ATELIER XI has been selected for ArchDaily's 2023 New Practices and is one of the few firms still rooted in traditional architectural design. Founded in 2017, ATELIER XI began their practice in Shenzhen, one of the fastest-growing and urbanizing cities in China. Their work represents the current state of a generation of architects, with major projects in small-scale urban architecture, exhibition design, interior design, renovation, and rural architecture. While they may not become urban landmarks, they can still influence the lifestyle of the community through small-scale design.
The studio aspires to create spaces that bring unique poetry and profoundness to contemporary urban and rural environments: "We see architecture as an art of mediation between social, economic, and political interests. We strive to create meaningful places with minimal resources. We aim to convey emotions and memories through spatial poetry. We believe that each space, whether grand or tiny, offers a glimpse into the vastness of our world and serves as a testament to the glory of everyday life. By planting these quiet and resilient spaces one at a time, we envision architecture branching out and flourishing with life and narratives."
ArchDaily (HanShuang): What has been the journey of growth in architectural design? Were there any special events or experiences in your past studies or experiences? What are the influences on you today?
ATELIER XI (ChenXi): As a Chinese architect of my generation, I have grown up in a context of comparative cultural backgrounds, experiencing 30 years of China's reform and opening-up, significant change of social mobility, and the intense collision and fusion of Eastern and Western cultures.
From a young age, I moved with my parents between different regions in both northern and southern China. Later, I pursued my studies and career in the United States and Europe. I became quite adept at navigating the shifting perspectives of diverse regional cultures. Looking back, I have always been attuned to subtle variations in spatial perception. For instance, when it comes to balconies, my childhood memories in southern China are punctuated by the vivid image of open balconies adorned with numerous clotheslines, often leading to interactions with neighbors as we retrieved garments that had fallen to their homes below. Conversely, upon moving to the northern regions, I was surprised to find all balconies enclosed in glass, with clothes drying indoors. I still recall the sensation of sitting on an enclosed balcony during a bone-chilling winter, basking in the sun's warmth while observing the tumultuous sandstorms raging outside at temperatures as low as -15 degrees Celsius. These life experiences have sensitized me to the specificity of spatial elements, revealing how different geographical contexts and climatic conditions often yield distinct ways of life.
My architectural education also unfolded within this comparative cultural framework. For instance, in the realm of urban studies, my Chinese instructors tended to emphasize historical contexts, architectural styles, and spatial design, while in the United States, the focus shifted towards policies, legal frameworks, decision-making mechanisms, and even anecdotal stories about mayors. These different perspectives have endowed me with a relatively diverse mode of thinking.
ArchDaily: You used to be involved in many large-scale projects, but now you are focusing more on small and medium scale projects, what are the changes in your design mode? Now that you have chosen to work in Shenzhen, what influence has the urban environment brought to you?
ATELIER XI: The large projects I worked on at renowned international architectural firms often had fewer constraints. They not only had a larger scale but also offered considerable freedom in terms of design time, budget, and forms. However, upon returning to China, I started my practice with smaller-scale projects that were heavily restricted, particularly in terms of time, budget, and material choices.
This was especially challenging in a city like Shenzhen, known for its almost frantic pursuit of speed (“Time is Money, Efficiency is Life” as Shenzhen’s most famous slogan), where complex design responses were often required within unbelievably short timeframes.
As a result, over the years, I have leaned more and more toward a concept I call "Maximized Minimum." This approach involves using minimal resources and minimal design elements to convey multi-layered design strategies. It should address the issues of speed and economic efficiency while also considering community and equity issues. In addition, I hope it could creatively respond to the memory and emotions associated with a place, ultimately creating a sense of poetic place.
For instance, at the 2019 UABB, we needed to transform a 10,000-square-meter abandoned air conditioning factory into a biennial exhibition venue within a two-month timeframe, with a very limited budget. During the site visit, I was deeply impressed by the vast scale as well as the rigid grid and truss system. Therefore we suggested keeping the original industrial traces as much as possible while applying a minimum amount of intervention which takes the form of a light-filled structure in contrast with the existing heavy framework. With the affordable membrane material which is capable of spanning over 50 meters, the 250-meter-long “Folded Time-Light-Line” was completed in just 20 days to reshape the space to have a linear exhibition sequence.
While meeting the demands for extreme speed and cost-effectiveness, this “Time-Light-Line” also converses with the memory of the place: the rigidly ordered industrial space thus experiences a subtle glitch by the folded line of light which disturbs the passing of time and arouses the dormant relics of history. Through the lightest intervention, we hope to present the general public in Shenzhen with the opportunity to transform the post-industrial container into cultural and art incubators.
ArchDaily: What are the similarities and differences between practicing in different cultural contexts, such as urban villages, city parks, villages, and India? Especially in urban parks and villages, there is no reference system around, so how do you define or shape the environment?
