職業(yè)建筑師的品格中芬建筑實(shí)踐之思考

作者：方海（廣東工業(yè)大學(xué)藝術(shù)設(shè)計(jì)學(xué)院院長、教授）

佩卡?薩米寧對自己設(shè)計(jì)構(gòu)思的執(zhí)著追求，以及無錫大劇院設(shè)計(jì)構(gòu)思的最終實(shí)現(xiàn)，為中國建筑師們樹立了良好的榜樣。我由此想到當(dāng)代中國建筑師的現(xiàn)狀和中國建筑師們的工作環(huán)境，并開始深入思考無錫大劇院這一案例帶來的教育與啟發(fā)。不久前我寫了一篇《普利茨克建筑獎(jiǎng)與當(dāng)代建筑思潮》的文章，其中羅列了中國當(dāng)代建筑的“十二病”。在此擬結(jié)合薩米寧在無錫大劇院項(xiàng)目中從設(shè)計(jì)到施工過程中展現(xiàn)的建筑專業(yè)性，對此“十二病”進(jìn)行進(jìn)一步的分析。

中國建筑的第一病是過分屈從于領(lǐng)導(dǎo)與決策者，亦稱“長官意志”。這種領(lǐng)導(dǎo)風(fēng)格是中國建筑師抱怨最多的其中一個(gè)方面，也確實(shí)是影響中國當(dāng)代建筑發(fā)展的最重要的因素之一。在中國，建筑上許多問題的產(chǎn)生原因是由于決策者與業(yè)主（往往是公職人員）制定的設(shè)計(jì)施工進(jìn)度表過于緊迫，導(dǎo)致建設(shè)上一味求快躍進(jìn)。在無錫大劇院施工白熱化的階段，佩卡?薩米寧在給當(dāng)時(shí)的無錫市市長寫的信中援引了2011年溫州動(dòng)車事故的例子，并指出在極短時(shí)間內(nèi)可以達(dá)到的設(shè)計(jì)施工質(zhì)量是十分有限的。

在這樣的環(huán)境下，中國建筑師往往把自己作品最后不如人意的結(jié)果歸咎于長官意志。然而，知道如何向官員和其他決策者提出并解決觀點(diǎn)分歧，其實(shí)是建筑師專業(yè)基本素養(yǎng)的一部分。在無錫大劇院的設(shè)計(jì)施工階段，薩米寧和中國建筑師們的處境相同。他非常了解業(yè)主的重要作用，也很清楚任何項(xiàng)目都不可能在脫離業(yè)主的情況下得到實(shí)現(xiàn)。薩米寧提到了荷蘭建筑師阿爾多?凡?艾克（Aldo Van Eyck）在芬蘭演講時(shí)說的話，“業(yè)主從來不會在設(shè)計(jì)合同中對可能達(dá)到的最佳質(zhì)量作特別要求，故而提升設(shè)計(jì)質(zhì)量是建筑師的職責(zé)”。薩米寧堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為建筑師應(yīng)該成為這方面的專家，即在項(xiàng)目各個(gè)階段一旦遇到任何問題，都必須具備勇氣與辯才去說服業(yè)主采取最佳的解決方案。

在過去的二十年里，事實(shí)上無論是政府還是私企，中國的業(yè)主們，至少基于他們自己對建筑質(zhì)量的理解，已經(jīng)開始對最佳質(zhì)量有所要求。不過，一座良好的建筑最終能否得以實(shí)現(xiàn)取決于給設(shè)計(jì)和建設(shè)工作預(yù)留的時(shí)間，以及建筑師、業(yè)主和其它相關(guān)人員之間的協(xié)作與溝通。在此過程中，建筑師的專業(yè)素養(yǎng)和敬業(yè)精神起到了決定性的作用，這一點(diǎn)在西方早已得到公認(rèn)。這也是為什么在過去的二十年間，在中國建成的能夠稱得上“最好的建筑”的絕大多數(shù)建筑物基本上都出自西方建筑師之手。

