在無(wú)窮知識(shí)時(shí)代尋覓設(shè)計(jì)的佳境

張利/ZHANG Li

我們不再清晰了解我們還有哪些不知道的，這已不是什么新聞。知識(shí)不再以可預(yù)測(cè)的方式出現(xiàn)，這也已不是什么新聞。目前，全世界的遠(yuǎn)見(jiàn)卓識(shí)者們都樂(lè)于談?wù)撘栽O(shè)計(jì)思維取代傳統(tǒng)的人文與科學(xué)二分法，并將其視為橋接已知與未知的一種全新方式。

在2018年其清華榮譽(yù)博士的授予儀式上，托馬斯·普利茲克發(fā)表的演講“無(wú)窮知識(shí)時(shí)代的設(shè)計(jì)思維”令在場(chǎng)的400多位聽(tīng)眾心潮澎湃。當(dāng)然，普利茲克使用的“設(shè)計(jì)思維”一詞并不指我們建筑師所熟悉的建筑設(shè)計(jì)，更是代表了一種思維方式，一種面對(duì)繁復(fù)問(wèn)題，試圖在問(wèn)題本身尚不可盡知的情況下發(fā)掘出明智解決方案的思維方式。這種思維方式現(xiàn)在被商業(yè)、金融、工程、科學(xué)、藝術(shù)等領(lǐng)域的引領(lǐng)人群廣泛采用。有趣的是，建筑師好像通常并不這么做。

建筑師，或作為一個(gè)整體的建筑人，是喜歡在已知中工作的?？紤]到建筑學(xué)是多么喜歡說(shuō)教——畢竟幾個(gè)世紀(jì)甚至上千年來(lái)的建筑學(xué)習(xí)都是通過(guò)追隨已知者而完成的——這不足為怪。展示這種建筑學(xué)認(rèn)知習(xí)慣的一個(gè)典型案例就是建筑獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)。評(píng)委裁斷與獲獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)目通常被默認(rèn)為指南針，試圖明確定義當(dāng)前建筑發(fā)展的方向。

然而，在2018 WA中國(guó)建筑獎(jiǎng)中，評(píng)委和參與評(píng)審的每一個(gè)人都達(dá)成了一種新的共識(shí)：我們可以在建筑獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)中不再以尋求答案為目的，而是尋求對(duì)問(wèn)題的創(chuàng)造性定義。這樣可以使建筑獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)更好地發(fā)揮在當(dāng)代的作用。換句話說(shuō)，我們可以把思維方式轉(zhuǎn)化到更適合我們無(wú)窮知識(shí)時(shí)代的方式上。在整個(gè)評(píng)審過(guò)程中，擁有杰出判斷和智慧的評(píng)委們一直堅(jiān)持了極其開(kāi)放的態(tài)度，既精彩，又令人耳目一新?；蛟S2018年的評(píng)審地與任何一個(gè)大城市之間的痛苦遙遠(yuǎn)的距離在這方面反倒起到了一定的作用。設(shè)計(jì)實(shí)驗(yàn)獎(jiǎng)、城市貢獻(xiàn)獎(jiǎng)、居住貢獻(xiàn)獎(jiǎng)和社會(huì)公平獎(jiǎng)的評(píng)議爭(zhēng)論中，目標(biāo)從最佳解答范例向最創(chuàng)新問(wèn)題定義的轉(zhuǎn)變顯而易見(jiàn)。

我們對(duì)這一轉(zhuǎn)變感到興奮。這并不是因?yàn)槲覀円呀?jīng)厭倦了（也許我們確實(shí)有些厭倦了）過(guò)度修飾美化的建成環(huán)境的照片；這并不是因?yàn)槲覀円呀?jīng)聽(tīng)夠了（也許我們確實(shí)有點(diǎn)聽(tīng)夠了）經(jīng)過(guò)編排的窮困社區(qū)的同情故事；這并不是因?yàn)槲覀円呀?jīng)不相信（也許我們確實(shí)已經(jīng)開(kāi)始懷疑）一些為證明技術(shù)有效性而選擇性列舉的數(shù)字；而是因?yàn)?，作為獲取當(dāng)前無(wú)窮知識(shí)時(shí)代我們所處世界的真知的途徑，這一轉(zhuǎn)變開(kāi)啟了尋覓設(shè)計(jì)佳境的新維度。

我們特別感謝所有的評(píng)委和所有的申報(bào)者。是他們，在無(wú)窮知識(shí)的時(shí)代讓這種對(duì)設(shè)計(jì)佳境的探尋成為可能。

It is not news that we are no longer able to be aware what we do not know. Either is it news that knowledge no longer comes in the predictable way.Visionaries around the world are now looking at design thinking as an alternative way of bridging the known with the unknown, replacing the conventional dichotomy between humanities and science.

In his acceptance speech of honourable doctor degree in Tsinghua University in 2018, Mr. Thomas Pritzker thrilled an audience of over 400 with a talk on "Design thinking in the age of not-knowing". Of course, the term "design thinking" he used was not only referring to the design we architects know, but a way of thinking as trying to develop a sensible solution when the problem is still too complicated to be fully understood. That thinking pattern is now widely adopted by people from a variety of fields:business, finance, engineering, science and art.Interestingly, not typically by architects.

Architects, or architecture people as a whole,like to work in the knowing. Given how didactic architecture is, it is not surprising that for centuries, even millenniums, architecture are learnt by following those who know. One good way of demonstrating this knowing pattern is the making architecture awards. Jury verdicts and winning projects are usually compasses, pointing out the direction of the current architectural movement.

Yet with 2018 WAACA, jurors and everyone involved in the jury sessions have come to a consensus, that architecture awards can be better if what is being searched is not only sound answers, but creative questions. Or, if we would change our pattern of thinking to one that fits our time of not-knowing. In short, the openmindedness of all the distinguished jurors has been both refreshing and amazing, possibly assisted by the desperately long distance from the jury venue to any major city in 2018. Throughout the sessions for the categories of Design Experiment, Urban Regeneration, Housing and Social Equality, a clear shift to innovation in formulating a design investigation is obvious.

We feel excited about this shift. It is not because we are already bored (probably we are) with the heavily retouched photos beautifying a built environment. It is not because we are already fed up (probably we are) with the highly choreographed stories of the life of a less-than-ideal community or region. It is not because we are irritated (probably we are) by manipulated numbers proving the effectiveness of certain technologies. It is because this shift opens up new dimensions of design excellence as means to genuine knowledge about our true world in the current time of not-knowing.

Our special thanks to all the jurors and the candidates. It is them who make this search for design excellence in the age of not-knowing possible.