建筑叙事的真实性基础：张轲的作品

爱德华·科格尔/Eduard Kögel

尚晋 译/Translated by SHANG Jin

作者单位：爱德华·科格尔事务所工作室/Studio Eduard Kögel收稿日期：2018-10-01

1.2 诺华上海园区5号楼，上海/Novartis Shanghai Campus –Building 5, Shanghai（摄影/Photos: 苏圣亮/SU Shengliang）

今天，历史建筑的文化仍在塑造着中国的流行民族特征。无论哪个手册或宣传材料都有大屋顶或宝塔。近年来又出现了另一种叙事：千篇一律的摩天楼城市为大屋顶和丰富的历史形式提供了背景，却毫无地方特色。人们的城市失去了从生活环境中建立认同的简单观念。不仅是功能单一的城市住区，还有审美贫瘠的概念，都使建立认同的过程和对住区的责任感复杂化。但会被大众接受和关心的当代环境应是怎样的？

大型文化建筑的形式和公共维护义务或许有一种象征效果，但在小尺度的日常文化上才能看到建筑干预的真正意义。建筑师如何理解他们的工作，为发现的文脉赋予怎样的意义，这些问题与同使用者的紧密对话都是至关重要的。因为构成认同的建筑不会出现在绘图板上，而需要一群倡导者和守护者去抵御各种材料衰落的日常迹象。

今天的世界在很大程度上是以表面形象为特征的。在这样的世界中，建筑也因一种耀眼的外衣闪闪发光——它不会老化，而会破碎。这无疑是难以将建筑理解为一种人们用情感纽带来支撑的文化的原因之一。因为没有材料就只剩下形式，而那也可以是非常武断的。号称先锋的建筑可能最终很快被丢到历史的垃圾堆中，而它的象征力在建成时就已经枯竭。

因此，对于建筑师的问题仍是如何在特定的情况下自我定位。哪些知识是有用的，哪些手段会带来成功？为了这个目的，就必须详细分析材料文化的状况，建筑师必须形成对技艺的认识。因为没有实施项目的人就不可能创造出好的建筑。所以，找到既有传统知识、又愿意学习可以纳入其规范的新东西的工匠就是极为重要的。具有真实性的东西在传统建筑上不过是由工匠、所用的材料以及人们日常生活的文脉创造出来的，如今却不得不费尽心机去制造，而且需要恰当的维护。然而，社会的碎片已变得多元、混杂，这就是为何需要特别的考虑才能让建筑的作用不只是承载功能的空间。建筑师与客户进行理念上的协调是需要坚持的，有时甚至要改变最初的设想。因为不论谁在创新时，迈出第一步都是孤独的，否则那就不是新的了。

张轲结合城乡文脉的作品

如果有人要探索创新，就必须了解历史，并对新的需求有概念。张轲在与清华的学生探讨一个项目时问道：“我们可以将田园生活带到城市中吗？我们可以在乡村创造出城市的舒适度吗？我们可以找到一条结合二者优势的替代之路吗？”他在这里涉及到了对当代建筑举足轻重的一些因素，而这不只是针对中国。不过，这些价值如何在给定条件下成立的问题便出现了。

张轲和标准营造完成的建筑有的位于大都市中心，有的在疏于发展数十年的偏远地区。这就带来了如何利用设计的手段在如此多样的环境中抉择的问题。张轲在各地要面对不同的建造目标。在北京是老合院建筑的翻新，在上海是新办公建筑的未来，而在乡村地区是以当地材料和现存技艺为基础的新建筑。但他对项目总会从文脉出发，这在下文将进行评述：在北京，翻新是以给现存建筑增加当代使用的新要素为基础的；在上海，建筑井然屹立在周边校园的环境中；而在西藏或广西的风景环境中，天然地形成了干预工作的出发点。这些特征在不同程度上也可以用在其他项目上。即使是事务所在北京城墙遗址上的最初项目，也体现出这种利用文脉并促发一种历史性叙事的态度。这种叙事通过建筑的手段使建立认同并对其进行反思成为可能。对残破城墙的悉心保护不仅让人们看到城墙的悠久历史，还有1960-1970年代经济与发展处于低谷的艰苦。标准营造创造了一种纪念建筑，让人回忆起错综的历史过程，并展示出在北京城墙最后残迹中承载的诸多层次。利用遗迹“原状”的思路可以作为1950年代以彼得和艾莉森·史密森事务所为中心的英国建筑师与艺术家圈子所提出概念的变化形式来讨论。这种叙事的促发在重要性问题上是至关重要的一点，而这无疑必须对当地人和游客都保持可读、可阐释的状态。