中國當(dāng)代建筑十二病中的第二病是為“不專業(yè)”。中國建筑師在工作中往往缺乏專業(yè)方法，這主要是由于中國建筑教育系統(tǒng)“紙上談兵”的模式造成的。大學(xué)教學(xué)中大量空洞的內(nèi)容不僅浪費(fèi)了師生的寶貴時(shí)間，而且也導(dǎo)致了培養(yǎng)出的建筑師在專業(yè)技能上的嚴(yán)重缺失，這使得他們在說服業(yè)主接受自己的設(shè)計(jì)理念時(shí)缺乏應(yīng)有的權(quán)威性與專業(yè)性。在與項(xiàng)目中的其他各類專家合作的過程中，這種專業(yè)性的不足往往就會暴露出來。設(shè)計(jì)與建造是一個(gè)協(xié)作的過程，它涉及了許多不同領(lǐng)域的專業(yè)技術(shù)。建筑師的主要職責(zé)之一是組織和協(xié)調(diào)各部門的工作從而達(dá)到最佳可行的結(jié)果。薩米寧在無錫大劇院項(xiàng)目中成功領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了他的設(shè)計(jì)團(tuán)隊(duì)，這顯示出了中歐建筑事務(wù)所在項(xiàng)目規(guī)劃與管理方法之間的差異。

第三病是建筑師的“不敬業(yè)”。敬業(yè)程度是不能簡單地通過“經(jīng)常加班”來提升的。敬業(yè)與專業(yè)性密切相關(guān)。在北歐的專業(yè)建筑教育體系中，要求職業(yè)建筑師就自己負(fù)責(zé)的設(shè)計(jì)項(xiàng)目貢獻(xiàn)盡可能完美和實(shí)用的解決方案。無錫大劇院規(guī)模宏大，其結(jié)構(gòu)、功能、細(xì)節(jié)復(fù)雜。在設(shè)計(jì)與實(shí)施的階段，業(yè)主、中方合作伙伴和承包商發(fā)現(xiàn)他們在經(jīng)驗(yàn)與專業(yè)技術(shù)上常常有力有未逮的情況。憑借精湛的專業(yè)知識技能和敬業(yè)精神，薩米寧成功展示并實(shí)施了建筑和技術(shù)上的最佳解決方案，并最終實(shí)現(xiàn)了他的設(shè)計(jì)構(gòu)思。

中國建筑的第四病是中國“山寨成風(fēng)”的文化。山寨文化有其藝術(shù)史上的根源：在中國藝術(shù)發(fā)展的過程中，無論是書法、繪畫、陶瓷或木雕，“臨、仿、?！贝髱煹淖髌范际亲罨镜膶W(xué)習(xí)和創(chuàng)作方法。因此，當(dāng)代中國主流藝術(shù)、設(shè)計(jì)和建筑領(lǐng)域普遍存在模仿和照搬的現(xiàn)象，便也不足為奇了。

反之，在芬蘭，創(chuàng)造性和個(gè)性是藝術(shù)與設(shè)計(jì)的核心。建筑創(chuàng)造的過程需要大量的時(shí)間與精力。正如埃里爾?沙里寧所說，“勉力是增強(qiáng)頭腦創(chuàng)造性的關(guān)鍵”。對芬蘭建筑師而言，創(chuàng)作過程需要反復(fù)起草、深思熟慮并帶著批判和開明的態(tài)度探索不同的可能性。這個(gè)過程對全新事物的創(chuàng)造極為重要，然而許多中國建筑師還很難領(lǐng)悟這點(diǎn)。

第五病是“沽名釣譽(yù)”，這一點(diǎn)尤其表現(xiàn)在中國的評獎(jiǎng)系統(tǒng)中。為了“單位的發(fā)展”，主建筑師和其他領(lǐng)導(dǎo)必須掛名在設(shè)計(jì)師名單的首位，即便他們在項(xiàng)目中并沒有實(shí)質(zhì)性的作為。真正參與其中的建筑師和設(shè)計(jì)師得不到嘉獎(jiǎng)或認(rèn)可，便不太可能會積極地為設(shè)計(jì)工作付出更多的努力。反之，薩米寧與他的團(tuán)隊(duì)維護(hù)了設(shè)計(jì)師的權(quán)益，是無錫大劇院名義與實(shí)質(zhì)上真正的負(fù)責(zé)人。這意味著他們深知自己的職責(zé)所在，他們對工作的全身心投入是基于對專業(yè)的自豪感而非對名利的追求。

第六病是“安于現(xiàn)狀”，“小富即安”是當(dāng)代中國建筑師的普遍寫照。改革開放后的建設(shè)熱潮給中國建筑師們帶來了新的機(jī)遇，也使他們進(jìn)入了小康。也許是中國的長期貧困帶來的后遺癥，大多數(shù)中國建筑師易于滿足現(xiàn)狀，不思進(jìn)取，隨波逐流。

