謙遜之師—作為建筑師與教師的李曉東

尤根·羅斯曼/Jürgen Rosemann

徐知蘭 譯/Translated by XU Zhilan

謙遜之師—作為建筑師與教師的李曉東

尤根·羅斯曼/Jürgen Rosemann

徐知蘭 譯/Translated by XU Zhilan

盡管李曉東僅僅完成了數(shù)量有限的作品——其中大部分都是規(guī)模很小的項目，常常建設資金有限，甚至是非盈利項目——卻蜚聲海外，在國內和國際上屢獲大獎。他的項目顯現(xiàn)出幾乎完全對立的特征——它們造型漂亮，令人驚喜，它們廣受歡迎，它們風格激進、融入當下，它們又深深植根于中國的傳統(tǒng)。

傳統(tǒng)與現(xiàn)代，批判的地域主義，“內在”空間，社會與環(huán)境的可持續(xù)發(fā)展

千里之行，始于足下。

——老子

中國最近的建設大潮不僅深入地改變了中國的城市景觀，也對中國建筑師產(chǎn)生了巨大需求。許多中國建筑設計公司都在此期間完成了令人印象深刻的建成作品，其規(guī)模一個比一個龐大，特色也一個比一個鮮明。跟隨1990年代興起的西方化浪潮，中國建筑師也開始以越來越浮夸的網(wǎng)絡出版物和書籍（大部分都是自創(chuàng)）于彼此之間展開競爭。

與這些喧鬧叫囂的競爭者相比，李曉東的作品顯得非常謙遜，甚至默默無聞。他的建成作品仍十分有限，主要還是以規(guī)模較小、風格低調的建筑物構成。在他的作品清單上完全找不到被許多重要的中國建筑師引以為豪的大型辦公樓、購物中心和會議中心等項目，卻能找到建在小村落的小學校舍和地區(qū)圖書館，其中的一部分是與他的學生共同完成的公益項目，有些項目甚至需要他通過游說公共部門或者募集私人捐助、并在當?shù)厝说闹С窒录Y才能完成。還有許多其他項目的建設資金也同樣非常有限，迫使他不得不做出高效利用資源的設計，這種設計策略也由此被認為是他作品的特色之一。

盡管李曉東的建筑作品非常低調，他卻與此同時獲得了極高的國際聲譽，獲得過許多國家級獎項和國際獎項。不久前，他在新加坡被授予2014年的總統(tǒng)設計獎，這是繼2001年因其在新加坡國立大學建筑學院極富靈感的教學工作被授予SARA教師獎之后，第二次在新加坡獲獎；2012年，他又以籬苑書屋的設計在新加坡獲得了世界建筑節(jié)的文化類大獎。在他長長的獲獎記錄清單上，我只想再額外提到一些獎項，包括2010年的阿卡汗建筑獎、美國建筑師協(xié)會榮譽院士、聯(lián)合國教科文組織亞太區(qū)文化遺產(chǎn)保護獎、ARASIA金獎，以及2011年 《智族GQ》雜志評選中國年度人物（最佳設計師）。

初看起來，在李曉東極為低調、小規(guī)模、且數(shù)量有限的作品清單和他在國際上獲得的聲譽之間存在貌似奇怪的對比關系。他顯然不屬于國際投資者和開發(fā)公司趨之若鶩的“成功建筑師”，因為這些公司的名字似乎就足以保證項目的盈利與成功。李曉東的建筑與那些在中國各大飛速發(fā)展的城市中央商務區(qū)和市中心高調的主流建筑相反，引用老子的話說，更符合“大音希聲、大象無形”，“當其無有室之用”的氣質。因此，更重要的問題是其建筑設計的根基、手法和影響，盡管這些項目在經(jīng)濟上并不成功，但對使用者（以及國際評委）而言顯然很有魅力。

1 根基

李曉東屬于1978年鄧小平實施改革開放政策之后開始學習建筑的一代中國建筑師，那是偉大的改革的時代，也是更偉大的充滿期望的時代。在那段時間，清華大學建筑學院既是中國建筑傳統(tǒng)的核心所在，也是大家就變化的社會環(huán)境下建筑何去何從展開各種辯論的中心。李曉東于1984年從清華大學畢業(yè)后，從1989年開始在荷蘭代爾夫特理工大學繼續(xù)深造，1993年博士畢業(yè)。順便提一句，他在代爾夫特的研究生導師是亞歷山大·佐尼斯教授，他以發(fā)展成熟的“批判的地域主義”理念為其建筑設計實踐的理論框架。

