Architalk: Seeing the World through Architecture
[Architalk Series ] featuring Tiantian Xu “Wanwu~All Things”
This video has Japanese subtitles. Go to Youtube Help for more details.
- Speaker:XU Tiantian (Architect, Founder of DnA)
- Guest Commentator:Yoshiharu TSUKAMOTO ((Architect, Professor of Tokyo Science University)
- Moderator:Yuko HASEGAWA(Director of Arts and Design at I-House)
- Sponsored by The Jyukankyo Foundation, MRA Foundation
On March 7, a lecture by Xu Tiantian—one of China’s leading architects—was held at I-House. The video of this lecture is now online. Inspired by the idea of “all things” (Wanwu) from the great Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, Ms. Xu spoke about the importance of designing architecture as an inseparable part of nature and architecture as living systems embedded in the local context that integrate the landscape, cultural traditions, local economies, and all things.
Architect, Founder of DnA_Design & Architecture
Tiantian XU
is founding principal of DnA_Design and Architecture Beijing Office. She has been extensively involved in China’s rural revitalization process. Her groundbreaking “architectural acupuncture” is a holistic approach to the social and economic revitalization of rural China, and has been selected by UN-Habitat as a case study for its “Inspiring Practices on Urban-Rural Linkages.” Her works include the modern renovation of a factory in Songyang County and the design of a memorial hall to promote rural tourism, the design of an art center for the Songzhuang Art Colony, an artist community outside of Beijing, the renovation of a Hakka Tulou in Fujian Province, and the reconstruction of a bridge across the Yangtze River in Zhejiang Province among many others. She received her Mmaster of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard Graduate School of Design, and her BA from Tsinghua University. She has received numerous awards such as 2006 WA China Architecture Award, 2008 Young Architects Award from The Architectural League New York, the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2023, she was appointed an Honorary Fellow of American Institute of Architects.
Yoshiharu TSUKAMOTO
Co-founder with Momoyo Kaijima of Tokyo-based architecture firm Atelier Bow-Wow in 1992. Professor at the Tokyo Institute of Science, director of General Incorporated Association Small Earth, and director of Window Research Institute. He works in diverse fields ranging from architecture, public spaces, furniture, field surveys, education, art exhibitions, curation, and writing. All his works are based on a theory called behaviorology that aims to reconstruct the commons by enhancing accessibility to local resources. He was awarded the Wolf Prize in architecture in 2022.