近代芬蘭也是從貧困中起步發(fā)展的，但是芬蘭建筑師保持了他們對學(xué)習(xí)新知識如饑似渴的態(tài)度。他們意識到了建筑行業(yè)日新月異的發(fā)展要求他們不斷更新自己的知識儲備與技能。一個(gè)實(shí)例是芬蘭對建筑信息模型（BIM）的運(yùn)用處于國際領(lǐng)先水平。

在與業(yè)主的溝通之中，掌握最新知識能夠極大地增強(qiáng)建筑師的說服力。如果建筑師沒有更高層次的專業(yè)知識，在與業(yè)主的交涉中必定會處于下風(fēng)，越發(fā)難以實(shí)現(xiàn)自己的設(shè)計(jì)理想。以無錫大劇院為例，在制作和組裝翅膀下端的三角幾何模塊雙曲穿孔鋁板時(shí)，針對如何運(yùn)用合適的電腦軟件及如何定位幾何控制線這一問題，PES建筑設(shè)計(jì)事務(wù)所對中方合作伙伴進(jìn)行了全程的指導(dǎo)。

中國當(dāng)代建筑的第七病是“漠視以人為本的功能性”。北歐建筑設(shè)計(jì)的核心是功能主義：建筑必須滿足使用者的需要，熟悉理解實(shí)用性是建筑師的核心素養(yǎng)。在設(shè)計(jì)無錫大劇院的過程中，盡管在設(shè)計(jì)觀演類建筑方面已經(jīng)有了長期的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，薩米寧仍然非常深入地研究了實(shí)用性與功能性的問題。為了創(chuàng)造出中國最好的劇院建筑，薩米寧研究了世界范圍內(nèi)所有最具代表性的新近劇院建筑，他與中方業(yè)主一起親身考察了其中的許多劇院，并得到了功能性方面關(guān)于細(xì)節(jié)與解決方法的第一手資料。之后，他調(diào)整自己的設(shè)計(jì)以符合中國的規(guī)章制度與國情。遺憾的是許多中國建筑師缺乏這方面的考量。除了中國的政治、體制和社會因素之外，中國建筑師已習(xí)慣于趕進(jìn)度，經(jīng)常滿足于復(fù)制或修改前人的設(shè)計(jì)或標(biāo)準(zhǔn)圖，完全忽視建筑使用者的需求。結(jié)果許多建成項(xiàng)目完全無法滿足預(yù)期用途，而新一輪的改造又將導(dǎo)致巨大的花銷和浪費(fèi)。

第八病是為“漠視真正的生態(tài)設(shè)計(jì)”。改革開放后的中國緊跟國際潮流，與時(shí)俱進(jìn)。特別是生態(tài)設(shè)計(jì)在過去的二十年間已經(jīng)成為了中國建筑界的流行詞。遺憾的是，中國建筑行業(yè)對生態(tài)設(shè)計(jì)的理解往往流于表面。

另一方面，無錫大劇院的設(shè)計(jì)反映了芬蘭設(shè)計(jì)師對生態(tài)設(shè)計(jì)因地制宜的深刻思考。這意味著致力于最好的建筑實(shí)施，將當(dāng)?shù)氐沫h(huán)境狀況同時(shí)納入室內(nèi)外設(shè)計(jì)方案的考量中，并通過選擇合適的材料與結(jié)構(gòu)以保證建筑有較長的生命周期。這其中包含了高科技結(jié)構(gòu)手段的應(yīng)用，以及對中國本土材料、技術(shù)和建造方法的運(yùn)用，尤其是在室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)中。

中國是一個(gè)竹材生產(chǎn)大國，竹子在中國文化中具有獨(dú)特的地位。很長一段時(shí)間，竹材被認(rèn)為是“窮人的木材”，被大量忽視。然而，在無錫大劇院建成后，新型合成竹材在中國成為了生態(tài)材料之選。

第九病是“忽視室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)”。傳統(tǒng)中國建筑設(shè)計(jì)和室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)是一體化的，采用的是相同的材料、技術(shù)手法與設(shè)計(jì)理念，從而形成了中國古代設(shè)計(jì)獨(dú)特與和諧的面貌。然而，也許是出于所受的建筑教育的影響，如今的中國建筑師大都對室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)不愿重視或無法重視，這使得他們對空間概念的理解不充分且過時(shí)。這是中國建筑師與外國設(shè)計(jì)師之間最明顯的差距之一。

