CU Office 5 years of architecture Symposium：14:00–16:30, 20th October, 2012 Opening ceremony：17:00, 20th October, 2012 Opening evening wine party：19:00, 20th October, 2012 Address @ CU space Curator： Wang Mingxian Moderator for symposium： Yao Jing organizer：CU office sponsor： ＶELUX (China) Co., Ltd. Beijing Easy Creative Technology Co., Ltd. Media Support DOMUS; 缤纷; 居住ABITARE; 中华建筑报; 筑龙网；a+a; AERA; 城市空间设计; 现代装饰 Exhibition Venue： CU SPACE Gallery (798) Address: CU space, 706 Beisanjie, Jiuxianqiao Rd.2, 798 Artzone, 100015 Beijing preface Che Fei When all that is solid melts into air, everyone is architect When Marshall Berman published his book When all that is solid melts into air, the title was for the sake of the title itself, yet it has accidently become nowadays reality. This reality is that we have been stranded in an endless post-history era. For an architect, the era of modern architecture in which countless great works were emerged since Renaissance is over, now things might have been fundamentally transformed. Just a decade ago, people were engaged in talking about the crisis of architecture, yet this crisis is no longer existing when traditional architecture has come to the end. Important event could be referred to September 11th attacks in 2001.Like twins shining modern monuments. Yamasaki’s design of the World Trade Center towers that was erected on Manhattan island, sadly was collapsed neither due its lifespan nor by a single – aimed blast attack, but by a terror information event, carried out by a series of calculated plots. While watching the surrealistic visuals of live broadcasting of the 911 tragedy, the world has been forced into the post-realism era. Today’s construction has been surrounded by the everywhere space and perplexedly mixed with the flow of information. Despite of this, architects who live in this architecture – ending era are not ready to deal with the contemporary architecture, people and society. When the traditional architecture that preserved eternity of land, material , structure and place was terminated, architects who face that loss should strive to the future and the future of architecture. Today’s architect would never be an architect as the character portrayed in movie The Matrix who designed a perfect empire in the virtual world, but rather be guerrilla who crosses the jungles of time and space , destroying anything at any time and any moment , hidden somewhere to defend of the attacks of the conventional architecture. Therefore, everyone is architect at anytime and anywhere, yet he or she might be at risk of short life. This is why architects should become guerrillas facing reality in which the kingdom of architecture is no longer existing and where they have to fight for survival. The value of their striving is not how much they would gain, but their persistence to win. The CU Office team is exactly a group of architects who live with this ideal, persistently exploring and challenging conventional perceptions of the old architecture. Led by the two partners, Chief Architect Che fei and Landscape Architect Zhang Xuefeng who founded the company in Beijing 798 Art District as their base, the new generation architects at CU Office have been persistently exploring the future of architecture, focusing on reality and innovation. After 5 years of operation, Cu Office is actively and widely engaged in its various activities in architecture, such as exploring and conducting research and practice in construct, city plan and old building renovation as well as public landscape design. These practical experiences are not only obtained from numerous contracted projects, but also from a large amount of research, investigation, discussion, teach and training. CU Office has also opened CU Space Gallery and CU Pool in 798 Art District to hold open-exhibitions, seminars and publications as well as specific research, as part of efforts to promote and exchange their ideas and experiences with colleagues in architectural industry. The exhibition entitled CU Office 5 Years of Architecture is to be held in CU Space Gallery. It is the first comprehensive exhibition held by the CU Space gallery since it was founded in 2008. The exhibition features the fruits of practice and research in architecture that CU Office has achieved in the past 5 years, embodying what CU Office has so far accumulated in the field, not only the practical experiences, but also the reflection and research in architecture philosophy and methods in contemporary architecture.
