't bother me
[Music]
in 2016 the Chinese government issued a
ban on so-called weird architecture the
government said architecture should be
quote suitable economic green and
pleasing to the eye
[Music]
President Xi Jinping said that
architects needed to get away from weird
architecture and in China and and there
was even a quote from Rosana who in 2012
she said a lot of Architects in the US
are lost but there are no projects here
we are lost and we're building cities is
that a fair criticism and as as Chinese
architecture changed over the last few
years I mean it's very identity now
that's that's truly Chinese architecture
would you say I mean how do you view
these criticisms I think that weird
architecture is a good term what is the
weird I mean nobody can answer that
clearly so you have opportunity to
explain what you think is weird at the
very beginning I think China was
building a lot of cities and new
architecture and very open to the new
ideas a lot of architects go there and
people say this has become the very
experimental place for architects I
think that's good thing I think right
now a lot of people try to guess what's
weird they think weird you pose new
creation which i think is wrong but but
in this stage a lot of people become
more conservative I would say in China
not there's still international
architects go there but they start to
self check before should should I do
this through that is a is a what they
create there is not necessary new in the
world anymore and Chinese architects
also there's a seems there's a very
strong in demanding to look back to the
history to the culture I think that's
important that's that's the necessary
but the goal is to study those and
creating something totally new not
repeating the past it's interesting this
PMI
no question and it's about the bubble it
reminded me earlier in our conversation
when you were talking about the bridge
and how the bridge reflected the
mountain and in the lake and and the
bubble in a sense is is the new version
of the bridge isn't it I mean it's yeah
it's oh that's wrong a thing you talk
about this it's your own form of poetry
I guess yes the bridge you see the
mountain and the reflection in the lake
and then lit because a wave of the lake
the the the reflection is a not
duplicate the reality that's what
happening in our bubble because a bubble
that has a strange shape so the
reflection inside it kind of twist it so
for me it's a little bit like a dream
like like what do you see in the dream
nothing is clear but that the flow of
imagination Wow or do I thank you so
much for sharing here
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