在北歐，尤其是芬蘭的建筑師繼承了建筑設(shè)計(jì)與室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)一體化的設(shè)計(jì)哲學(xué)傳統(tǒng)。從沙里寧父子到阿爾托再到當(dāng)代建筑師，在他們的設(shè)計(jì)中會同等考慮建筑、室內(nèi)和家具的設(shè)計(jì)。

當(dāng)然，中國建筑師忽視室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)的部分原因要?dú)w咎于中國的體制。很多時(shí)候，建筑師只負(fù)責(zé)建筑主體與外殼設(shè)計(jì)，裝潢公司和承包商負(fù)責(zé)室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)，再由業(yè)主另行購置與建筑并不匹配的家具陳設(shè)物品。然而，體制的缺陷并不能成為中國建筑師專業(yè)素養(yǎng)不足的借口。很大程度上，由于中國建筑師對室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)缺乏理解，使得業(yè)主無法相信并任用他們設(shè)計(jì)整座建筑。在無錫大劇院的案例中，中方業(yè)主立刻采納了PES建筑設(shè)計(jì)事務(wù)所完成的細(xì)致的室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)，并委托其全權(quán)負(fù)責(zé)建筑的整體設(shè)計(jì)，從而使一座完整的藝術(shù)珍品得以完成。

中國當(dāng)代建筑的第十病是“沒有家具觀念”?？傮w而言，現(xiàn)代中國建筑起源于以美國和日本為首的西方工業(yè)化發(fā)達(dá)國家。在中國現(xiàn)代建筑和建筑教育的四位開山宗師當(dāng)中，三位（楊廷寶、童雋、梁思成）畢業(yè)于美國，一位（劉敦楨）畢業(yè)于日本。然而四位大師在開啟中國現(xiàn)代建筑新局面的時(shí)候，忽略了建筑與家具一體化這一重要的理念。從中國傳統(tǒng)角度出發(fā)，這一遺漏是令人費(fèi)解的。中國古代建筑和家具在材料與結(jié)構(gòu)上是完全統(tǒng)一的，這一點(diǎn)在明代的《魯班經(jīng)》中有記載?，F(xiàn)代中國建筑和家具設(shè)計(jì)的發(fā)展不同步也許來源于材料使用上的差異——當(dāng)現(xiàn)代中國建筑以混凝土和鋼材為主體的時(shí)候，家具的原材料仍舊以木材為主。事實(shí)上，直至二十世紀(jì)九十年代，中國的家具設(shè)計(jì)教育都設(shè)置在林業(yè)大學(xué)。如今，許多中國建筑師，包括一些享譽(yù)中外的院士大師們，對家具僅有一些粗淺有限的認(rèn)識。

考慮到中國現(xiàn)代建筑和家具都是現(xiàn)代西方影響的產(chǎn)物，這種建筑與家具的割裂就更加不可思議了。西方建筑師，特別是早期的現(xiàn)代設(shè)計(jì)大師都是同時(shí)涉足于建筑、室內(nèi)與家具設(shè)計(jì)的。老一輩的建筑師，包括弗蘭克?勞埃德?賴特（Frank Lloyd Wright）、勒?柯布西耶（Le Corbusier）、密斯?凡?德?羅（Mies van der Rohe）和阿爾瓦?阿爾托（Alvar Aalto），以及現(xiàn)當(dāng)代的諾曼?福斯特（Norman Foster）、弗蘭克?蓋里（Frank Gehry）、彼得?卒姆托（Peter Zumthor）和扎哈?哈迪德（Zaha Hadid），他們每一位都是家具和工業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)的高手。他們?nèi)轿坏脑O(shè)計(jì)理念是創(chuàng)造高質(zhì)量作品的關(guān)鍵。

在無錫大劇院中，PES建筑設(shè)計(jì)事務(wù)所為其公共空間設(shè)計(jì)了家具，并與薩米寧的長期設(shè)計(jì)合作伙伴芬蘭家具設(shè)計(jì)師約里奧?庫卡波羅（Yrj?Kukkapuro）一起設(shè)計(jì)了一系列的竹材家具，包括主劇場觀眾座椅和貴賓區(qū)的休閑座椅。建筑師設(shè)計(jì)了多套畫稿并制作了多款模型反復(fù)試驗(yàn)，以期找出最佳的方案。盡管由于中國體制上的限制，設(shè)計(jì)上不得不做出一些妥協(xié)與修改，但是總體設(shè)計(jì)保證了建筑物基本的功能性與完整性。

