Hu Yue was graduated from Beijing Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BICEA) in 1986; from 1986-1998 he worked in Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD) as an architect; from 2001-2003 he was assistant chief architect in BIAD; from 2003 till now he is chief architect in BIAD.

domus: Can you tell us about your background and the projects you are currently engaged in ?
Hu Yue: I have been working at BIAD as an architectural designer for about 20 years, eversince I graduated from the architecture department of BICEA in 1986. These 20 years mark the very period during which Chinese cities have experienced enormous changes and Chinese architects have had rather varied responses when facing these changes and challenges. As for me, I have learnt a lot simply on the basis of practice.
In 2003, I established my own studio and we are currently designing the Wukesong Recreation and Sports Center with a total area of 380,000 square meters. Recently, we have also completed the construction plan for the reconstruction project of the Qingpu Gymnasium and Training Center in Shanghai.

domus:In this context of rapid development, urban space in Beijing has changed dramatically. How do you see the relationship between architecture and urban space?
Hu Yue: My recent projects are primarily in Beijing and its surrounding areas. Beijing’s rapid development has made the life and work of architects change greatly. The city’s high-speed development has provided many opportunities for architects, but at the same time has cost them a lot. Undeniably, our city is rapidly losing its pleasant and charming public spaces and is becoming uglier and uglier. The government officials, the public and sometimes even the architects have all neglect the social purpose of architecture; buildings have been sacrificed to the evil desires of certain people or factions; people, especially investors and managers, can do whatever they want with architecture. But architects are powerless in these conditions, and are sometimes willing to help to advance these evil intentions. In recent years we have also seen our city turned into an experimental field for certain architects to realize their own ambitions. Do we really need this kind of city or architecture? Does the rapid development of a city really represent advancement? I think the answer is no.

domus: You prefer to work in glass. In these projects, what is the logic of the material and structure you are trying to express?
Hu Yue: I’ve used glass in several projects in recent years. Using glass so frequently derives from the consideration about the training of professional skills. In my opinion, the essential quality of an architect’s work is to create a space for people using materials that satisfy the requirements of its usage. It’s similar to the relationship between a sculptor and his material: If a bronze sculptor knows nothing about bronze, he will never make a good bronze sculpture. Therefore, I demand myself to use the same material for a long time in order to master its characteristics completely. The I can use it more creatively.

domus: National investments on projects for the 2008 Olympic Games are enormous and complicated. How do you evaluate your present working state?
Hu Yue: Since 2003 my colleagues and I focused most of our attention on the design of the Wukesong Recreation and Sports Center. When working with landscape design, we thoroughly researched our design method. Architecture is an industry with a long history. Although it has evolved over thousands of years, and our buildings today are quite different from their ancient predecessors, I believe the underlying basic methods haven’t changed at all. Our mode of design is quite similar to artistic creation. I have been puzzled about the recent modes however. This unclear way of design depends only on inspiration and has produced so many irrelevant, excersive and mystifying buildings. I am trying hard to change this timeworn way of design and elevate the design work from an individual behavior to a sytematic action. This system also needs inspiration and creativity, but once a new system has been established it will transform design into an automatic process as well as carry on some existing conditions. Then Chinese traditional architecture will be partly revived and traditional Western architects will disappear.

Physicists have made lots of hypotheses through Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, and many hypotheses have been proved through experiments thus driving the development of physics on a large scale. Can we invent an equation for design to explore new boundaries? Such an equation would surmount the category of traditional design and jumpstart the entire design industry.

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