PTW建筑事務所：多元文化主義下的新身份之路

張利/ZHANG Li

當曼徹斯特城足球俱樂部在2008年被阿布扎比集團收購時，當沃爾沃汽車公司在2010年從福特轉(zhuǎn)手至吉利旗下時，世人的扼腕痛惜與悲觀預測一度不絕于耳。然而今天，曼城正以賞心悅目的方式踢著歐洲最具競爭力的足球，沃爾沃正以脫胎換骨的產(chǎn)品更新實現(xiàn)著市場認同的全面復興。它們是傳統(tǒng)品牌在多元文化時代下，通過來自新興經(jīng)濟體的資本注入獲得新生命力的佐證。

澳大利亞的PTW建筑事務所亦然。PTW作為一個澳洲設計領(lǐng)域的百年老店，在最近的10年實現(xiàn)了令人刮目相看的改變——不僅在市場占有率的提升規(guī)模上，更在建筑與城市設計成果的質(zhì)量上——這與2013年中國最大的民營設計企業(yè)CCDI對其進行的注資收購有著密切的關(guān)系。

關(guān)于這一設計行業(yè)的資本流動如何在經(jīng)營管理上實現(xiàn)成功雙贏是經(jīng)濟學的范疇，不在我們的關(guān)注范圍之內(nèi)。我們所感興趣的是CCDI資本所攜帶的來自中國市場的設計創(chuàng)作空間，以及其背后的悉尼與亞洲新興經(jīng)濟體饑渴需求之間的日益緊密的聯(lián)系，對PTW的建筑創(chuàng)作所產(chǎn)生的積極影響。我們可以認為，這次資本流動促成了一種良性的設計職業(yè)精神交融，定義了PTW的新身份——一種結(jié)合了英聯(lián)邦體系的執(zhí)業(yè)操守、專業(yè)經(jīng)驗與亞洲新興國家的冒險魂力與樂觀主義的新性格。我們甚至還可以認為，PTW的不少近期作品都在較大尺度的城市干預中搭載了一定的實驗性，為類似城市問題的解答提供了具有普遍意義的參照。

高密度都市區(qū)域的居住建筑開發(fā)顯然是PTW百余年來的技術(shù)特長，而2014年的悉尼中央公園一號對這一特長給予了一個罕見的新定義。我們可以認為高層空中驚險的水平懸挑來自鹿特丹，我們可以認為交錯在立面上的陽臺花園與垂直種植模塊來自新加坡，但我們不能否認這種恰如其分的組合營造了一個充滿21世紀氣息的垂直社區(qū)，而無論從氣候適應性講，還是從生活方式講，它毫無疑問都是屬于悉尼的。

濱水區(qū)域的城市空間更新是PTW傳統(tǒng)上的另一個強項。對于這個強項，2015年的布朗格魯R9住宅也帶來了新的元素。與近期倫敦、漢堡、紐卡斯爾等歐洲港區(qū)改造的自上而下的景觀化公共空間體系不同，R9住宅所試圖建立的是自下而上的，基于所有權(quán)范圍內(nèi)的公共空間界面（或更準確地說，公共生活界面）由地面向整個立面范圍的延續(xù)。與悉尼氣候的適應性再次說明了這一設計策略的地域特征。

基于2008年北京奧運會國家游泳中心“水立方”合作的成功，PTW近年在體育與文化建筑領(lǐng)域成果不斷，精彩紛呈。如果說大尺度建筑的標識性、紀念性和地域修辭法已經(jīng)是PTW駕輕就熟的方法，那么以2016年澳洲皇家植物園改建為代表的中小型項目則是PTW在這一領(lǐng)域內(nèi)的新型耕耘。結(jié)構(gòu)理性、幾何可讀性、通透和綠色體系使這一建筑謙遜地加入到植物園的百年紀念空間之中，平和地提供必要的場所，但不在環(huán)境、氛圍和識別性上產(chǎn)生任何注意力的分散。其承載的清新的自然觀和理智的謙恭讓我們對PTW未來的文化建筑作品有更多的期待。

本期《世界建筑》把PTW事務所近期的創(chuàng)作軌跡放到一個多元文化主義的大背景下進行觀察，希望借此窺見發(fā)生在當代職業(yè)領(lǐng)域的一個具有普遍性的現(xiàn)象。

特別感謝CCDI的艾俠先生對本期專輯所提供的幫助?！?/p>

When Manchester City was acquired by Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, messages of lament and predictions of dark future filled media. When Volvo was transferred from Ford to Geely in 2010, similar reactions were met. Today, Manchester City is winning games all around in Europe in some of the most impressive ways, while Volvo is retaining its market reputation through radical updates of their cars. They are the success stories of capitals from emerging economies breathing new lives into old brands.

PTW Architects from Australia is another example. Stepping into the 14th decade of its existence, this old Australian design juggernaut has made a number of really brilliant manoeuvres recently – not only in its market share, but in its pure quality of design – all of which can be related to the new owner, CCDI from China, that purchased PTW in 2013.

How this purchase ends up with a win-win situation for both firms is a question of economy and management, therefore not our interest. What we are interested in, however, is how the demand from the Chinese market through the CCDI investment, namely the thirst for something new, and the closing tie between Sydney and emerging Asian economies in the broader range, have affected the PTW approaches. We have good reasons to believe that such influences are mostly positive. We may say that this cross-continent capital flow has generated a desirable blending of different professionalisms – those robust commonwealth systems and solid expertise of a hundred years, and those adventurous (even risky) spirits and bold optimism of the emerging markets. We may even say that, quite rare for a firm of such calibre, PTW has in their recent works some elements of genuine experiments, which can be inspirational to similar projects around the world.

Housing in densely populated metropolises is obviously one prominent line in PTW's history. One Central Park in 2014 gives this line a new twist. When we see the thrilling huge cantilevered terrace high up in the air, we may think of Rotterdam. When we see the undulating balcony gardens and modules of vertical vegetation, we may think of Singapore. Yet we can't deny the fact that the combination of the two, while hosting all the customised solutions in both climate and life style, has created a 21st century vertical community that is unmistakably Sydney.

Waterfront urban renewal is another field in which PTW has great expertise. R9 Barangaroo in 2015 renders some new elements in this field. Different from London, Hamburg, or New Castle, where the renewal of old industrial harbours tends to be based on a top-down landscape system, R9 Barangaroo features a bottom-up approach. Maybe out of limitations of land ownerships, maybe out of sheer design will, the complex tries to extend the public interface from the ground all the way up to its fa?ade. With precise climatic designs fully engaged, this solution is both contemporary and regional.

Partly because of the success of the Water Cube for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, PTW has fared very well in the sports and cultural facilities department. PTW is no stranger to iconography, monumentality plus rhetoric of local architectural motifs of massive sports or cultural buildings. Yet it is medium-to-small-scale projects, such as the Calyx in the Royal Botanic Garden in 2016 that has really taken PTW to the next level. The structural rationality, the geometric legibility, the transparency, and the green systems have made the building an amiable new comer to the centennial space of the Royal Botanic Garden. It silently provides all the space needed, without causing any distraction in environment or character. The fresh attitude to nature, and the overall intellectual humility embedded in this lovely building has made us curious about PTW's future cultural projects.

This issue of WA puts the recent trace of PTW against the backdrop of 21st century multiculturalism, and tries to read the hints of a new identity out of it. We do hope this would give our audience a peek into a common phenomenon that is taking place in architectural practice around the world today.

Our special thanks to Mr AI Xia from CCDI. His help has made this special issue possible.□