根據(jù)其簡歷，李曉東是典型的新一代建筑師，他一方面仔細研習了中國古建筑的營造法式和中國的哲學思想，另一方面又接觸和吸收了有關國際的、尤其是與現(xiàn)代西方建筑與城市理論相關的爭論與探討。在我看來，這一代（第一代）中國建筑師接受了同樣多的中西教育，他們組成了探索中國新建筑思想的先鋒部隊，這種思想最近以驚人的密集程度遍布中國，為我們所認識。

在很長一段時間內，中國的建筑要么以不假思索地模仿傳統(tǒng)建筑式樣為特征，要么同樣毫不猶豫地采用國際主流設計風格。由于中國過去的城市化進程以及更為快速的城市擴張過程，中國的許多城市逐漸淪為荷蘭建筑師雷姆·庫哈斯所說的“普通城市”，其本土特征要素迅速瓦解，被多少有些雷同的高樓大廈群所替代，只有一些模仿的痕跡表明我們仍在建設中國的城市。

然而，從1990年代后半期開始，一些中國建筑師開始為傳統(tǒng)與現(xiàn)代的融合探索新的道路，他們通過對傳統(tǒng)空間體驗和設計手法的利用，將其翻譯為當代的建筑語匯。這種努力形成了非常特別——非常中國化——的現(xiàn)代建筑轉譯過程，它植根于中國傳統(tǒng)，同時又以批判而激進的當代手段與其傳統(tǒng)保持一定的距離。

毫無疑問，李曉東是這股中國建筑新浪潮中最為典型的代表人物之一。另一方面，與其他代表建筑師不同的是，他從未將自己的人生全然地投入建筑創(chuàng)作，總是保持著自己作為教師和學者的身份。他在激發(fā)學生靈感的同時，也從學生那里獲得啟發(fā)。他的一些項目，如麗江的玉湖小學，其實是作為大學的教學課題開始的，在學生的積極參與下才得以建成。他以這種方式開創(chuàng)了非常獨特的研究設計、教學學術的創(chuàng)作方式，讓他能關注設計項目本身。否則，由于資金的匱乏和沒有明確的設計任務，這些項目是不可能建成的。

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

——Lao Zi

The recent building boom in China profoundly transforms the Chinese urban landscape and generates a huge supply of work for Chinese architects Many architecture companies in China are able to present an impressive list of realised projects - one bigger than the other,one more exceptional than the other Following a Western trend started in the 1990's,Chinese architects vie with each other with glossy and glossier publications,on the Internet and with (mostly selfinitiated) book projects.

Compared with these noisy competitors the work of LI Xiaodong appears modest,almost quiet The list of projects he has realised is still rather limited and consists mainly of small,unpretentious buildings Large office towers,shopping malls and convention centres,proudly presented by many leading architects in China,are missing In their place we find small primary schools and local libraries in villages.Some of these have been realised as non-profit projects with his students,for which he has had to raise funding through public or private sponsorships and the support of local people But also many of his other projects were equipped with very limited funding,forcing him to the resource-efficient design that became recognised as a characteristic of his work.

In spite of the humble attitude of his architecture,LI Xiaodong meantime gained an international reputation,expressed in many national and international awards He just received the President's Design Award 2014 in Singapore,after winning the 2001 SARA Tutor's Prize for his inspirational teaching at the School of Architecture,National University of Singapore and a 2012 World Architecture Festival prize in the Culture category for his Wattle School (Liyuan Library).From what is now a long list of awards,I only want to add the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2010,an Honorary Fellowship from the AIA,the UNESCO Jury Award for Innovation,the ARASIA Gold Medal and last,but not least,the award as 2011 Man of the Year in China (best designer) by GQ magazine.

On the first view there is a strange contradiction between the limited amount of mostly modest,mostly small projects that are related to the name of LI Xiaodong,and the recognition he has received in China and beyond He is surely not one of the "architects of success" eagerly approached by international investors and development companies,because their name seems to guarantee the economic success of a project.In contrast to the noisy mainstream architecture that dominates the CBD's and centres of fast growing Chinese cities,LI Xiaodong's architecture is characterised by its silence rather than noise,by reflection rather than by expression.It is more about contents than container,to paraphrase a phrase of Laozi's What are the roots,the tools and the impact of this architecture that,although not successful in economic terms,is so obviously attractive to its users (and to international juries)?

