媒体视角下的建筑学

Q&A：

1.您最初是在剑桥塞尔温学院学习历史专业，是什么机遇决定从历史学领域转向建筑学领域？

You originally majored in history at Selwyn College, Cambridge. What is the opportunity for you to move from History to the field of Architecture?

剑桥毕业后，我一直想从事新闻方面的工作。起初，我在一家建筑设计周刊做实习记者，后来成为了新闻编辑。对建筑的兴趣部分源于这本杂志的工作经历，让我着迷于建筑以及规划发展方面的政策。我也曾为一本房地产杂志《Estates Times》写过一些专栏，现在叫《Property Week》。这些与建筑的一次次接触开启了我们之间的缘分。

After graduating from Cambridge, I always wanted to go into journalism. Initially, I worked as a trainee journalist for a weekly building design magazine, before becoming a news editor. I think my interest in architecture partly arose from working on this magazine, which fascinated me with architecture and policy on planning and development. I also wrote some columns for a real estate magazine, Estates Times, now called Property Week. These exposure to architecture began our lifelong relationship.

Property Week 数字期刊

Q&A

2.您写过很多与建筑相关的文章，作为非建筑专业背景的评论家，您的视角与建筑专业人士有所不同，这种视角会带来哪些优势？

You have written a lot of articles related to architecture, as a non-architectural background, your perspective will be different from that of an architecture professional, what advantages do you think this perspective brings?

媒体能给建筑带来的不同之处在于，如果你善于批判但不咄咄逼人，也许会比建筑师更客观。正是因为我没有受过相同的训练，与建筑师相比，看待事物的方式会略有不同，或许对建筑与城市中其他参与者的关系会有更全面的认知。

The difference that the media can bring to architecture is that if you are critical but not aggressive, you might be more objective than an architect. It's because I don't have the same training that I would see things in a slightly different way compared to an architect, and perhaps have a more rounded view of how architecture relates to other players in the city.

2023 WAF年度最佳世界建筑：宁波惠贞高级中学 ©靠近设计/浙江工业大学工程设计集团有限公司

我认为问题不在于建筑师做了多少工作，这些工作可能是好的，可能是坏的，也可能是不重要的。大量的建筑作品是缺乏设计与深度思考的。不论大小，重要的项目通常有建筑师的参与。大量的满足功能需求的“建筑物（building）”正在进行，但他们与“建筑（Architecture）”或“建筑师（Architects）”无关。如果是一些优秀工匠完成的建筑物，也可能非常出色，虽然大多数时候并非如此。

I think the problem is not so much work that architects do, which can be good, bad, or indifferent. A huge amount of buildings with very little design, input or consideration. I think that significant buildings of any scale or size usually have an architect involved. A lot of "buildings" are being built to fulfill functional needs, but they have nothing to do with "architecture" or "architects".Buildings can be excellent if they are done by good craftsmen, although most of the time they are not.

因此，我们不需要过多地评论周围的建筑师，更应该思考的是经常看到的“非建筑（non architecture）”，也就是建筑物。

Therefore, instead of criticizing the architects around us, we should think about the "non-architecture" that we often see, i.e. the buildings.

2023 WAF年度最佳世界室内：19 Waterloo Street ©Anson Smart

建筑师为主角的“世界建筑节”

Q&A

3.上面所说的就是您建立WAF世界建筑节，并鼓励建筑行业内部交流或讨论的原因吗？

Is that why you founded the WAF and encouraged communication or discussion within the architecture industry?

是的，WAF的创办源自一个重要契机。那时我作为国际建筑杂志《建筑评论》（Architectural Review）的编辑，经常会与建筑师们一起参加一些房地产活动。我不禁问自己，建筑师负责大量的项目设计与建设，为什么没有一个以建筑师为主角的活动？

Yes, the founding of WAF came from an important opportunity. At that time, as the editor of the international architecture magazine Architectural Review, I often attended real estate events with architects. I couldn't help but ask myself why there wasn't an event featuring architects, who were responsible for the design and construction of a large number of projects.

