赵扬建筑工作室

YANG ZHAO WAS BORN IN CHONGQING, CHINA. AFTER STUDYING AT TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY, HE ESTABLISHED HIS OWN PRACTICE, ZHAOYANG STUDIO, IN 2007. FOR THE FIRST THREE YEARS, THE STUDIO WORKED CLOSELY WITH STANDARDARCHITECTURE, A LEADING NEW-GENERATION DESIGN FIRM, IN BEIJING. ZHAO WAS AWARDED THE 2010 WA CHINESE ARCHITECTURE AWARD FROM BEIJING-BASED WORLD ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE. IN THE SAME YEAR, ZHAO ATTENDED THE HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN WHERE HE RECEIVED A MASTER’S DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURE WITH DISTINCTION. AFTER GRADUATION, ZHAOYANG ARCHITECTS MOVED TO DALI, YUNNAN PROVINCE. FROM A SERIES OF EXPERIMENTAL PROJECTS SUCH AS “SHUANGZI RESORT” AND “ZHU’AN RESIDENCE”, THE PRACTICE TRIES TO EXPLORE ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTIONS TO THE EMERGING CHINESE URBAN AND RURAL CONDITIONS. AND RELATE ARCHITECTURE TO A TANGIBLE SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND NATURAL BACKGROUND, A TRADITION THAT’S LONG FORGOTTEN BY THE CONTEMPORARY DESIGN AND BUILDING INDUSTRY IN CHINA.

“THE ARCHITECTURAL WORKS OF YANG ZHAO, LOOK MODERN AND ABSTRACT, A VISION OF NOW, RATHER THAN AN IMITATION OF PAST FORMS, BUT DEEP BENEATH THERE IS AN UNDERLYING IDEA THAT IS FROM THE PAST, THE IDEA OF THE ORDER IN THE GENUS LOCI, THE ORDER OF THINGS IN A PLACE THAT GIVE IT FORM, MOVEMENT, AND RHYTHM. YANG ZHAO STRIVES TO KNOWING THE RAISON D’ETRE IN A PLACE, AND THEN EXPRESSING THEM AS THEY ARE IN THE NEW FORM OF NOW. THE ACT IS COURAGEOUS AND VISIONARY, IN SENSITIVELY AND SENSIBLY RESPONDING TO THE PARTICULAR CONDITIONS OF APPROACHING MAKING ARCHITECTURE IN A FAST CHANGING CHINA.”[1]

IN 2012, ZHAO WAS SELECTED AS THE INAUGURAL ARCHITECTURAL PROTÉGÉ OF THE ACCLAIMED ROLEX MENTOR AND PROTÉGÉ ARTS INITIATIVE. UNDER THE DIRECTION OF HIS MENTOR KAZUYO SEJIMA, ZHAO DESIGNED HOME-FOR-ALL IN KESENNUMA TO HELP VICTIMS OF THE TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI IN JAPAN.

ZHAO’S DESIGN WORKS AND INTERVIEWS HAVE BEEN WIDELY PUBLISHED. HE IS ALSO INVITED TO SPEAK IN TSHINGHUA UNIVERSITY, TONGJI UNIVERSITY, CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, TOHOKU UNIVERSITY AND GEOFFREY BAWA MEMORIAL LECTURE, AMONG OTHER PLACES. IN 2015, ZHAOYANG ARCHITECTS PARTICIPATED IN THE EXHIBITION “FROM THE ASIAN EVERYDAY” AT TOTO GALLERY MA IN TOKYO.

[1] ERWIN VIRAY, INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, THE ASIAN EVERYDAY : POSSIBILITIES IN THE SHIFTING WORLD, TOTO PUBLISHING, 2015. ERWIN VIRAY IS A COMMITTEE MEMBER OF TOTO GALLERY・MA AND PROFESSOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE IN THE KYOTO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.