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ABB 2006: Urban Biennial, Rural Conceptions

Sometimes it seems Beijing is one huge construction zone; so it’s somewhat ironic that two of the surprise successes to come out of the Second Architectural Biennial Beijing (ABB 2006) were projects likely to be designed and implemented in a rural setting.

When critics took stock of what worked and what didn’t during the10-day, every-other-year event, it was determined that the goals of the ABB 2006 “City and Architecture: Resources Efficiency and Environmental Friendliness” themed event had been achieved. This was a good outcome for an event that has a knack for generating negative commentary without really trying. In 2004, the first ABB got hammered by participants, experts and critics, who accused it of being poorly organised.

Luo Li, the chief curator of ABB 2006, is accustomed to being philosophical on this subject. “I think this was actually good for us. The first Beijing Biennial in 2004 got a lot of attention, but, perhaps, not for the reasons we had hoped.

“You must remember that the term ‘biennial’ is associated with events like Venice and they have a 100-year history,” said Luo.

This year, with exhibitions and events held at The National Museum of China and The China Millennium Monument, ABB again received support from The Ministry of Construction and The Ministry of Culture. The whole event was made possible because of the hard work and dedication of the China Architectural Culture Centre of the Ministry of Construction, China art Science and Technology Research Institute of the Ministry of Culture and the Beijing Zhihuida Culture Development Company Limited.

The highlights of ABB 2006 included innovative building projects for rural settings such as a “Healthcare Centre Project Competition” sponsored by Siemens and Perl that called for the submission of designs and plans for model healthcare centres in China’s countryside. A voluntary submission, “Orphan Yard,” by Chinese architect Wang Yun, proposed a rural setting for charitable housing for an organisation that helps children with parents in prison.

Luo said, “Urban building sustainability, the environment and urban and rural renewal were key subjects of the second biennial.”

In addition to competitions, panel discussions were held concerning China’s small city development. Two locations and video depictions of real life conditions and their effect on architecture and the city were discussed.

At first it may seem that an analysis of social questions and local conditions in China’s countryside would not be a good fit for a conference on urban sustainability and urban architecture, however meaningful project competitions might be.

Lou explained. “We were interested in the model healthcare project, because it relates to 2003 when, during SARS, healthcare facilities in the countryside were stretched and hospitals in the city also came under pressure. We wanted to address how the city and countryside are naturally connected through the building of their architectures.”

Winning entries in the healthcare competition were: “Mode, Standard, Living” by Wu Xuetao and “Courtyard, Architecture, Courtyard” by Wang Zhongxiang. The projects emphasised local building traditions, efficiency, costs and social and economic sustainability. They shared 45,000 yuan in prize money. Swiss engineer and Professor Robert Meierhans was one among a distinguished panel that judged the competition.

“The projects wanted to reuse old houses, to make them useful and fit the needs of local people. In rural areas there is lots of building space that can be reused but it is not a common perception that it should be. New is seen as better. These winning entries worked for us by reworking and reusing existing spaces.”

The term “biennial” conjures up images of high art and a rarefied understanding, but although an architectural biennial is in reality a place for experts to congregate and discuss key issues, it is also a place for university students to come, listen and learn. It also creates an ideal opportunity for interested members of the public to look at the items and to consider the thinking behind them.

As Lou pointed out, ABB 2006 is more likely to be seen by the man on the street than by throngs of “culture vultures.” This, she said, is a good thing.

“Such an event is an important opportunity for the people of the city to look at the ideas and concepts of the environment that is being built around them and for them to interpret that material.”

At the heart of the urban development debate, in Beijing as elsewhere, events such as ABB 2006 use competitions to create a basis for international and domestic experts to take part in local-level dialogues.

At ABB 2006 these included forums where participants tried to identify solutions to urban problems facing China’s small towns and cities. Another competition “Conceptual Schematic Ideas for the City of Taian,” called for ideas and schemes to form the basis of a master plan for Taian, Shandong Province.

Video installations by Jia Zhangke, Wang Wei and Xu Zhen documenting the sights and sounds of urbanity were presented throughout the exhibition at the National Museum. The studio and students exhibition at The China Millennium Monument lined up Arup, Universal Architectural Studio, Ma Yansong at MAD and Wen Wu.

Experts and seasoned professionals were invited at the request of Luo Li and her team, Professor Xu Weiguo from Qinghua University Architecture Department, the Swiss architect Ronald Szypura and architect Scott Lloyd from Australia.

Those taking part in the other events included notable architects and urban visionaries, engineers and educators ArchA - Pier Paolo Maggiora, Gregotti Associati, Walton design, Luo Ying, Baumschlager and Eberle, ATELIER 100s, Cheng Tai Ning Arch Design and Research Institute and The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture.

Notable for their absence were the “headline makers,” a fact Luo said was not an oversight.

“This year we decided not to try and woo international star architects and make them the main attraction of the event. Instead, we thought we would rather concentrate on trying to properly illustrate the subject at hand.”

Many issues affect the growth of an event such as ABB 2006, and keeping a low profile can be beneficial in the long term.

“Funding is always an issue for this kind of event. We were criticised this year for needing to charge participants for exhibition spaces, but we have no other method at the moment.”

“People in China are accustomed to thinking of a biennial as a cultural showcase. They do not necessarily recognise the need to support the event with financial aid. As I have said, time will change this.”

All this will not detract from what the now two-year old event aims to achieve in the long-term.

And as Luo points out with the example of Venice, there is plenty of time to grow into their role as intellectual guardians of the discussion of the city and architecture in the context of China’s development. A making a few mistakes along the way should help, not hinder, the growth and the importance of this architectural event.