虽然那时有一些譬如美国建筑师协会AIA举办的年度活动已经在这么做了。然而，这些活动并非面向大众开放的、一年一度的全球性活动，鼓励每个人都可以来参加与交流。你不必像威尼斯双年展或大多数双年展那样，必须经过某个策展人的挑选才能被大家看到。我认为任何人都可以展示他们想展示的东西，同行之间也可以相互评价。我成立WAF目标是做一些建筑主题活动，让大众了解优秀建筑背后的设计理念与创意，并将其打造成一场年度现场活动。

At the time, there were some annual events, such as the AIA's annual event, that already did this. However, these events were not open to the general public, annual global events where everyone was encouraged to come and network. You don't have to be selected by some curator to be seen by everyone, like the Venice Biennale or most biennales. I think anyone can show what they want to show and peers can judge each other. I set up WAF with the goal of doing architecture-themed events to educate the public about the design concepts and creativity behind great architecture, and to make it an annual live event.

我们之所以采用这种形式，是为了让入围的设计师现场展示项目。我想今年会有超过 500 个项目进行展示，因为我们不可能现场参观 500 座建筑，也不可能参观未来项目。因此，我们的替代方案是让设计师进行展示，然后由经验丰富的同龄人进行问答，选出类别优胜者。最终，各类别的优胜者可以互相竞争以获得最高奖。

The reason we have adopted this format is to allow the shortlisted designers to present their projects live. I think there will be more than 500 projects on display this year, as it is impossible for us to visit 500 buildings on site or to visit future projects. So our alternative is to have the designers present and then have a Q&A session with experienced peers to select category winners. Eventually, the category winners could compete against each other for the top prize.

WAF现场 ©WAF 

Q&A

4. 我们注意到这与其他奖项有所不同，特别是像您说的AIA或其他一些机构奖项，它们会在作品提交后给予表彰，但并不包含现场汇报，这种独特的设置是怎么来的？

We've noticed that this is different from other awards, especially the AIA or some of the other institutional awards that you mentioned, which give recognition after the work has been submitted but don't include a live presentation, how did this unique setup come about?

人们为什么要来参加这样的活动？答案是，因为他们要在这里展示自己的设计创意，不仅是在评委面前，还要在同行面前。所以你会看到在WAF项目汇报这种非常特别的互动。很多设计师一旦离开学校，除非是大型讲座，否则很少有机会向同行展示自己的作品。WAF的这种汇报非常有趣的地方在于设计师们是在一个竞争环境中展示自己的作品。那么，他们该如何让自己的想法脱颖而出？

Why would people come to an event like this? The answer is because it's where they want to present their design ideas, not only in front of the judges, but also in front of their peers. That's why you'll see this very special interaction at WAF. Many designers, once they leave school, rarely have the opportunity to present their work to their peers unless it's a big lecture, and what's really interesting about this kind of presentation at WAF is that the designers are presenting their work in a competitive environment. So how do they make their ideas stand out?

我认为这种互动模式是我们成功的因素，也是为什么汇报需要在现场发生的重要原因。人们可以看到现场演讲，听到评委的提问和评论。这一切都是公开的。

I think this interactive format is a factor in our success and a big part of why presentations need to happen live. People get to see live presentations and hear questions and comments from the judges. It's all in the open.

WAF公开汇报现场 ©WAF

Q&A

5.您是如何设置这些内容的？这种设计师之间的互动模式是一种很新鲜的想法。

How did you create these? We thought this mode of interaction was a very refreshing idea.

当我们开始做这个项目时，它是独一无二的。不仅仅是建筑设计领域，其他活动也对这种模式做了一些借鉴。但我认为，WAF所创立的建筑师的社群是非常强大的，今年的世界建筑节有来自40多个国家的项目参加，数量相当可观。这是一个建筑师们愿意参与的模式，因为它不是关起门来的评判，你可以在评审房间中直接面对评委。

When we started this project, it was unique. It's not just in the field of architectural design, but other events have made some references to this model. However I think the community of architects that WAF has created is very strong, and this year's WAF had a significant number of projects from over 40 countries participating. It's a model that architects want to participate in because it's not judging behind closed doors, you get to face the judges directly in the judging room.