1 The Roots

LI Xiaodong belongs to the post-1978 generation of Chinese architects who studied as Deng Xiaoping introduced his "open-door" policies,a period of great transformations and even greater expectations In that period the Tsinghua School of Architecture was a centre of architectural tradition in China and also a centre of debate about the future of architecture in the changing society After graduating from Tsinghua University in 1984,LI Xiaodong continued his studies at Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands since 1989,and becoming a doctorate in 1993.It is worth noting that his supervisor at Delft was professor Alexander Tzonis,a great and early proponent of "critical regionalism" as a theoretical framework for architectural practice.

LI Xiaodong is an exemplar of a generation of architects who were carefully educated in the principles of ancient Chinese architecture and the philosophy of Chinese thinking and,on the other hand,grasped and were able to assimilate the currents of international architectural discourse,in particular modern Western theories about architecture and urbanism.In my opinion,this (first) generation of Chinese architects with an equally Chinese and Western education forms the "vanguard" of new architectural thinking in China.

For a long period,Chinese architecture was characterised by either the reflexive imitation of traditional building forms or by the equally knee jerk application of mainstream international tropes This way of working combined with China's rapid urbanization and the even faster transformation of Chinese cities into "generic" cities - as the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas called the urban areas in which decaying elements of local identity are lighting fast being replaced by more or less anonymous collections of towers - risked leaving a sea of imitations as the only representatives of architectural discourse in China.

But from the second half of the 1990's a number of Chinese architects started to search for new ways to integrate tradition and modernity,ways to make use of traditional spatial experiences and meaning and a contemporary architectural language The result is a very special - very Chinese - interpretation of modern architecture.It is settled in the Chinese tradition and,at the same time,stands at a distance from that tradition by re-interpreting it in a radical - and critical -contemporary way.

Without doubt LI Xiaodong is on of the most profiled representatives of this new wave in Chinese architecture.But unlike other members of this group,he has never dedicated his life completely to architectural practice and has always chosen to remain a teacher,a scholar.He inspires students and is inspired by them Some of his projects,like the Yuhu Elementary School in Yunnan's Lijiang,were actually started as studio project at the university and were only realised with the strong involvement of students He has generated a very special type of practice,a combination of research and design,teaching and professional work that allows him to focus on projects that otherwise would not be realised due to lack of funding,a clear brief or client.

1 橋上書屋/Bridge School

與其作為教師和學者的身份緊密相關的，是他參與的社會活動。他曾經(jīng)參與希望工程——一個致力于為貧困偏遠地區(qū)修建學校的公益項目。他的非盈利項目以及其他項目都是與他的學生共同完成的，并在很多情況下也與當?shù)氐墓娬归_了緊密的合作。每一個參與過此類項目的人都知道——它們需要投入時間和耐心，卻沒有任何回報（至少在金錢方面）。

所有這些條件或許可以共同解釋，為什么李曉東的學術創(chuàng)作的數(shù)量和規(guī)模仍然十分有限。但它們并不能說明，他為何能全國知名，且蜚聲海外。這一點，我們必須通過觀察他采用的設計方法和建筑手法來進行解釋。

2 手法

李曉東的建筑思想中一個關鍵的主題是空間的概念以及體驗空間的方式。他在不同的訪談中都強調過，他認為中國與西方思想分水嶺的概念——即西方的傳統(tǒng)建立在以一系列客體作為對“世界”的體驗的基礎上；這種體驗被認為是“各自獨立”的，來自于其外部的主體，而中國的傳統(tǒng)并不對主體與客體做任何分別。中國建筑的思想形成于建筑應該由“內在”進行體驗的觀念。相應地，建筑并不是擺放在景觀中的客體，它們是環(huán)境景觀的一部分。

李曉東在體驗空間的過程中賦予重要地位的元素是想象力?！爸袊藘A向于關注無形的東西，而不是有形的——你可以在國畫中見到這一點，其留白常常與著色和線描同樣重要。如，在描繪一對游魚戲水的繪畫中，水體能通過空白的背景為欣賞者所感知，它是畫面上非常關鍵的部分。為來訪者的想象力留出空間必不可少?！?/p>