ATELIER XI: Every city, village, and even natural site has formed over long layers of time. Everything within each environment - every tree, every contour of the land - narrates its own story.
How to attune to the voice of a place, how to perpetuate the emotions and memories emanating from it, and how to choreograph a dramatic dialogue between new structures and the original surroundings have long been the interests of our exploration.
In the second episode of our Miniature Series: the Library in Ruins, on one hand, we aim to preserve and utilize the existing ruins on the site; while on the other hand, we hope to allow the new building to grow from within the ruins. In this way, the ruins and the new structure intertwine, forming a continuous dialogue. The new building becomes a spatial device where people enter the ruins, jump over the old houses, and gaze into the village, the fields, and the mountains in the distance.
The facade and internal spaces of the building are unfolded in a topographic approach. The undulating outline of the roof echoes the terrain and distant mountains, and the roof ground naturally forms an outdoor terrace and a slide for children. The section curvature that jumps over the old walls links the first-floor entrance, the terrace, and the rooftop. The interior space functions not only as a stepped library but also as a small projection room. The meandering plan of the building and the network of paths become an extension of the surrounding maze-like cave system.
For sites without any architectural traces, such as in urban parks, natural foliage, and climatic conditions offer us subtle cues. In the CloudLand, in response to the hot and rainy weather of Shenzhen, we proposed a continuous cloud-shaped roof to connect the book cafe, public restroom, outdoor seating, and gardens that are all scattered along the circular jogging pathway. Not only does the CloudLand provide visitors with indoor and outdoor resting spaces sheltered from sun and rain, but it also frames the sky, trees, clouds, and the cityscape with its elegantly curved eaves. Eventually, looking down from the adjacent high-rise buildings, the pavilion manifests itself as a light piece of cloud floating in the shades of trees and flowers, thus simultaneously it initiates a dialogue between architecture and nature.
ArchDaily: How is it that the volume and form of each work are unexpected and very geometric, and how is it generated?
ATELIER XI: We live in an era saturated with forms and images. There are too many stylistic intricacies and details constantly vying for our attention. For me personally, the utmost simplicity of geometry has the power to evoke a profound yet silent emotion, capable of conveying the rich emotions and stories inherent in the environment and space. It's somewhat akin to what the late Mark Rothko once said, "Silence is so accurate."
In many projects, I aspire to engage in a dialogue with the site through pure geometry: on one hand, to connect with the site's memory and characteristics, and on the other, to create an idealized form imbued with emotional hues that transcend reality. For instance, the first episode of our Miniature Series: Peach Hut. I remember my first visit to the site, where I happened upon a sea of pink peach blossoms in a peach orchard. The trees on the site which all lean to one side inspired the sculptural form of the architecture. We then envisioned that the building is cut from a series of invisible arcs derived from the earth and the cloud, forming a unique shape that rises to the sky.
In the Peach Hut, all windows are of diverse geometric shapes, responding to different views and light angles: the large floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor allows viewers to jump over the peach trees and overlook the panoramic view of the farm; the round window frame on the south side rotates along the central axis, and captures dynamic imageries of the orchard under the subtle variation of daylight; the shadow resulted from the linear skylight changes at every moment; and the entrance corner window is made as a quarter circle resembling the stooped peach trees, thus resonating with the picturesque land. Impressed by the peach blossoms on the site during the first visit, we eventually chose to coat the building with pink cast-in-place concrete.
ArchDaily: How are the external and internal scales harmonized in the project?
ATELIER XI: For us, the exterior and interior of architecture are a unified whole, closely connected by a spatial concept and movement that travers both realms. In the Wuhan City Pavilion and Kindergarten project, the completed building appears as connected "voids". A series of internal spaces are joined through intricate folds that are visually expressed on the exterior facade and the roof. People are encouraged to explore and wander in such interconnected microcities.
With interior spaces and circulation honestly presented on the exterior facade, the spatial structure rather than facade decoration becomes a unique expression of the building's exterior. This also allows the geometric logic of the entire space to transcend different scales, from the inside out.
It's worth noting that this building will evolve over time to serve different functions, acting as both a sales pavilion and a kindergarten. This proves to us that function isn't the sole determining factor of architecture, and an ideal space can possess enough flexibility and adaptability to accommodate the development and presentation of various life activities.
ArchDaily: The Peach House is featured in a new book published by ArchDaily, and in a series of works by Ruin Books, what message do you hope to convey through the house to its surroundings and to the people who live there? What can design respond to?
ATELIER XI: When I founded ATELIER XI, I wrote: “We believe that each space, grand or tiny, is a clue to the vastness of our world, and a testimony to the glory of everyday life. By planting these quiet and resilient spaces one at a time, we envision architecture to branch out and blossom with life and narratives.”