评审房间中的汇报 ©WAF

Q&A

6.WAF现场会有不同的房间与不同的评委，如何保证评审过程的公平性？如何综合不同评委的意见？

There will be different rooms with different judges at the WAF site, how to ensure the fairness of the judging? How to integrate the opinions of different judges?

每个房间的评审团都独立负责一个主题。比如，在“居住建筑”主题中，评审团可能会看到16个入围的项目，从16个团队的项目汇报中选出一个优胜者。我们一般会设置三个评委，因为一个或两个都可能产生争议，而三个通常会得出确切的结果。我们尽量选择来自三个不同的国家的评委，并尽量每个评审团有一名女性。这是一件艰难的事。现实是，女性拥有更多的家庭责任，因此即使她们想参与也会因为家庭责任或其他原因而不得不退出。所以我们一直在尝试，即使有的时候不成功，但这份雄心是一直都在。

Each room's jury is responsible for a separate theme. For example, in the theme "Housing", the jury may see 16 shortlisted projects and select a winner from the 16 team presentations. We usually have three juries because one or two can be controversial and three will usually produce a definitive result. We try to choose judges from three different countries and try to have one woman on each panel. It's a tough thing to do. The reality is that women have more family responsibilities, so even if they wanted to participate they would have to drop out because of family responsibilities or other reasons. So we keep trying, even if sometimes it doesn't work out, but the ambition is always there.

当然，在WAF举办的这些年间，女性建筑师的数量已经逐步上升了，尤其是一些建筑学院的女性学生。或许评审团中女性的比例在相当长的一段时间内不会达到 50%，但我们可以尝试使其至少达到 1/3，之后可以达到更高的比例。我认为这将是建筑行业的发展方向，也是一件好事。

Of course, during the years that WAF has been organized, the number of female architects has gradually risen, especially among female students at some architecture schools. Perhaps the proportion of women on the jury will not reach 50% for quite some time, but we can try to make it at least 1/3, and then even higher. I think this will be the direction of the architectural profession and a good thing.

评审团成员包括不同国家和性别 ©WAF

建筑行业的变革

Q&A

7. 可以和中国的读者们介绍一下WAF·China吗？对于中国设计公司和媒体来说，可能会更喜欢WAF，如果只是为中国项目特别举办的活动，会有一定的局限性。

Can you introduce WAF·China to Chinese readers? For Chinese design firms and media, WAF may be preferred because of the limitations of an event organized specifically for Chinese projects only.

我不认为全球性活动与国家或地区性活动是竞争关系，也不认为它们是并列关系。比如说，你可以想象人们参加了WAF ，同时他们还参加了WAF·China 的评选。我们组织国际评委观看了中国建筑师的演讲，他们入围了WAF的候选名单，但他们也有可能赢得了WAF·China 的奖项。这有点像WAF 接受的所有参赛作品都来自WAF·China 。因此，我认为完全可以这样做，但有时信息的传递可能会让人搞不清楚活动是什么，以及为什么要这样做。但是我喜欢这个想法，就像世界杯足球赛的模式，先举行地区比赛，然后各地区的佼佼者再参加全国比赛。

I don't see global events in competition with national or regional events, nor do I see them as juxtapositions. For example, you can imagine that people participate in WAF and at the same time they participate in WAF·China. We have organised for the international jury to see a presentation by a Chinese architect who has been shortlisted for WAF, but who might also win a WAF·China award. It's a bit like WAF accepts all entries from WAF·China. So I think it's perfectly fine to do that, but sometimes the messaging can be confusing as to what the event is and why it's being done. But I like the idea of it being like the World Cup Soccer model, where there are regional competitions and then the best from each region go on to compete in the national competition.

2022 WAF·China 获奖项目：花间堂·朱雀里酒店 ©S&Y Atelier（SEU ARCH）

这是一个可能性。如果我们有更多的时间，有更多的参赛作品，我们就必须这样做。因为只有这样才能真正从每个地区选出最好的设计。我们还没有达到这个目标，但我认为这是一个有可能的模式。有一个国家的参赛作品数量足以让这种模式看起来可行，那就是中国。

It's a possibility. If we had more time and more entries, we would have to do this. Because that's the only way to really select the best designs from each region. We're not there yet, but I think it's a possible model. One country that has enough entries to make this model seem feasible is China.