第十一病是“遠(yuǎn)離對材料的研究”。這是當(dāng)今中國建筑界的主要不足之一。當(dāng)評價(jià)一名中國建筑師不夠?qū)I(yè)的時(shí)候，在很大程度上是指這名建筑師對不同材料及其運(yùn)用的研究不充分。中國建筑師往往把經(jīng)銷商寄來的樣品漠然置之，只在完成圖紙后匆匆掃一眼。

對于許多西方建筑師來說，例如倫佐?皮亞諾（Renzo Piano）、彼得?卒姆托和赫爾佐格與德梅?。℉erzog & de Meuron），對材料及其全新應(yīng)用方法的研究往往是設(shè)計(jì)過程中的關(guān)鍵部分。同樣在芬蘭，阿爾托大學(xué)設(shè)置了一項(xiàng)一年期的木材課程，它提供給建筑師和學(xué)生們一個(gè)對建筑中木材的新型使用方法進(jìn)行學(xué)習(xí)和實(shí)驗(yàn)的機(jī)會。中國的建筑設(shè)計(jì)院校在這方面比較蒼白。

佩卡?薩米寧對材料的研究是極具系統(tǒng)性的，他設(shè)計(jì)的出發(fā)點(diǎn)往往來自于對材料的考慮。他對木材與混凝土的使用尤為感興趣。1998年，在芬蘭建筑博物館舉辦了薩米寧作品展，主題為“材料、結(jié)構(gòu)和空間”。無錫大劇院的設(shè)計(jì)過程同樣包括了若干階段對材料的調(diào)查研究，其中包括大型鋼翅膀及其下端的穿孔鋁板覆面層、門廳玻璃磚墻、主劇場竹材以及光柱中的玻璃元素。在最終選定材料與形式之前，每一階段都涉及非常深入的研究與測試。

中國當(dāng)代建筑的第十二病是“缺乏細(xì)節(jié)設(shè)計(jì)”。佩卡?薩米寧常常引用美國詩人亨利?沃茲沃斯?朗費(fèi)羅（Henry Wadsworth Longfellow）詩歌《建造者》中的一句“神之所見，一覽無余”。因此，建筑師應(yīng)該在設(shè)計(jì)中關(guān)注每一處細(xì)節(jié)，包括隱藏于視野之外的內(nèi)在結(jié)構(gòu)。在過去的十年間，出現(xiàn)了許多關(guān)于“細(xì)節(jié)決定成敗”的著述。在建筑界，細(xì)節(jié)設(shè)計(jì)是決定質(zhì)量的關(guān)鍵因素之一。然而在中國，細(xì)節(jié)常常被丟給建筑開發(fā)商來負(fù)責(zé)。即便是在2012年普利茨克獎(jiǎng)得主王澍的作品中，也能發(fā)現(xiàn)中國建筑師細(xì)節(jié)設(shè)計(jì)上的不足。

盡管有妥協(xié)讓步，基于細(xì)致的研究和對細(xì)節(jié)的全面掌控，無錫大劇院的設(shè)計(jì)與高質(zhì)量的實(shí)施體現(xiàn)了PES建筑設(shè)計(jì)事務(wù)所的專業(yè)素養(yǎng)。我們已習(xí)慣于相信是改革開放帶來的中國建設(shè)的求快躍進(jìn)導(dǎo)致了中國現(xiàn)代建筑的參差不齊，也導(dǎo)致了對細(xì)節(jié)設(shè)計(jì)的整體忽視以及工程質(zhì)量的下降。然而，建筑師對設(shè)計(jì)的每一個(gè)方面都應(yīng)該負(fù)責(zé)，中國建筑師不應(yīng)該縮減自己的職責(zé)范圍，無論是從最微小的細(xì)節(jié)還是到整體的質(zhì)量與可持續(xù)性。鑒于此，佩卡?薩米寧領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的設(shè)計(jì)團(tuán)隊(duì)通過無錫大劇院作了一次表率。

Pekka Salminen’s perseverance in the pursuit of his design vision, and its ultimate realisation in the Wuxi Grand Theatre, sets a good example for Chinese architects.This caused me to reflect on the condition of contemporary Chinese architecture and the environment in which Chinese architects work, and I began to consider in depth the lessons to be learned from the case of the Wuxi Grand Theatre.I have earlier written an article on the Pritzker Architecture Prize and contemporary architectural trends, in which I listed the twelve “diseases”, or defects, of modern Chinese architecture.Now, I will attempt a further analysis of these defects, mirrored against the architectural professionalism demonstrated by Salminen from the design to construction of the Wuxi Grand Theatre.