空間“內部”的觀念能以這種方式得到最充分的理解，這是李曉東描述的建筑與環(huán)境之間的關系。例如，著名的“橋上書屋”將下石村被流過村落的小溪所分開的兩部分連為一體。小溪的兩側都有土樓歷史建筑，這是中國傳統(tǒng)內向的鄉(xiāng)土建筑的典型標志之一。這座學校建筑本身與傳統(tǒng)建筑風格并沒有任何聯(lián)系，它是一個現(xiàn)代的鋼結構建筑，以近乎通透的木板條作為圍合框架，并鋪裝了現(xiàn)代的木地板。這座建筑作為橋梁橫跨在小溪之上，成為整個村落的社區(qū)中心場所，它不僅在交通上聯(lián)絡了村落的兩部分，也使它們的社區(qū)融為一體。盡管采用了現(xiàn)代的設計手法，建筑還是讓人感到似乎存在已久，渾然天成。這種毫不諂媚的介入態(tài)度，在我看來，足以使“橋上書屋”成為一個杰作。

這個項目也可以認為是與過度崇拜歷史爭鋒相對的批判。歷史上，這些土樓建筑不僅最初在空間上被小溪一分為二，也同樣象征了彼此分離的宗族系統(tǒng)，由此造成了社區(qū)結構的日益惡化?！皹蛏蠒荨币酝翗菫楸尘?，通過為公共演出和人群聚集提供共同的公眾設施，調和了這種分裂。由此，項目為社區(qū)的再度融合做出了貢獻，以建筑干預的方式，維持了社區(qū)的持續(xù)性。

盡管李曉東極力強調必須使用適當?shù)默F(xiàn)代建筑語匯、現(xiàn)代建構原則和現(xiàn)代材料，他也同樣采用了石材、木材等本土材料，甚至在一些項目中采用過斗拱的設計。“成功的作品應該成為場地的一部分，并從場地中生長出來。”這種生長自場地的設計產(chǎn)生了兩個有趣的結果——一方面，建筑幾乎與周邊環(huán)境景觀融為一體。其材料與顏色高度符合周圍的環(huán)境特征，而建筑物謙遜低調的形態(tài)也極為恰當?shù)嘏c周邊景觀取得協(xié)調。對環(huán)境景觀的保護是“內在”體驗的一項重要條件。

而另一方面，使用本土的材料也同樣與對當?shù)厝撕彤數(shù)匚幕睦斫饷芮邢嚓P。李曉東并沒有通過采用地區(qū)或本土符號的膚淺方式來簡單地接觸本土文化；相反，他通過對空間邏輯的理解、對典型空間體驗的參考和對本土材料的使用，不斷對建筑物的使用者提出挑戰(zhàn)，展現(xiàn)對本土文化的理解。這里，李曉東再次表現(xiàn)出一名教師的特點，教育人們仔細地觀察建筑相關的空間、材料和自然的生長過程。

這一理論框架中的一項重要內容是環(huán)境對建筑物的影響。盡管他的建筑看起來并非高技風格，它們的設計卻同樣通過選擇天然環(huán)保材料、采用最佳的自然采光方案和減少建筑能耗的方式，謹慎地考慮了可持續(xù)發(fā)展的原則。能夠很好地體現(xiàn)此類設計態(tài)度的一個例子是位于北京懷柔交界河村的籬苑書屋。這是一座基本由現(xiàn)代鋼結構和玻璃構成的建筑，立面以柴火棍覆蓋，由此能過濾自然光線，并同時形成舒適的室內空間。使這座建筑變得與眾不同的是，它不提供供暖與空調系統(tǒng)。設計使建筑物在冬季最大程度地利用熱輻射，保持室內溫度，而在夏季則通過自然通風形成涼爽的內部環(huán)境。

3 影響

當然，李曉東的少量小規(guī)模建成作品，并不足以對整個中國的城市環(huán)境或中國鄉(xiāng)村的社會凝聚力產(chǎn)生多大影響。在我看來，它們最主要的影響力在于作為榜樣的作用。李曉東通過其低調的作品告訴我們，在喧鬧浮夸、對環(huán)境、社會結構和城市宜居造成破壞性影響的主流建筑之外，還存在一種其他的選項。這一選項并不昂貴，是人們可以負擔得起并切實可行的方案。然而，它需要的并不僅僅是一種范式轉變：與這種觀念相反的思想認為，城市是一件商品，能在每個方面都產(chǎn)生利益最大化；與這種觀念保持一致的則會認為，城市首先屬于其居民，是生活與文化的場所，當然也是人們謀生的地方。