诺华上海园区

多位建筑师，包括刘家琨、隈研吾、张永和、亚历杭德罗·阿拉维纳、张轲与迪纳和迪纳建筑事务所，以及参与景观建筑的West8事务所，建造了诺华上海园区。园区位于浦东，在市中心与浦东机场之间连接黄浦江与长江的笔直的川杨河从这里流过。这家全球化的瑞士制药公司将研发中心建在那里，并要满足质量要求，让建筑推动员工之间的创新性交流。这座6层的办公楼在长方形的场地中有一个单层的延伸部分，其中有可变的工作空间，每层都构成了各自的特色。设计以单元网格为基础，其空间形式是从中国传统园林设计中获得灵感的。单层的部分嵌入了合院，它以多边形的基本元素为基础，并体现在蜿蜒楼台的造型上。这些合院的特色在于植物和表面覆板，它们与多边形的空间审美和主体建筑的玻璃立面形成了平和的对比。这个立面也受到了设计的基本单元规则的影响，并带有从远处便可产生炫目表面的倾斜要素。

The historical building culture still shapes China's popular national identity today. There is no brochure or advertising material without curved roofs or pagodas. An additional narrative has been added in recent years: the generic skyscraper city,which provides a background for the curved roofs and historical variety of forms without any local reference. However, the city of the people has lost its simple identity-creating frame of reference from the living environment. Not only functionally onedimensional city quarters, but also aesthetically impoverished concepts complicate identification and thus the sense of responsibility for the neighbourhood. But what does a contemporary environment look like that is accepted and cared for by the population?

In the case of large cultural buildings, the form and the public mandate for maintenance may have a symbolic effect, but in the case of smallscale everyday culture the true meaning of an architectural intervention can be seen. The question of how architects understand their job and what significance they attach to the context they find is of paramount importance alongside the intensive discourse with the users. For an identity-forming architecture does not emerge on the drawing board,but needs advocates and defenders against the everyday signs of decay of all materials.

In today's world, which is very much characterised by superficial appearances,architecture also shines in a dazzling outfit that can't age but breaks. This is certainly one reason why it has become difficult to understand architecture as a culture supported by the population through an emotional bond. Because without the material remains the form, which can also be very arbitrary.A supposedly avant-garde building can end up on the rubbish heap of history so quickly and its symbolic power has already been exhausted with its completion.

The question therefore remains to the architect as to how he should position himself under the given circumstances. Which knowledge is useful and which measures promise success? To this end, the situation of the material culture must be analysed in detail and the architect must develop an understanding of craftsman ship. Because without the people who have to implement a project, no good architecture can be created. It is therefore extremely important to find craftsmen who on the one hand have traditional knowledge and at the same time are willing to learn new things that can be integrated into their canon. The authentic,which in traditional architecture was created simply by the craftsmen, the materials used and from the everyday living context of the population, has to be painstakingly produced today and then requires proper care. However, the social mosaic of society has become diverse and hybrid, which is why special considerations are needed to make a building task more than just a space in which functions are inscribed. It takes commitment for the architect to harmonise his ideas with those of the client,sometimes even against his original ideas. Because whoever does something new is always alone in the first step, otherwise it would not be new.

ZHANG Ke's Work in the Urban and the Rural Context

If someone is looking for the new, he must know the old and develop an idea of what is needed.ZHANG Ke asked for a project with students of Tsinghua University: "Can we bring bucolic life into the city? Can we create urban comfort in the countryside? Or can we find a novel alternative that combines the advantages of both sides?" He addresses here some aspects that are important for contemporary architecture not only in the Chinese context. However, the question arises as to how these values are possible under the given conditions.