In fact, five years have passed, and I still believe in what I wrote back then. Moreover, I have gradually come to realize that architecture is, in essence, a form of societal construction, representing a cooperative optimism. The interconnectedness and collaboration of various societal roles permeate the conceptualization, planning, construction, and subsequent operation of a building, embodying the shared aspiration of creating "a better life" through both idealistic visions and daily endeavors. In today's increasingly fragmented society, such a spirit of collective mission in the pursuit of architectural creation is all the more precious.
Many of our projects are of a very small scale, yet, paradoxically, they become hubs for a rich tapestry of community activities once completed. For instance, the Serpentine Bookhouse in the Dasha River Ecological Corridor, this small building has hosted over 50 events in the past six months, including book readings, workshops, and art exhibitions, truly becoming a focal point for community spirit. The café within the CloudLand has even surprisingly become the preferred conference spot for people working in the nearby office buildings.
ArchDaily: How to define the identity of an architect, is it a problem solver? Is it a material constructor? Is it an artist?
ATELIER XI: To me, it’s a dual role of an artist and a political coordinator. I believe that architecture is the art of mediating social, economic, and political factors, and an architect's daily work involves creatively allocating limited spatial resources to shape beautiful and equitable places.
Challenging the design brief is the architect's most critical initial step in their work.
For example, in the Miniature Series, we were initially commissioned to design a single building. However, we persuaded the client to transform a centralized community center into a series of miniatures serving nearby rural communities. The core concept here was a strategy to decentralize administrative resources and social services, with architectural structures serving as the medium.
Once the design brief, which determines the allocation of spatial resources, is established, the next step is to figure out how to present it artistically, which becomes a technical task. Regrettably, architects are often not involved in (challenging) the decision-making process of the initial design brief in most projects. Therefore, I’m very grateful for the trust and foresight of the clients in the Miniature Series. I remember one of them once telling me, "Dear architect, you may not realize the tremendous social mobilization power you have."
ArchDaily: What new projects have you worked on recently, and do you feel your design mentality and design cues have changed since the end of the three-year epidemic?
ATELIER XI: During the past three years of the pandemic, we have been quietly working on over 10 public service buildings in urban parks. In addition to the CloudLand and the Serpentine Bookhouse, there are several more projects scheduled for completion in the coming years, representing some of our explorations during this stage. We look forward to sharing them with everyone in the coming years.
Through this pandemic, we have become increasingly aware of the multitude of crises facing our society, including significant issues in politics, economics, and resources at large. These challenges have prompted us to contemplate how we can expand the boundaries of architectural design practice.
On one hand, we aspire to extend the role of architecture as public art. This year, in the Guanshanhu District of Guiyang, we approached architecture in a sculptural manner, aiming to revitalize the cohesive essence of the place through artistic means. On the other hand, we are engaged in various types of architecture projects (schools, offices, community care centers, commercial exhibition halls, urban villages etc), and we are actively practicing in the context of different regional cultures. Serendipitously, we currently have two projects underway in India.
Last year, we won an international competition for the conceptual lighting design of the Main Hall at the sacred Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, proposing the idea of a spatial Mandala. With a concept of "layered lighting experience," our design integrates graded lighting on the exterior of the temple, creating a spatial color sequence from the entrance pathway to the inner sanctum. We feel fortunate to have employed abstract spatial language to add a layer of modern semantic significance to this historic and sacred site.
Furthermore, the very early project undertaken by ATELIER XI at its inception, the Bodh Gaya Middle Earth Buddhist Center, after four years of planning and design, has now entered the construction phase. This 2000-square-meter cultural building brings together practitioners, engineers, and designers, who are located thousands of miles apart across China and India but have collaborated despite the separation by the pandemic. It underscores that architectural design is not merely a personalized artistic endeavor but rather an encounter of abstract spatial concepts with a diverse array of life forms, resulting in entities and actions with independent destinies.
ArchDaily: Have you been writing articles or doing urban research lately?
ATELIER XI: I have been continuously trying to write about subjects beyond architecture. A decade ago, I published a travelogue book, and I hope to present something better in the coming years.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: New Practices. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and projects. Learn more about our ArchDaily topics. As always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.
For the 2023 edition, the selected New Practices were Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture, Alsar Atelier, ASPJ: Agencia Social de Paisaje, ATELIER XI, Branco del Rio Arquitectos, Diogo Aguiar Studio, forty five degrees, gru.a, Infraestudio, JK-AR, KOSMOS Architects, Oana Stanescu, Office Kim Lenschow, Oficina Bravo, Paulo Tavares, prototype, Rayon, RoarcRenew Architects, Spacon & X, Taller General, Tideland Studio, U-Build, Urban Beta, vão, y Willow Technologies.