The first defect in Chinese architecture is excessive adaptation to authoritarian leadership and decision-making, sometimes referred to as “magisterial volition”.This style of leadership is one of the aspects most complained about by Chinese architects, indeed, one of the key factors affecting the development of contemporary Chinese architecture.In China, many of the problems in architecture are caused by the unreasonably tight design and construction schedules set by the decisionmakers and project owners, often public officials, and the resulting "great leap forward" in the pace of construction.In a letter written to the mayor of Wuxi during the hectic construction phase of the Wuxi Grand Theatre, Pekka Salminen noted,referring to the 2011 high-speed train accident in Wenzhou, that there is a limit to the level of quality that can be attained in a too short period of design and construction.

In such an environment, Chinese architects often attribute the unsatisfactory outcome of their work to this magisterial volition imposed on them from above.However, it is part of the basic professional competence of an architect to be able to address and resolve differences in opinion with officials and other decisionmakers.During the Wuxi Grand Theatre design and construction process, Salminen was in the same position as Chinese architects in this regard.He has a clear understanding of the role of the client and is well aware that there is no project without them.According to Salminen, the Dutch architect Aldo Van Eyck once said in a lecture in Finland that clients never specifically require the best possible quality in design contracts, and it is therefore the task of the architect to “smuggle” quality into the design.Salminen insists that the architect is the expert and must possess the courage and argumentative skills to convince the client of the best solution for any problem encountered throughout a project.

In the past twenty years, Chinese clients, both government and private enterprises,have in fact begun to require top quality, at least according to their own vision of quality in architecture.However, whether good architecture can eventually be produced depends on the time reserved for design and construction, as well as the cooperation and communication between the architect, client and other parties involved.In this process, the architect’s professionalism and dedication to work play a decisive role, as has long been recognised in the west.This is why most of the buildings built over the past two decades that are considered "the best architecture"in China have generally been designed by western architects.

The second of the twelve defects of Chinese contemporary architecture is unprofessionalism.Chinese architects often lack a professional approach to their work, which is mainly the result of the theoretical orientation of the Chinese architectural education system.The lack of substance in the university curriculum not only wastes the valuable time of teachers and students, but also produces architects seriously lacking in professional skills.Consequently, they also lack the authority and expertise to convince the clients of their design ideas.More often, however, the lack of professionalism is evidenced in the cooperation between the different specialists participating in the project.Design and construction is a collaborative effort, involving many different fields of expertise, and one of the main responsibilities of the architect is to organise and coordinate the work of the different players so as to achieve the best possible result.Salminen’s success in leading his design team in the Wuxi Grand Theatre highlights the differences in the project planning and management methods between European and Chinese architectural firms.

The third defect is Chinese architects’ lack of dedication to work.This cannot be remedied simply by working extra hours.Dedication is closely related to professionalism.In the professionally oriented architectural education system in the Nordic countries, architects are expected to be capable of developing the most perfect and practical solutions possible for the design project that they are responsible for.The Wuxi Grand Theatre is a large building, complex in structure,function and detail.During the design and implementation process, the client,Chinese partners and contractors often found themselves in situations for which their experience and expertise were inadequate.Backed by his profound professional competence and dedicated approach, Salminen was able to demonstrate and justify the best architectural and technical solutions, which ultimately enabled him to realise his design vision.

The fourth defect of Chinese architecture is China’s pervasive copycat culture.This has its origin in art history: in the development of Chinese art, whether calligraphy,painting, ceramics or wood sculpture, the most common method of learning and creation is to "follow, imitate and copy" the work of the masters.Hence, the prevalence of imitations and outright copies in mainstream contemporary Chinese art, design and architecture is hardly surprising.

In Finland, on the other hand, creativity and individuality are at the heart of art and design.Architectural creation is a process requiring both time and effort.In the words of Eliel Saarinen: "Work is the key to creative growth of mind".For Finnish architects, the creative process consists of iterative phases of drafting, reflection and the critical and open-minded exploration of different alternatives.This process is essential for the creation of something genuinely new, a fact which many Chinese architects find difficult to grasp.