The buildings ZHANG Ke and his firm ZAO/standardarchitecture erected are located both in the centre of the large metropolises and in the distant hinterland, where developments have been neglected for decades. This leads to the question of how one can act in such diverse environments with the means of design. Within the different locations,ZHANG Ke dealt with various construction tasks.In Beijing with renovations of old courtyard buildings, in Shanghai with the future of office work in a new building and in the rural area with new buildings based on local materials and existing craftsmanship. But he always behaves contextually with his projects, which are under review below:In Beijing the renovation is based on the existing building with additional elements for contemporary use, in Shanghai the building sits disciplined in the context of the surrounding campus and in the scenic context of Tibet or Guangxi the direct topography became the starting point of the intervention. These attributes can also be applied to other projects to varying degrees. Even the very first project of the office for the remains of the city wall in Beijing showed this attitude of bringing the context to speak and thus stimulating a historical narrative which,with the means of architecture, makes it possible to identify and reconsider identity. The careful preservation of the crumbling city wall not only reminds people about the long history of the wall,but also about the hardship of the 1960s and 1970s,when the economy and development generally were at their lowest points. ZAO/standardarchitecture created a monument that calls the complex historic process to mind and reports on the different layers embodied in the last section of the city wall of Beijing. The strategy to use the ruin "as found" can be discussed as a variation of the concept developed by the circle of British architects and artists centred around Peter and Alison Smithson in the 1950s. The stimulation of the narrative is an essential point in the question of importance, which of course must remain readable and interpretable for the local population and visitors.

Novartis Campus Building in Shanghai

Many different architects, including LIU Jiakun, Kengo Kuma, Yung Ho Chang, Alejandro Aravena, ZHANG Ke and Diener & Diener, with West 8 as one of the landscape architects, built the Novartis Campus in Shanghai. The campus is located in Pudong halfway between the city centre and the airport on the linear Chuanyang River, which connects the Huangpu River with the Yangtze River. The globalised Swiss pharmaceutical company built a research and development centre there that had to meet its own quality requirements and whose architecture promotes innovative communication among its employees. The sixstorey office building with a one-storey extension on a rectangular site contains flexible workplaces,which are differently composed with individual characteristics on each floor. The design is based on a cellular grid, which is inspired in its spatial form by traditional Chinese garden design. In the singlestorey part, courtyards are cut in, which are based on polygonal basic elements and are also reflected in the shape of the meandering pavilions. The courtyards are characterised by the planting and the surface covering, which provide a calming contrast to the polygonal aesthetics of the spaces and the glass facade of the main building. The facade is also influenced by the basic cellular principles of the design and consists of tilted elements that evoke a dazzling surface from a distance.

主体建筑以不规则的柱网和多边形的核心空间为支撑，并留出大量可供个性化布置的自由办公空间。封闭的核心房是附属用房和电梯。弯曲的螺旋形开敞楼梯将各层连接在一起，犹如一座动感十足的雕塑。第二层到第五层有250多个工位，还有会议室和交流区——在第六层还有更多。

地面层有露天通道、小露台和亭状设施，让人联想到一种富有人性的城市景观，可以徒步去感受，并构成了通向研发的创新世界的道路。设计的高品质在狭小的工作环境中创造出一种如画的世界，以不生搬硬套的当代方式体现出多重历史价值。楼面、墙面和天花的实体要素以白色和灰色为主，与木家具或楼梯的木扶手形成了对比。室内外相互交融，并以贯穿地面层多个区域的楼面覆板为支撑。这样，介于景观与城市之间的世界便被悬置，并因办公楼高耸、通透的结构中的有机内在而改变。

北京共生院

北京白塔寺周边地区近年来已成为老城区再发展的典型，其目的是保护数百年生长出来的传统城市结构及小尺度建筑。现存建筑的翻新或增建意在对住区进行提升，并让居民参与其中。早先的内院翻新茶儿胡同“微杂院”儿童图书馆和艺术中心为张轲带来了经验，并在西城区的“微胡同”上得到升华。在这两个项目中都必须用极少的资金在非常有限的空间中找到解决方案，并会产生一种走出本地、进入住区公共领域的效果。