你可以在网站上找到所有项目的信息，这些都不是秘密。我们很高兴中国有这么多参赛者，因为我们得到的关注越多，参赛作品的质量就越高 。但这并不总是对的，有时你收到更多的参赛作品，标准就下降了。在中国却并非如此。

It's no secret that you can find information about all the projects on the website. We are happy that China has so many entries because the more attention we get, the higher the quality of the entries. But that's not always true, sometimes you get more entries and the standard drops. This is not the case in China.

有趣的是，尽管中国房地产市场出现了危机，但这并不意味着建筑师没有做好项目，这是对建筑等领域进行的历史性的改造。这是一个很好的例子，尽管市场上的其他地方存在一些问题，但事情可能会变得更好。

Interestingly, despite the crisis in the Chinese property market, it doesn't mean that architects aren't doing good projects, it's a historic transformation of fields like architecture. It's a good example of how things can get better despite some problems elsewhere in the market.

Q&A

8.您是否注意到如今建筑市场的变化，尤其是在中国，以前我们会有很多建设项目，然而现在整个房地产市场都在下滑。您对此有何看法？

Have you noticed a change in the architecture market today, especially in China, where we used to have a lot of projects, but now the whole property market is in decline? What are your thoughts on this?

中国的情况很有趣，这是由于它的金融结构和房地产市场。严重的过度融资和建设忽视了受众的规模。比方说，群众购买建设中楼房的能力。但是在世界其他地方，我认为也存在着不同的问题。在很多西方国家，由于人们希望在家工作，办公室开发市场正在发生巨大变化。某些类型的办公室会急剧减少，因此市场的走向几乎是：要么是高端写字楼，要么是极度廉价的写字楼。这可能会导致将这些空置的写字楼改建成住宅的工作大量增加，但是对我们来说是好事。但是中国的情况有所不同，因为当你建造住宅时，会把它改建成写字楼吗？这一点我不敢肯定。因为人们的工作趋势是宁愿自己在家工作，一周至少两三天，也不愿去办公室。

China is in an interesting situation due to its financial structure and property market. Severe over-financing and construction ignore the size of the audience. Let's say the ability of the audience to buy what is being built. But in other parts of the world, I think there are different problems. In many western countries, the office development market is changing in a big way as people want to work at home. There will be a dramatic reduction in certain sorts of offices, so the market will pretty much go in the direction of either high-end offices or extremely cheap offices. This could lead to a huge increase in the conversion of these empty office buildings to residential, but that's good for us. But the situation in China is different, because when you build a residential property, do you convert it to office space? That's something I'm not sure about. Because the trend of people's work is that they would rather work at home by themselves, at least two or three days a week than go to the office.

2023 WAF已竣工建筑-住房类大奖：547 West 47th Street - The West Residential ©Ewout Huibers

因此，我认为这是一个特殊的现象。但我们应该明白，其他国家如日本也经历过类似的阶段，一切都会过去。总而言之，最重要的是变化通常对建筑师来说是好事。因为如果有人要改变，他们就会需要一个设计师。如果什么都不做，那才是坏消息。

Therefore, I think this is a particular phenomenon. But we should understand that other countries such as Japan have also gone through a similar stage and everything will pass. All in all, the most important thing is that change is usually good for architects. Because if someone is going to change, they are going to need a designer. It would be bad news if nothing was done.

Q&A

9.面对建筑市场的下行，WAF是否有相应的调整和应对措施？

So in the face of today's market going down, will WAF adjust and respond accordingly?

因为市场不会在每个地方下行，就像亚洲、欧洲与北美等市场的情况也不尽相同。但是可能会存在普遍的经济衰退。当我们创立WAF时，在2007年时得到了所有赞助商的支持，情况很好。但是当我们启动时，雷曼兄弟 (Lehman Brothers)已经破产了，世界陷入了金融衰退。但是，并不是所有的赞助商都放弃了，一些赞助商甚至增加了支出。因此，即使形势并不乐观，也总会有成功的案例。我们很幸运，我们在 2008 年得到了一些赞助，因为他们有能力这样做。

Because the market won't go down everywhere, just as it's not the same in markets like Asia, Europe & North America. But there could be a general recession. When we launched WAF, we had all the support of our sponsors in 2007 and things were going well. But when we launched, Lehman Brothers had gone bankrupt and the world was in a recession. But not all sponsors gave up, and some even increased their spending. So there are always success stories, even when things don't look good. We were lucky that we got some sponsors in 2008 because they could afford to do so.