The fifth defect is fishing for fame.This is especially exemplified by the Chinese recognition system.The leading architects and other management must be placed at the top of the list of designers for the sake of "the development of the organisation", even if they have no real role in the project.The real architects and designers, who receive little credit or recognition, are hardly motivated to put in any extra effort in their design work.Salminen and his team, on the other hand, who stood up for their rights as the designers, were in charge of the Wuxi Grand Theatre project both in name and in practice.This meant that they were also deeply aware of their responsibilities, and their dedication to their work was based on professional pride rather than a quest for fame.

The sixth defect is resting on one's laurels.It is often said of contemporary Chinese architects that they are "content with small wealth".The construction boom following China’s economic reform and opening up to the outside world has brought new opportunities for Chinese architects, along with financial comfort.Perhaps it is an after-effect of the long period of poverty in China that most Chinese architects are content with their current situation, going along with the flow rather than seeking new challenges.

Finland is a country that has also risen from poverty in recent history, but Finnish architects have maintained their thirst for new knowledge and continuous learning.They recognise that the rapid advances in the building industry require them to continuously update their knowledge and skills.As a result, Finland is a global leader in the adoption of BIM design processes, for example.

In communication with clients, possession of the latest knowledge greatly enhances an architect’s position.If architects cannot maintain the upper hand in terms of professional expertise, they will certainly be at a disadvantage in negotiations with clients and have little chance of being able to drive the realisation of their design vision.In the case of the Wuxi Grand Theatre, for example, the implementation of the geometry of the underside of the steel wings required PES-Architects to prepare instructions for their Chinese partner on the use of the appropriate computer software.

The seventh defect of contemporary Chinese architecture is a disregard for useroriented functionality.Functionalism is at the core of Scandinavian architecture and design: buildings must serve the needs of the users and an understanding of usability is part of an architect’s core competence.In the process of designing the Wuxi Grand Theatre, Salminen studied issues of usability and functionality in great depth, despite his already lengthy experience in designing performance buildings.In order to create what is possibly the best theatre building in China, Salminen examined all the recent important theatre buildings in the world, personally visiting many of them with his Chinese clients to gain first-hand experience of their functional details and solutions.Then, he adapted his design to Chinese regulations and conditions.The work ofmany Chinese architects is sadly lacking in this respect.In addition to the effect of political, institutional and social factors, Chinese architects are accustomed to focusing on the swift completion of the building project at hand, often being content to copy or modify earlier designs or standard drawings with complete disregard for the needs of building’s users.As a result, many designs turn out to be entirely impractical for their intended use, leading to costly and wasteful modifications.

The eighth defect is a disregard for true ecological design.After the economic reforms and opening up to the world, China has sought to keep up with the times by eagerly adopting the latest international trends.Ecological design, in particular, has become a buzzword in Chinese architecture in the past two decades.Unfortunately, the understanding of ecological design in the Chinese construction industry is often superficial.

The design of the Wuxi Grand Theatre, on the other hand, reflects its Finnish designers’ profound understanding of ecological design, applied to the conditions in China.This meant striving for good building practice, taking the local environmental conditions into consideration in both interior and outdoor solutions and ensuring a long life span for the building through the choice of materials and structure.These included both high-tech structural solutions and, especially in the interior, the use of local Chinese materials, techniques and construction methods.

China is a major bamboo producer, and bamboo holds a unique status in Chinese culture.For a long time, bamboo was largely neglected in building as “poor man’s timber”, but, after the completion of the Wuxi Grand Theatre, the new type of technological bamboo has become the ecological material of choice in China.

The ninth defect is the neglect of interior design.Traditional Chinese architecture and interior design were fully integrated, employing the same materials, techniques and design concepts, resulting in the singular harmony of ancient Chinese design.However, perhaps due to the design education they have received, most Chinese architects today are unable or unwilling to pay much attention to interior design.This has resulted in an inadequate and old-fashioned understanding of the space concept.This is one of the most obvious gaps between Chinese architects and foreign designers.

Northern European architects, especially Finnish ones, continue to carry on the tradition of an integrated design philosophy.From the Saarinens and Aalto to contemporary architects, they seek to equally take into consideration the architecture, interior and furniture in their designs.

It must be said that the neglect of interior design in the work of Chinese architects can partly be blamed on the Chinese system.In most cases, the architect is only responsible for designing the overall structure and elevations of a building.Interior decorators and contractors are responsible for interior design, with the building owners making purchase decisions that bear no relation to the architecture.However, the defects of the system are no excuse for Chinese architects’ lack of professional competence in this respect.To a large extent, it is the Chinese architects’ inadequate understanding of interior design that prevents clients from trusting them to design an entire building.In the case of the Wuxi Grand Theatre,the Chinese clients were immediately won over by PES-Architects’ accomplished and detailed design for the interior, entrusting them with overall responsibility for the design of the building.This enabled the creation of a true total work of art.