通过“共生院”项目，张轲巧妙地探索了白塔寺历史区城市肌理的可持续更新策略。现存建筑位于老北京迷宫般结构中典型的短小的死胡同尽头，围绕一个150m2的院子来组织。建筑师用一个坡屋顶将U形的房子分为两个单元，一个80m2、另一个8m2。在迷你单元上，设计师探索了压缩现存建筑、并在最小面积中寄生复杂功能的高成本收益方案。在大单元上，设计师设计了带厨房、浴室、洗衣房和仓储空间的3.5m2服务核，提供了胡同中通常缺乏的便利。

老砖墙包围着建筑，并用9cm厚的混凝土层加固。此外增加了带露台的一段和单侧斜瓦顶，以及从入口到主院的混凝土廊道。混凝土用中国墨染色，为混凝土的美观形象增加了深度。独立的木构造和屋架保留了原貌，与朴素的混凝土形成和谐的对比。

不过，如今这个建筑群没有用于居住，而是租给了科幻作家郝景芳，用于她的慈善教育计划，每天对居民开放。

西藏娘欧码头

娘欧码头位于西藏自治区西南的林芝地区、尼洋河与雅鲁藏布江交汇处。风景与自然对于旅游是至关重要的，它可以为当地人改善经济。新建筑坐落在有缓坡的湾口之上，那里有带老牧场的沙三角洲。河两岸是更陡峭的小山，被层层柔和的无名山包围。穿行路将两座建筑一分为二。它们在山坡的曲折上宛如一条逶迤的长蛇。河岸上是码头，一条坡道和楼梯从那里进入第一座V形建筑的院子。这座建筑的屋顶既是一条坡道，也是俯瞰河道景观和四周群山的观景平台。它被设计成可以从下一层院子进入的餐厅。这个院子是从一道大门进入的不规则方形。楼面和墙面都以当地用来覆盖上人屋顶的石材制成。材料的这种同质性使融入地形的不规则形式化为与景观一体的雕塑。街对面后续建筑的曲折形首先构成了一个二维平面，作为公共汽车场，而后在坡上是一个轿车场。下一个V形建筑有一座简单的酒店，屋顶上的坡道通往山坡上。这个曲折的建筑群以一座小平台上的建筑为终点，在那里远眺山谷和码头的视线可以伸向远方。酒店和坡道都覆盖相同的当地石材，更强化了雕塑的印象，并使建筑形式超越了功能，而接近大地艺术。餐厅部分没有用扶手，而是沿坡道堆放木柴外皮，将喜马拉雅山恶劣气候中的老化过程更清晰地展现出来。当地石材和木皮的简约以其独特性强化了雕塑的特征。

3.4 共生院，北京/Co-Living Courtyard, Beijing

5.6 娘欧码头，林芝，西藏/Niang'ou Boat Terminal, Linzhi,Tibet（3-6摄影/Photos: 王子凌/WANG Ziling）

The main building is supported by an irregular column grid and polygonal core spaces, which leave a lot of free offce space for individual arrangement.The closed core rooms are for ancillary rooms and elevators, while the meandering spiral-shaped open staircase connects the floors like a dynamic sculpture. From the 2nd to the 5th floor there are over 250 workstations with meeting rooms and communication zones, with further meeting rooms and communication zones on the 6th floor.

The ground floor, with its open passages, small patios and pavilion-like fixtures, is reminiscent of a humane urban landscape that can be experienced on foot and structures access to an innovative world of research and development. The high quality of the design creates a pictorial world in the narrow context of the working environment that reflects historical values in a contemporary way without making formal copies. The solid components of the floor, wall and ceiling are dominated by the colours white and grey, which are contrasted by wooden furniture or wooden handrails of the staircase. Inside and outside merge into each other,which is supported by the floor covering that runs through a number of areas on the ground floor.The intermediate world between landscape and city thus remains in abeyance and is transformed by the towering crystalline structure of the offices in its organic priming.

Co-living Courtyard in Beijing

The area around the Baitasi Pagoda in Beijing has in recent years become a case of redevelopment,in which the traditional urban structure, which has grown over centuries, is to be preserved with its small-scale buildings. The new renovations or additions to existing buildings are deliberately intended to enhance the quarter and involve the residents. The earlier renovation of an inner courtyard of the "Micro Yuan'er" children's library and art centre in Cha'er Hutong brought ZHANG Ke some experiences that were intensified with"Micro Hutong" in Xicheng district. In both cases,a solution had to be found in a very confined space with little money, which would also have an effect beyond the location into the public sphere of the neighbourhood.

