Amateur Architecture Studio (Wang Shu & Lu Wenyu)

Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu (Amateur Architecture Studio) provide a conceptual and philosophical critique of globalized architectural practice, of high speed construction in China.They pursue different goals beyond worldwide trends: the designs of the architect duo draw on regional handicraft practices and materials that are harmonized with contemporary design. They employ traditional materials such as bamboo, wood, or brick, combining them with seemingly contrasting building materials such as concrete. The word “amateur“ in their studio name stands for an alternative model to a professionalism that ignores regional differences and human needs in deference to imperious monoliths in the international style. For their “Tile Theatre“ they recycled approximately 60,000 traditionally manufactured Chinese roof tiles from their work for the 10th Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2006, thus creating an inhabitable pavilion on the roof of the HKW.