A Study Of Group Architectural Creativity In Contemporary China

Group Architectural Creativity, as the name commonly suggests, is an architectural practice that gives free rein to the talent of a group of architecture. It is generally assumed that Group Architectural Creativity has its origin in some western countries long ago, such as the well-know Weissenhof Siedlung of Deutscher Werkbund in 1927. The Commune by the Great Wall in 2000 could be inaugurated as an era of Group Architectural Creativity in China. Within the 3 years from 2002 to 2005, the country witnessed the rise of at least 14 Group Architectural Creativity projects. Under this circumstance, it is proposed to define and position Group Architectural Creativity in China, in order to investigate and analyze it at all aspects.The dissertation introduced the general situation of Chinese Group Architectural Creativity and discussed the reasons of its happening in China. Through the analysis of the characters of precondition, architects and architecture cluster in projects, some of the characteristics of Group Architectural Creativity epitomized many of the characters the group creativity design of China takes on. The projects-quite large in scale while the government is involved-are usually commissioned to designers and sited in pleasant suburbs. Not only architectural professionals but artists coming from all over the world take part in the design: those from China primarily belong to the 4th generation, and most active ones are the young and middle-aged praised as 'star architects'. The results of the Group Architectural Creativity are mostly friendly with their natural environment, attempting to re-construct the local culture and re-define the modern architecture.The dissertation critically commented the academic value, commercial value and social significance of Group Architectural Creativity in China. Group Architectural Creativity is a predictor of a new trend in the architectural field. The frequent communications during the group working process spur the advancement of architectural theory and architectural science, while the relatively high value-added yields more commercial profits;and the architects, as a leading actor in the creation,are receiving more attention and regard from the whole society.On the other hand, there also some antinomies. The Predicament of Group Architectural Creativity in China in the name of exhibiting the art of architecture, Group Architectural Creativity sometimes become more or less like a fashion show. The lack of understanding of roots of architecture reduces the architectural creation to a mere play with forms;and separation from urban consideration causes a series of practical problems omitted. Furthermore, designers fail to meet the design requirements;master plan lost in control makes the final result diverge widely from the original scheme, and the absence of project strategy management leaves the future in a great uncertainty.And then, Stars Architects Effect can not be ignored in Group Architectural Creativity in China. The dissertation made a study of the relationship between Group Architectural Creativity and Stars Architects.In addition to summarize, 5 case studies would make the dissertation more complete.