With the project for the "Co-living Courtyard",ZHANG Ke subtly explores a sustainable renewal strategy for the urban fabric in the historic area of Baitasi. The existing building is located at the end of a short cul-de-sac typical of the labyrinthine structure of ancient Beijing and is organized around a 150m2courtyard. The architects divided the U-formed house with a pitched roof into two units, one with 80m2and second one with 8m2.With the mini unit, the designers are looking for a cost-effective solution for compacting the existing structure and parasitically nesting a functionally sophisticated use in the minimised area. For the larger unit, the designers developed a 3.5m2service core with kitchen, bathroom, laundry and storage space that offers the amenities that are largely lacking in the Hutongs.

The historic brick wall surrounds the property and was reinforced with a nine centimetre thick concrete layer. A segment with a patio and a onesided inclined tiled roof was added, as well as a covered concrete path leading from the entrance to the main courtyard. The concrete is dyed with Chinese ink, which adds depth to the aesthetic appearance of the concrete. The freestanding wooden construction and the roof substructure have been left in their natural appearance, creating a harmonious contrast to austere concrete.

Today, however, the ensemble is not used as a residential building, but was rented by the science fiction writer HAO Jingfang for her charity education program and is open every day for the residents.

Niang'ou Boat Terminal in Tibet

The Niang'ou Terminal is located in the Linzhi District in the southwest of the Tibet Autonomous Region, where the Niyang and the Yarlung Zangbo Rivers meet. The landscape and nature are important for tourism, which should bring an economic improvement for the local population.The new building is situated above a gently sloping bay with old pastures on a sand delta. On the banks of the river there are steeper hills, framed in layers by soft, nameless mountains. The through road separates the composition of two buildings. Both together develop like a continuous snake in the zigzag up the slope. On the bank of the river there is the boat dock, from which a ramp and stairs develop into the courtyard of the first V-shaped building. The roof of the first building is both a ramp and a viewing platform overlooking the river landscape and the surrounding mountains. The building is designed as a restaurant accessible from the courtyard one level below. The courtyard is an irregular square entered through a gate. The floor and walls are made of the same local stone that was used to cover the walk-in roof. This homogeneity of the material transforms the irregular form fitted into the topography into a sculpture that merges with the landscape. The zigzag figure of the further construction beyond the street first develops in a two-dimensional plane as a bus parking area and then as a car park up the slope. The next V-shaped building contains a simple hotel, over whose roof the ramp leads further up the slope. The zigzag complex ends above the buildings in a small platform from where the view over the valley and the pier can wander into the distance. The hotel and the ramps are also clad in the same locally available stone, which further reinforces the impression of a sculpture and moves the building form beyond its function into the vicinity of Land Art projects. In the restaurant section, instead of a railing, firewood sheath was piled up along the ramps to bring out the aging process even more clearly in the harsh climate of the Himalayas. The reduction of the local stone and the wooden sheath reinforces the sculptural character with its uniqueness.

7.8 龙脊爱心小学，广西/Longji Primary School, Guangxi（图片来源/Sources: ZAO/standardarchitecture）

广西龙脊小学

中国西南的广西自治区毗邻越南，是相对贫困的一个省，但有丰富的文化和动人的景观。那里有很大的自然发展潜力，但它需要创意、技能和教育。龙脊小学的新设计是标准营造给当地儿童的馈赠。如今他们在一座见证了更好时期的3层坡屋顶木建筑里上学。这座L形的建筑质量在所有教学建筑的标准之下。然而，没有高质量的建筑，就无法找到优秀的教师，而孩子们就没有机会发展自己的天赋。

