Reconnecting with China: Where architecture meets reflection

Architecture is not a practice that operates in isolation, architecture reflects culture, societal values and objectives. Architecture promises ideals: creating cities of the future, designing for a better world. But how do those ideals hold up in a time of fragmentation and friction? And what does the way we practice architecture tell us about the society we work in? In his recently published book Reconnecting with China, John van de Water (NEXT architects) shows how building in China is never only about China but it is also about ourselves, our cities and our future. Sometimes difference brings us closer in ways that agreement never can. This night he discusses his book with Dutch experts that have worked in China, as well as Chinese architects that have travelled in opposite direction to practice architecture in the Netherlands. For a discussion blending lived experience with critical reflection on architecture and the societies it shows us.

With: Garrie van Pinxteren, Carolyn Leung (Superimpose Architecture), Yang Zhang (Spring Onion), Jammy Zhu (Spring Onion)
Moderated by: Indira van ’t Klooster (Arcam)