除此之外，李曉東的項目也教育我們，我們不應該僅僅關注（大）城市；鄉(xiāng)村里的小規(guī)模社區(qū)也同樣值得尊重和需要支持（有時候對這些社區(qū)的支持甚至比支持大城市的無限擴張更為有效）。另一方面，我們也不得不在更大的尺度上進行思考——大城市怎么辦?！皬膍2到m3”的課題研究也是很有意思的方式，突出了李曉東的思維模式。為了解決大城市的移民住房問題，我們不得不從微觀到宏觀進行思考，從小單元到大結構尺度進行思考，最終通過將內院轉變?yōu)榇怪本S度進行思考。

當然，上述的范式轉變并不容易實現(xiàn)，可能永遠只存在于烏托邦里。而對于烏托邦，我們知道，它是一處烏有的土地，并不存在于現(xiàn)實之中，無論如何都不可能實現(xiàn)。另一方面，德國哲學家恩斯特·布洛赫早已教誨我們，我們需要烏托邦，必須維持烏托邦的存在——他稱其為人類社會的必要條件，是希望的原則。也許，這才是李曉東作品的真正影響所在，這才是其作品令人矚目并廣為人知的真實原因——他以小尺度的方式為都市化的社會提供了“希望原則”，指出了思考未來建筑與未來城市的方向。

A commitment to social engagement is strongly connected with his role as teacher and scholar He was involved in Project Hope,a public service project that aims to bring schools into poverty-stricken rural areas His non-profit projects and others have been developed in close collaboration with students and,in some cases,people connected to the project site Everybody who has experiences with this type of projects methodology knows: It takes time,it takes patience and that it does not pay out (at least not in cash) Such conditions may explain,why the amount and size of the professional work of LI Xiaodong still is rather limited.They do not explain his reputation in the field.For that reason we have to look for the approaches and architectural tools he is using.

2 Tools

A key issue in the architectural thinking of LI Xiaodong is the idea of space and the way in which it is experienced In interviews he emphasizes a major distinction between Chinese and Western thought: While the Western tradition is based on the experience of "the world" as a series of objects recognised perspectivally by a subject looking at them,the Chinese tradition does not differentiate between subject and object Chinese architecture developed from the idea that the building is something to be experienced from "within" Buildings are not objects placed in the landscape; they are part of the landscape.

LI Xiaodong believes that the imagination has a major role in the experience of space "The Chinese tend to focus on the intangible than the tangible - you see this in Chinese painting,in which the blank surface is often just as important as what is inscribed For instance,in a painting that shows a pair of swimming fish,the presence of water,which can be inferred from the blank background,is a vital part of the image Allowing room for the visitor's imagination is essential."

The idea of "within" space can bet be recognised in the way LI Xiaodong shapes the relationship between building and its surroundings The famous "Bridge School" connects two parts of the small Fujian village of Xiashi that are separated by a small creek On both sides of the creek sit ancient toulou buildings,icons of the traditional introverted Chinese village architecture The school building itself makes no reference to the traditional building style of the toulou.It is a modern steel construction combined with a screen of wooden slatted frames and wooden floors The building spans the creek like a bridge and generating a central social place in the village that connects and integrates its previously separated parts Though modern in design,the building fills a natural need and sits so comfortably it seems as though it has always been there This sense of easy - rather than ingratiating - adaptation is what makes the Bridge School a masterpiece.

The project can also be understood as a critique of the tendency to be too precious with the past The toulous were not only originally physically by the creek,they also symbolised a divided clan structure that was degrading the community The Bridge School overcomes this habit of separation by offering common public facilities - spaces for public performances and encounters - with the toulous as anchors In this way the project contributes to the re-integration of the community,seeding social sustainability with an architectural intervention.

Although LI Xiaodong strongly emphasizes the necessity of using an appropriate modern building vocabulary,construction principles and materials,he also integrates local materials like stones,wood and even branches into his projects "An accomplished work is supposed to be part of and grown from the location." With this kind of connection to the site buildings of native materials and colour can seem to melt into the surrounding landscape and their quiet shapes harmonize with its topography.Protecting the landscape is a major condition for a "within" experience.