现存的建筑屹立在谷底的坡地上，从那里可以俯瞰整个地区的梯田。山的一侧是带木屋的传统村落，山在另一侧耸立于梯田之上。在这个露天的位置上，建筑与地形条件紧密相联。这个新设计在底部为师生提供了厨房。它嵌在山坡里，面向校园。在此之上木建筑有2层楼，每个有3间教室，由中间的开敞楼梯进入。底部靠近厨房的地方是新的开敞式侧楼。它在同一个层高上，由棕红色混凝土建成，利用地形设计了可坐人的楼梯，并在下端与带小图书馆的多功能教室连接起来。可坐人的楼梯面朝景观，并能用折叠门封闭起来，举行活动。在现存木建筑与新的混凝土扩建部之间的角上有一个开敞的壁炉，让人想到有2根木柱、并与食堂一体的主建筑。上方的平屋顶构有光柱，在室内形成了蜿蜒的光斑。真正的挑战将出现在现存建筑翻新、新建筑建成之时。众筹保证了所需的资金，而村中孩子们的未来成了城市人的事。人群的联系对于建立共同的认识以及公开社会内的责任都非常重要。

结语

如果依次回顾一下上文介绍的4个优秀项目，就会看到张轲每次都有意识地将环境作为探讨的出发点。首要的问题不在于审美决策，而是预期的用途、城市或景观设计的挑战，以及对决定结果的技艺的思考。尽管如此，这是一种独立审美的产物，它将对全球建筑话语的借鉴与地方刺激结合起来。他在这里的创作将美国的教育与中国作品各地的条件融合在一起。

如果考察一下偏远地区的建筑，就可以看到一种强烈的材料文化。它首先展示出人创作的过程，例如对石材的加工。粗野的表达成了一种指引人们认同的风格化手段。学校、码头或博物馆等公共建筑尤其适合于此，因为它们用一种当代手法与一个地区普遍的表面化传统借鉴方式形成了反差。这些粗野的手法利用了粗野主义中最好的东西，并以阐释空间创造出一种混合结果。建筑与自然地形和尺度的结合使它们成为乡村当代表达的典范项目。材料文化中微妙的粗野主义手法与粗野审美结合起来，限定出一种植根于当地的处理方式。只要使用者将这个结果理解为一种对他们认同的真实表达，那它如何得出的问题就是无关紧要的。

诺华园区建筑柔顺、雅致的外观与粗野手法相对立，尽管其基本设计思路也植根于一种利用历史既成形式的思想。虽然传统住区和偏远地区的设计思路更多地以简约为主，并且建筑是针对材料文化的；但在像诺华园区这样的新建筑上，与历史的呼应被转化为一种当代城市材料的文化。这里形成了一个闭环，以当地情况和使用者的需求作为出发点，将环境小心地转化为一种建立认同的建筑文化的新体系，不论在城市中心还是乡村景观。

当然，对乡村现存构筑物或建筑的小型干预也带来了成本的问题。一方面资金极其有限；另一方面审批过程会更简单，并且无需与城市相同的标准。但是，最小干预的简化与节约成本毫无关系，而需要的是一种在看似令人费解的“一切皆有可能”的态度。认同会在人们积极参与并能为他们的未来愿景负责的情况下形成。对于建筑师，这就意味着积极为可理解的审美努力，它会给居民带来一种自豪感和自信。

开篇所描述的扭曲现象对于仅仅利用历史的认同是不必要的，而当代建筑可以为一种不仅可以接受，而且能全面满足各种需求的环境作出它的贡献。

建筑师很难摆脱社会中的各种潮流和时尚。要意识到这一点并寻找有助于建立当代真实性的解决之道，比所有的荣誉都更有价值——因为这会帮助人们从历史的眷恋和转变走向与未来的对话。在本文讨论的张轲作品中，有一点是明确的：促发这种讨论是值得的。每个项目都必须找到它的独特方式，使建筑不仅在建成之日后作为时间的标记是可读的，同时还让它的老化能符合建筑材料和社会的需求。建筑只是一种工具和建造条件的见证，但在未来它还会揭示出创造了这些建筑的社会的各种渴求与希望。□

Longji Primary School in Guangxi

The Autonomous Region Guangxi in the southwest of China at the boarder to Vietnam is rather one of the poor provinces, but it has a rich culture and an impressive landscape. There is a lot of natural potential for development, but it needs ideas, know-how and education. The new planning for the Longji Primary School is a gift from ZAO/standardarchitecture to the children there. Today they are taught in a three-storey wooden building with pitched roof that has seen better times. The quality of the L-shaped building falls below all standards for teaching buildings. Without a high quality building, however, no good teaching staff can be found and the children have little opportunity to develop their talents.