2008 WAF 于西班牙巴塞罗那举办 ©WAF

因此，在建筑业不景气的时候，如果有 5% 的资金被冲走，就会像一杯啤酒上的泡沫一样。但其余部分是仍然是一个大市场，即使在困难时期。

So, in a time of recession in the architecture industry, if 5 percent of the funds are wiped off, it will be like froth on a glass of beer. But the rest is still a big market, even in tough times.

Q&A

10.同时，您是否想采取其他方式来举办WAF ？

In the face of the current market volatility, do you want to take an alternative approach to organising the WAF?

不，实际上我们有850个参赛作品。我们能从世界各地的建筑中获得多少参赛作品？这几乎是无限的。我们今年可能会有大约 1600 人参加新加坡WAF，然而全世界有 120万建筑师。

No, actually we have 850 entries. How many entries can we get from buildings around the world? It's almost unlimited. We will probably get about 1,600 entries for WAF Singapore this year, yet there are 1.2 million architects in the world.

因此，即使在经济不景气的时候，WAF的举办途径也不会有太大的差别。让人们参与进来的机会还是很多的。我认为最困难的事情是赞助商变得不同，因为有些人会认为需要静观其变，但有些人会认为需要在这个时刻花钱，因为会得到一些竞争优势。所以我从来没有感到悲观，我只是觉得工作变得有点困难，但仍然可以试图找出那些想要向上争取的人，即使市场正在下降。

So even in a recession, the way WAF is organized doesn't make much difference. There are still plenty of opportunities to get people involved. I think the hardest thing is for sponsors to become different because some people will think they need to wait and see what happens, but others will think they need to spend money at this moment in time because they will get some competitive advantage. So I've never felt pessimistic, I just think the job gets a little bit harder but it's still possible to try and identify people who want to fight their way up the ladder, even if the market is declining.

WAF官方媒体合作伙伴 ©WAF

建筑师的话语权

Q&A

11.说到行业性别的问题，虽然建筑学院的男女比例较为均衡，然而在职场的女性建筑师的数量却很少。您认为这种现象背后的原因是什么呢？

Speaking of gender in the profession, although there is a more balanced ratio of men and women in the School of Architecture, yet the number of female architects in the workplace is very small. What do you think is the reason behind this phenomenon?

我认为有几个原因。首先，一些家庭因素会改变她们的职业道路。其次我猜测，很多接受过建筑师培训或取得建筑师资格的女性，最终都会决定通过做其他事情来赚更多的钱，或者获得更好的生活平衡。

I think there are several reasons for this. Firstly, some family factors can change their career path. Secondly, I suspect that many women who train or qualify as architects eventually decide to make more money or get a better life balance by doing something else.

做一名建筑师就是艰难的，你付出的时间很长，但获得的回报可能很少。有时候，你看着那些当律师的同龄人，会觉得为什么工作那么辛苦却只得到了别人一半的酬劳？也许是时候做出改变了。

Being an architect is just tough, you put in long hours and get probably very little in return. Sometimes you look at your peers who are lawyers and wonder why you work so hard but only get paid half of what everyone else does. Maybe it's time to make a change.

2023 WAF上的女性建筑师们 ©WAF

Q&A

12.您曾经在一些文章中提到建筑师有他们的责任，也有他们的权利。但是由于来自业主方、施工方的干预，以及最低标竞价的乱象，导致太多建筑师面临的问题是他们有责任、但没有权利。您认为面对这种现象，有什么可行的解决之道吗？

You have mentioned in some of your articles that architects have their responsibilities and their rights. However, due to the intervention from the owners, construction parties, and the chaos of minimum bidding, the problem faced by too many architects is that they are responsible but have no rights. Do you think there are any viable solutions to such a problem?

