The young practice Standardarchitecture has, in a brief period of time, established a reputation as Chinese avant-garde. The experimental and at times provocative designs of the Beijing architects often employ simple materials such as bamboo and brick. These materials extend into the cityscape like urban landscapes or mediate between nature and architecture, thereby always taking cultural and historical aspects into consideration. Before Zhang Ke set up his practice in Beijing in 2001, he studied at the Tsinghua University and at Harvard Graduate School. Today, Standardarchitecture has

Process

What is the first thing that comes to your mind with regard to the topic “urban future”?
I think of a new relationship with nature, a new relationship with agriculture, new forms of infrastructure, and new forms of public and private transportation. Our age-old pattern of urbanization needs to be redefined.

Do you have a personal idea of what this future could look like?