The tenth defect of contemporary Chinese architecture is the neglect of furniture as a part of interior design.In general, modern Chinese architecture originates in industrialised western countries, primarily the United States, and Japan.Of the four founding masters of modern Chinese architecture and architectural education,three (Yang Tingbao, Tong Jun and Liang Sicheng) graduated from the United States, one (Liu Dunzhen) from Japan.In establishing modern Chinese architecture,however, these four pioneers overlooked the important concept of the integration of architecture and furniture.This omission is puzzling from the perspective of the ancient Chinese tradition, in which architecture and furniture were completely integrated in both material and structure, as described in the LuBan jing carpenter’s manual from the Ming Dynasty.The nonsynchronous development of modern Chinese architecture and furniture design perhaps derives from the difference in the use of material: while modern Chinese architecture mainly employs concrete and steel, Chinese furniture is usually still made of wood - in fact, up to the 1990s,furniture design was taught at the forestry university in China.Today, most Chinese architects, including the renowned academicians and national masters, only have a superficial and limited understanding of furniture.

Considering that modern Chinese architecture and furniture are products of modern western influences, this separation of architecture and furniture is all the more difficult to understand, as western architects, especially the early modern designers, designed the architecture, interior and furniture at the same time.The older generation of architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Alvar Aalto, as well as the contemporary masters Norman Foster,Frank Gehry, Peter Zumthor and Zaha Hadid, are also skilled furniture and industrial designers.Their overall design vision is the key to the high quality of their work.

In the Wuxi Grand Theatre, PES-Architects designed the furniture for the public spaces and, together with Salminen’s long-time design collaborator, Finnish furniture designer Yrj? Kukkapuro, a range of bamboo furniture, including the main auditorium seats and lounge chairs in the VIP areas.Several designs were drafted and models tested in order to find the best solution.Although many compromises had to be made due to the restrictions imposed by the Chinese system, this overall design approach ensures the basic functionalism and integrity of the building.

The eleventh defect is inadequate research into the properties of materials.This is one of the major weaknesses of contemporary Chinese architecture.When a Chinese architect is criticised for being unprofessional, this often refers to a neglect of the study of materials and their uses.Chinese architects typically stow away any materials sent by distributors as samples and may only glance at them after they have completed their drawings.

For many western architects, such as Renzo Piano, Peter Zumthor and Herzog & de Meuron, the study of materials and new methods for their application are often a key part of the design process.In Finland as well, the Aalto University offers a one-year Wood Programme, providing architects and students with an opportunity to study and experiment new ways of using wood in architecture.The architectural design schools and institutes in China are undistinguished in this respect.

Pekka Salminen’s study of materials is highly systematic, and the starting point of his design often comes from the consideration of materials.He is particularly interested in the use of wood and concrete.In 1998, an exhibition of Salminen’s work was arranged at the Museum of Finnish Architecture under the themes of material, structure and space.The design process of the Wuxi Grand Theatre also included several intensive phases of investigation into the materials for the large steel wings and their perforated aluminium cladding, the glass brick walls in the foyer, the bamboo in the auditoriums and the glass elements for the light columns.Each stage involved in-depth analysis and testing before the final selection of materials and forms.

The twelfth defect of modern Chinese architecture is the lack of detailed design.Pekka Salminen often refers to the line in American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem The Builders: “The gods see everywhere”.Consequently,architects should pay attention to every detail in design, including the structures that remain hidden from view.There has been much writing in the past decade on details deciding success or failure.In architecture, the design of details is one of the key factors determining quality, but, in China, this phase is usually left to the building developer.Chinese architects’ lack of interest in details can even be observed in the work of Wang Shu, who was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2012.

Despite the compromises, the design of the Wuxi Grand Theatre and the high quality of its implementation reflects the professional accomplishment of PESArchitects, based on the careful study and comprehensive control of detail.We have been accustomed to believing that the “great leap forward” in Chinese construction, brought about by the economic reformation and opening-up policy,has caused the capricious nature of Chinese modern architecture, leading to a general neglect of detailed design and a decline in the quality of construction.However, Chinese architects should not shirk the responsibility of the architect for every aspect of design from the smallest detail to overall quality and sustainability.In this regard, the design team led by Pekka Salminen has set us an example with the Wuxi Grand Theatre.