我认为如果建筑师要对某件事负责，那么他们就应该有权确保他们负责的事情得到妥善处理。然而通常情况下，建筑师无法执行他们的设计。比方说，承包商想要快速建造，所以他们雇用了其他人改变了设计，例如调换材料等。

I think if an architect is responsible for something then they should have the authority to make sure that what they are responsible for is handled properly. Often, however, architects are unable to enforce their designs. Let's say a contractor wants to build quickly, so they hire someone else to change the design, such as switching materials.

2023WAF 世界建筑节-交通运输类 - 建成作品入围：上海豫园站 ©行之建筑设计事务所 XING DESIGN

（点击查看更多2023WAF 世界建筑节入围项目）

建筑师处在了一个非常困难的位置上，因为他们最初决定的方案几乎不会被完全建造出来。我认为这是一个问题，它涉及到法律以及文化等，但我认为认识到这个问题是件好事。现在有一种越来越明显的趋势，律师试图在建筑师身上施加越来越多的义务，而建筑师却无权在地图上保证这些义务的履行。我认为这是一个关于客户、律师和创作者的问题。

The architect is in a very difficult position because the scheme they initially decided on will almost never be fully built. I think it's a problem that involves the law as well as culture etc. but I think it's good to recognise it. There is a growing trend of lawyers trying to impose more and more obligations on architects who have no right to be on the map to ensure that those obligations are met. I think it's an issue about clients, lawyers and creators.

从根本上说，创作者与其他人不同。几乎所有人的思维都是线性的，而创作者的思维是椭圆形的， 所以他们会比较慢。但是这是一件坏事吗？建筑能用一百年，我们多花六个星期考虑又有什么关系？答案是没关系，但这可能会导致承包商被四处针对。因此，你可以说这些不是问题，而是条件，因为它们无处不在。但建筑师需要为了自己艰难得站起来。我认为他们应该得到社会的大力支持。因为通常来说，批评建筑师太容易了。

Basically, creators are different from other people. Almost everybody thinks linearly, whereas creators think elliptically, so they're going to be slower. But is that a bad thing? Buildings last a hundred years, so what does it matter if we spend an extra six weeks thinking about it? The answer is it doesn't matter, but it could lead to contractors being targeted all over the place. So you could argue that these aren't problems, they're conditions, because they're everywhere. But architects need to stand up for themselves tough. I think they deserve a lot of support from the community. Because it's usually too easy to criticize architects.

2023 INSIDE 世界室内设计节-公共空间类入围：前滩31文化演艺中心 ©如恩设计＆巴马丹拿集团

（点击查看更多2023WAF 世界建筑节入围项目）

这就是我创办WAF 的原因。事实上，我们并不帮助人们来这里解决技术和法律问题。我们想做的是提醒他们，建筑设计最重要的是什么，例如灵感。我们想要去看一些巨大的图片，关于建筑师所做的出色的工作，然后精神焕发得回去工作。

That's why I started WAF. The truth is, we don't help people come here to solve technical and legal problems. What we want to do is remind them of what is most important in architectural design, such as inspiration. We want to go and look at some huge pictures of the great work that architects do and then go back to work refreshed.

2023 WAFX 建筑技术奖：南靖县土楼保护与活化设计 ©城理设计

（点击查看更多2023WAF 世界建筑节入围项目）

2024 WAF

开始报名

（NEW YEAR）

携手走过了又一轮春秋！

2024 WAF开始报名

期待在新加坡的相聚

2023 WAF

2024 年世界建筑节将于11月6日至8日在新加坡举行，包括颁奖赛事、会议以及传播建筑知识为一体，致力于表彰、分享和鼓励优秀杰出的建筑设计。所有决赛入围者都将现场展示他们的项目。

早鸟截止时间：2024年3月28日 

最终截止时间：2024年4月19日 

入围名单公布：2024年7月

颁奖典礼：2024年11月6日 – 2024年11月8日

访谈｜栗茜

文案编辑/翻译｜施方颖

提纲/校对/摄影｜Ming

发文编辑｜Qicy

审核编辑 | 07