Li Xinggang was Born in 1969. He was Graduated from Architecture Department of Tianjin University in 1991. In 1998, he was awarded the Scholarship of France President’s Program 50 Chinese Architects and went to Franch for further study. Now he is the Vice chief architect of China Architecture Design & Research Group, and the Director of Atelier Li Xinggang.

domus: You have been working on Beijing’s National Olympic Stadium with Herzog & de Meuron for a few years now. How do you feel about your cooperation?
Li Xinggang: Mang things have impressed me throughout this period. One is that they work with a team of 200 people. This model of practice is exceptional in Europe. Even in our Architecture Design Institute, the Ministry of Construction Tndudes 1000 people, of which only over 300 are actually architects. Also, H & dM’s works are characterized by high quality and an obvious H & dM creation, like a name brand. Its obvious they are very good at control and management, this is not something every practice can achieve. During this close and long-term cooperation I’ve learned their way of teamwork and am trying to use it in my own workshop. It’s very helpful.

domus: What do you think about the existing Architecture Design Institutional system in China? What are its problems and advantages?
Li Xinggang: China’s architecture market is thriving. In this context this sytem has its particular value because it’s catering to such a large scale of construction. Well-run institutes are able to respect construction speed and scale without sacrificing their quality. So, we should maintain the same system and improve it, rather than let it die under more severe competition.
Frankly, I don’t think it’s susceptible to ruin due to its strong social foundation. Moreover, the current system can guarantee the realization of numerous “architectural products”; it can undertake significant national projects, not because of its design creativity, but of its long-term technological foundation and dependability, which are very important in our changing world where people have lost trust in each other.
On the other hand ,the system is flooded with these “products” and can hardly produce works of the highest level. Perhaps institutes don’t have much predominance in terms of architectural creation when compared with foreign practices. In overseas practices the chief architect has the highest authority and controls the spirit of each project. When controversy occurs everything els will bend to the creative progress. For instance, if Herzog refuses to do a questionable project, de Meuron won’t object, no matter the economic losses that might be incurred. They all understand that’s the only way to maintain the standards at H & dM. It is the opposite in institutes where the administrative department decides everything, so we are trying to reform along these lines.

domus:Who has influenced you the most in the past several years?
Li Xinggang: I’d like to say Ai Weiwei. We became acquainted during the “bird’s nest” project and thereafter I was always eager to hear his opinions about my own projects. He’s an artist as well as a thinker, a philosopher, an architect, a writer and a craftman; a man of full awareness, with independent judgment based on his distinguished perspective. He has the ability to begin someting and bring it back to the source. I think that is really important. My son also influences me a lot.

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