jismart20190030: From Form to Force, the Design Strategy Change of Atelier Deshaus

Abstract

The Atelier Deshaus is one of the first independent architectural design studios of contemporary China, founded by Liu Yichun, Zhuang Shen and Chen Yifeng in 2001 after they left the Tongji design institution. This award-winning studio is widely known for their early phase work Kindergarten of Jiading New Town, 2008, and the milestone project Long Museum, 2014. The nineteen-year practice of Atelier Deshaus shows a noticeable change in their design strategy, which is an excellent example of the young generation Chinese architect situating the extreme change of China. This paper reviewed six works of Atelier Deshaus and divided their practice into two periods. Before 2009, the work of Atelier Deshaus still under the massive impact of modernism, the concept of space retained their design within the space paradigm, which is a common situation in contemporary China's architectural education and practice. The focus of form clearly showed where the instrumentalisation of modern could lead to. Under these circumstances, Atelier Deshaus introduced different vocabulary to discover the new channel. They connected to the Japanese architect Sakamoto Kazunari and absorbed his interpretation of kakou, a concept that combined structure and architectural effect. This new inspiration appears in their work in 2010, and the success of the Long Museum not only call the turning of their trajectory but also promoted the collaboration between architect and structural engineer of the whole
industry.