Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu have given their forthcoming Venice Architecture Biennale the title Do Architecture – For the Possibility of Coexistence Facing a Real Reality.
The pair explained the rationale behind the tautological framing through a series of questions shared in a statement: ‘In the face of global climate change, can active and passive approaches to design, strategy, and technology work alongside one another? Can land and architecture coexist? Can more natural materials and local craftsmanship overcome conceptual and technical barriers to stand alongside modern design and construction as their primary components? Can memory and innovation coexist dialectically? Can the efficiency of modern design and construction coexist with slower, more meaningful forms of craftsmanship? Can we resolve the conflict between urban and rural models of development? Is there a way for them to coexist while preserving the vulnerable character of rural areas?’
Addressing the biennale’s reputation for emphasising theory and speculative design, the curators write, ‘We believe that architecture is not only something to be discussed but, more importantly, something to be done first-hand. The philosophy of architecture is a philosophy of how to do: a practice that confronts real reality, in real places, through real construction.’
The duo founded the Amateur Architecture Studio in 1997, before establishing the architecture department at the China Academy of Art in 2003 and the School of Architecture in 2007. They took part in the China Pavilion at the 2006 Architecture Biennale and were invited to participate in the Architecture Biennale in 2010, where they received the Special Mention for their project ‘Decay of a Dome’.
Their work focuses on existing material, vernacular tradition and the process and craftsmanship of artisans on the construction site. They combine recycled old building materials with modern engineering techniques to offer a response to contemporary urban development that involves large-scale demolition and construction. Their projects include the Ningbo History Museum, the Xiangshan Campus of China Academy of Art, the Tiles Hill in Hangzhou, the renovation of Wencun Village, the Museum of Ancient Animals in Baoding and the Xi’an Opera House and Concert Hall.
The exhibition, in its twentieth edition, opens in May 2027.
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