The existing building stands in a valley floor on a slope from where the view can wander over the terraced rice fields of the region. On one side of the hill is the traditional village with its wooden houses, on the other side the hill rises above the terraces for the rice fields. In this exposed location, the building is closely linked to the topographical conditions. The new design provides for a kitchen for the pupils and teachers in the basement, which is pushed into the slope and opens onto the schoolyard. Above this there are two floors in the wooden building, each with three classrooms,which are accessed by an open staircase in the middle.Next to the kitchen in the basement is a new open side wing in reddish brown concrete on the same level,which exploits the topography via a seating staircase and at the lower end merges into a multifunctional classroom with a small library. The seated staircase opens onto the landscape and can be closed by a folding door for events. In the corner between the existing wooden building and the new concrete addition there is an open fireplace, which is reminiscent of the main building with two wooden columns, and which then merges into the canteen. The flat roof above is structured by the light cannons, which create a wandering sunspot inside. The real challenge will come when the existing building is renovated and the new building is built. With crowdfunding, the money needed is secured and the future of the children in the village becomes a matter for the urban population. The connection of the population groups is important to make a mutual understanding, but also responsibility within society visible.

Conclusion

If we look at the four outstanding projects described above one after the other, we can see that ZHANG Ke very consciously makes the respective environment the starting point of his discussion.It is not primarily a question of aesthetic decisions,but of the intended use, urban or landscape planning challenges and reflection on craftsmanship that determine the result. Nevertheless, this results in an independent aesthetic that combines borrowings from global architectural discourses with local stimuli. His own career here combines with training and teaching in the USA and the conditions in the respective places in China where the works are located.

If we take a look at the buildings in the hinterland, we can see a strong material culture,which above all leaves the human working process visible, for example in stone processing. The rustic expression becomes a stylistic device that can orient the identity of the population. Public buildings such as schools, boat docks or museums are particularly suitable for this, because they counteract the ubiquitous superficial traditional reference of a region with a contemporary touch. These rustic manners employ aspects of brutalism in its best sense, and create a hybrid outcome with space for interpretation. The integration of the buildings into the natural topography and scale makes them reference-projects for a contemporary expression at village level. The approaches of subtle brutalism in material culture combined with rustic aesthetics help to define a locally rooted approximation. The question how the result came about seems not to be relevant, as long as the users understand the result as an authentic expression of their identity.

The smooth and elegant appearance of the Novartis building stands for the opposite of a rustic manner, although its basic design strategy is also anchored in a thinking that makes use of formal set pieces of history. While the design strategy in traditional neighbourhoods and the hinterland is more dominated by reduction and the architecture is oriented towards the culture of materials, in a new building such as Novartis the echoes of the past are translated into a contemporary urban culture of materials. Here, a circle closes that brings about the local situation and the needs of the users as a starting point for a cautious transformation of the environment into a new reference for identitycreating building culture; whether in the urban centre or in the rural landscape.

Of course, the small interventions in the existing structure or the buildings in the villages also raise a question of costs. On the one hand there is simply little money, on the other hand the approval processes are simpler and do not require the same standards as in the city. However, the reduction to the smallest possible intervention has nothing to do with cost savings, but with the preparation of an attitude in the formal gibberish of "anything is possible". Identity arises where the population is actively involved and where they can take responsibility for their vision of the future.For architects, this means actively working for a comprehensible aesthetic that gives the residents a sense of pride and confidence.

Then the contortions described at the beginning will be unnecessary for an identity that only makes use of history, and contemporary architecture can make its contribution to an environment that is not only acceptable, but can meet the needs in a comprehensive sense.

It is diffcult for architects to escape the trends and fashions within society. To be aware of this and to look for solutions that nevertheless make a contribution to create a contemporary authenticity is worth more than all honours, because it helps from the nostalgia and transfiguration of history into a dialogue with the future. In the case of the works by ZHANG Ke discussed here, it becomes clear that it is worth stimulating this discourse. Each project must find its own way of making architecture readable beyond the day of completion as a signal of its time, while at the same time allowing it to age in accordance with the building material and social needs. Architecture is only a tool and a witness to the conditions in which it was built, but in the future it will also tell of the desires and hopes of the society in which these buildings were realised.□