The use of local materials also refers to the craft and culture of local people.LI Xiaodong does not offer an easy access to these traditions by using regional or local symbols in a superficial way Instead,he challenges the users of his buildings to understand their spatial logic,and offers traditional spatial,experiential and material references as ways to access this understanding LI Xiaodong,the teacher,guides the careful observation of space and material and the natural processes related to it.

Environmental impact of the buildings is an important issue in Xiaodong's projects Although his buildings do not look like high-tech projects,they are carefully designed with sustainability in mind,incorporate eco-friendly nature-based materials and optimize the use of daylight to reduce energy demand.A good example of this attitude is the Wattle School (Liyuan Library) in Jiaojiehe Village on the outskirts of Beijing.The building is basically a modern steel and glass construction with all its facades covered with wooden sticks (to filter light and generate a cosy interior) What makes the building special is the fact that it provides no power supply for heating or air-conditioning The building is designed to optimise the effect of solar radiation in the winter to create warmth.In the summer,natural ventilation provides a cool indoor climate.

3 Impact

LI Xiaodong's few projects will not have any impact on China's urban climate or the countries social cohesion Their main impact will be as examples LI Xiaodong's modest projects show us: There is an alternative to glossy mainstream architecture with its destructive effects on the environment,social structure and the humanity of our cities This alternative does not cost a fortune It is affordable and feasible It does require a significant paradigm shift: Away from the idea of city as commodity,a tool for simply optimising profits,and towards the idea that the city belongs to its citizens - the space for lives,culture,and the place to earn the money for living.

The projects of LI Xiaodong teach us that we should not concentrate our attention on the (big) cities.Small communities and villages deserve our respect and support as well.And,if thought through carefully enough,this support can be more efficient than the support the blind and infinite extension of urbanisation is thought to provide But the problems of our cities are immense and we have to also be thinking about solutions at their larger scale The research project "From m2to m3" demonstrates the thinking of LI Xiaodong on a broader canvas In this project,the housing problems of migrants to the big city shift the focus from micro to macro,from the small unit to the large structure by upending the fabric of courtyards to create a vertical structure.

Paradigm shifts are not easy to realise and ideas and desires behind them often remain utopian And from utopia we know,that it is a no-place land that does not exist in reality,a land that by no means can become reality.But the German philosopher,Ernst Bloch,taught us that we need utopias and that utopias are essential to maintaining what he called "a necessary condition of the human society: the principle of hope." Maybe this is the real impact of the work of LI Xiaodong,the thing that people recognize in his projects and that makes them remarkable: At a small scale,he provides a principle of hope for urbanised society,one that might direct thinking about future architecture as well as the future city.

The Humble Master: LI Xiaodong as Architect and Teacher

Although LI Xiaodong has only realised a limited amount of - mostly - small projects,often developed with low funding or even as non-profit projects,he has gained an international reputation and won many awards both nationally and internationally His projects show almost contradictory characteristics: They are amazing beautiful; they are popular; they are radical contemporary and they are deeply settled in the Chinese tradition.

tradition and modernity,critical regionalism,"within" space,social and environmental sustainability

尤根·羅斯曼自2010年起任新加坡國立大學設計與環(huán)境學院訪問教授和代爾夫特理工大學名譽教授。近期，他在清華大學任客座教授，并任國際城市論壇（IFoU）的主席。1982-2010年，羅斯曼曾在代爾夫特理工大學建筑學院擔任教授和院長，并創(chuàng)建了荷蘭住宅和城市研究所（NETHUR）。他還是研究住宅、城市與交通方向的OTB研究所的董事，城市復興和管理研究所的主席。他還曾先后擔任鹿特丹貝爾拉格學院的理事會成員和監(jiān)事會成員，并于2000-2010年任該學院主席。

Since 2010 Jürgen Rosemann is visiting professor at the School of Design and Environment (SDE),National University of Singapore and emeritus professor of Delft University of Technology Recently he also is guest professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing and chairman of the International Forum on Urbanism (IFoU) Between 1982 and 2010 he held a professorship at the faculty of Architecture,Delft University of Technology In this framework he was dean of the faculty,founding member of the Netherlands Graduate School forHousing and Urban Research (NETHUR),member of the boardof OTB-Research Institute for Housing,Urban and Mobility Studies,and chair Urban Renewal and Management Besides,he was member of the Board of Governors,later Board of Supervisors,of the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam Between 2000 and 2010 he served as chairman of this institution.

2014-08-26