Dong Gong and discovering the inner dimension of architecture,
Dong Gong is the founder and design director of Shanghai-based Vector Architects,
and he has spoken about the world’s connection more to architects.
While architecture does not support cultural exchange in the architecture community,
it connects architects on a personal level beyond borders.
At the digital event on March 24, 2021, Jung decided to base his talk around a selection of his own drawings.
They were made in various episodes of his life and are well connected to his personal development as an architect.
In his undergraduate years at Tsinghua University,
he recalled weekly painting trips with his teacher Hongzhi Zou and a select group of students.
These students were asked to explore the same cornfield through different climatic situations,
viewpoints and atmospheres in order to hone their observational skills.
Even today, hand painting and drawing during landmark visits, is a major part of Dong Gong.
Dong Gong and discovering the inner dimension of architecture
AnA team then decided to prepare a decision for the second season of the VWT starting from October 17, 2021,
until December 8, due to the outstanding response to the first VWT.
Where you will be able to hear the stories of architects from
Hong Kong, Brazil, Japan, the United States (LA) and Turkey.
With Japanese architect and Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito,
season two of VWT is expected to have its biggest hit next Wednesday, November 17, 2021.
All registrations will be open to architects and not on the architecture platform, and will be free of charge.
So try not to miss the opportunity, if you want to stay in touch, and get insightful content,
you can follow the action on
Instagram@architectsnotarchitecture.
AnA has invited many distinguished personalities in the field of architecture, such as:
- Elizabeth Diller (Diller, Scofidio + Renfrew, USA
- Simon Alford (President, RIBA, UK
- Gabriella Carrillo (Taler Gabriela Carrillo)
- Stephen Holl (Steven Holl Architects, United States
- Maria Warner Wong (WoW Architects, Singapore.
Dong Gong
Born in Beijing in 1972, he became a long-standing practicing architect and vassal.
The idea of studying architecture at China’s top school, Tsinghua University in his hometown,
was a suggestion from his parents.
Both are engineering professors and teach in Tsinghua, and he has previously talked about growing up working on campus.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1994, Dong studied for two years at his alma mater
and then proceeded to earn a master’s degree there from 1996 to 1999.
Architects of his generation were remarkably ambitious and even obsessed
with achieving relevance and success.
So it’s no surprise that Dong then went on to earn another master’s degree in
architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which he earned in 2001.
He then stayed in the United States to gain solid experience from some of the best American practices,
including the offices of Richard Meier and Stephen Holl in New York.
He returned to China in 2008 to set up his workshop, Vector Architects in Beijing, where Dong’s work is so special, it has a great scope, it’s very mature and both familiar and exotic.
Yet his projects are not easily realized, as he readily admits that architecture is a struggle for him.
The architect’s most famous architectural works include the Seashore Chapel (2015), the Seashore Library (2015), and the Seashore Restaurant (2018), a trio of strikingly beautiful small structures a short distance from each other.
