BW
Bin Wang
Urban Bracket

Right now in the twenty-first century, a new technological evolution is happening throughout the world. Technology is rapidly changing everything. For Chinese architecture, whether this is an opportunity or yet another disaster remains unknown. At the same time, Chinese cities today are very much different than any other time in history. Various forces and powers have changed the urban environment dramatically, simultaneously introducing a great opportunity for architects to create new forms and types. The focus of this thesis is less about nostalgia, but much more about the clash of culture and modernity. I believe the spirit of historical and cultural heritage can only be truly preserved and respected in a creative way.

I started the project by researching ancient regulations, from the urban scale to a fabrication scale and tried to use contemporary design tools to create a new architectural language. The intent of the thesis is to bracket the history and technology, the spatial quality and tectonic methodology, the east and the west, the past and the future. Hopefully this thesis is an articulate response to an ancient system in this ever-updating world. In this sense, “bracket” is more than just a structural system. It is a metaphor for where my career goals lie.