Architecture Project Management

Fomento cierra 2011 con un mínimo histórico en contratación de obras

2012-02-29T00:14:00.000Z

El Ministerio de Fomento cerró el ejercicio 2011 con un mínimo histórico en contratación de obra pública, dado que adjudicó proyectos por 2.636,23 millones de euros, importe que además es la mitad (un 53%) menos que en 2010.
Este dato es apenas una cuarta parte del máximo histórico de 10.625 millones de euros que este Ministerio contrató en 2008, en pleno 'boom' del sector, y supone encadenar tres años de descensos consecutivos.
Según datos oficiales del Ministerio que recoge Europa Press, durante el pasado mes de diciembre Fomento apenas adjudicó obras por 90,89 millones de euros.
Durante el pasado ejercicio, Fomento cerró adjudicaciones por un monto medio mensual de 220 millones de euros, frente al ratio de 885 millones mensuales que se registró en 2008.
El volumen de obra adjudicada por el principal organismo inversor del Estado se vio afectada por el parón en la promoción de nuevos proyectos anunciada un año antes ante las exigencias de reducción de déficit público. También influyó el proceso de relevo en el equipo del Ministerio tras las elecciones generales de noviembre.
El 77% de las contratos de obras públicas adjudicadas por Fomento en 2011 se canalizaron a través de las distintas sociedades y entes públicos dependientes del Ministerio. El resto fueron gestionados directamente por el Ministerio.

ADIF Y AENA

Adif es el organismo público que más obras puso en marcha el pasado año, que sumaron 1.334 millones de euros, si bien este importe es menos de la mitad (-60%) respecto al de un año antes. Después se situó Aena, con contrataciones por 329 millones en 2011, un 23% menos respecto a 2010.
De su lado, Puertos del Estado adjudicó obras por un total de 317,88 millones de euros, un 8% menos, en tanto que la contratación de Renfe sumó 23,87 millones y fue la única que creció respecto a un año antes, dado que la multiplicó por más de dos.
Por su parte, la Sociedad Estatal de Infraestructuras Terrestres (Seitt) sólo realizó contrataciones tres meses del año (febrero, marzo y diciembre). Estas adjudicaciones sumaron 21,73 millones de euros y arrojaron un desplome del 97% en comparación a 2010.

Más información en su contexto original:
http://www.europapress.es/economia/construccion-y-vivienda-00342/noticia-economia-macro-fomento-cierra-2011-minimo-historico-contratacion-obras-263623-millones-20120228174215.html

Los visados para construir nuevos pisos cierran 2011 en un mínimo histórico

2012-02-29T00:13:00.000Z

Los visados solicitados para construir nuevas viviendas han marcado al cierre de 2011 un nuevo mínimo histórico de 78.286 pisos, que además supone un descenso del 14,5% en comparación con 2010, según datos del Ministerio de Fomento.
Este dato es apenas una onceava parte del máximo histórico de 865.561 visados de 2006, en pleno 'boom' del sector, y supone encadenar un lustro de descensos en inicio de construcción de nuevos pisos.
El ejercicio 2011 concluye con la construcción de viviendas en mínimos, pese a que en diciembre la solicitud de visados creció respecto al mes precedente. En concreto, se demandaron 5.414 visados, un 17% más que en noviembre.
Así, durante el pasado año, se pidió permiso para edificar una media mensual de 6.523 pisos, frente al ratio de 72.130 visados mensuales que se contabilizó en 2006.

REFORMAS

Del total de visados para construir nuevas viviendas solicitados el pasado año, el 74,5% correspondieron a pisos en bloque, y el resto, a viviendas unifamiliares. La construcción de viviendas en bloque descendió un 13% y la de unifamiliares, un 19,1%.
La estadística de Fomento muestra asimismo un descenso del 12% en las autorizaciones solicitadas para obras de reformas y ampliaciones.
En concreto, el pasado año se pidieron 28.623 visados para reformar viviendas, un 12,2% menos en comparación a un año antes, y otros 2.957 certificados para realizar ampliaciones, un 9,5% menos.

Mas información en su contexto original:
http://www.europapress.es/economia/construccion-y-vivienda-00342/noticia-economia-vivienda-visados-construir-nuevos-pisos-cierran-2011-minimo-historico-78286-20120228162139.html

Pastor: “Vamos a solucionar el agujero de 14 mil millones de deuda que tiene el conjunto de aeropuertos de este país”

2012-02-28T23:59:00.002Z

La ministra de Fomento, Ana Pastor, ha asegurado hoy que va a solucionar el agujero de 14 mil millones de deuda que tiene el conjunto de los aeropuertos de este país.
En respuesta a una pregunta parlamentaria del Grupo Mixto (ERC-CatSi) la ministra ha recordado que los aeropuertos, incluido el de El Prat, tienen unos costes de operación muy competitivos y han tenido un notable incremento de tráficos. “Una compañía paga de media 2,4 veces más en aeropuertos similares como Roma, Munich o París que lo que paga en España”.
En el año 2011 el aeropuerto de El Prat superó 34 millones de pasajeros y Madrid-Barajas se situó en los 49,7 millones de pasajeros. “Ambos son gestionados con igualdad. Esto significa que se atiende desde el operador Aena a todos los aeropuertos”, añadió.
“Si quieren participar con nosotros lo podrán hacer porque queremos que las Comunidades Autónomas, los Ayuntamientos y las Organizaciones Empresariales participen en la planificación de la gestión y el desarrollo de los aeropuertos”, concluyó Pastor.

España: El Estado posee 55.000 edificios

2012-02-28T23:39:00.002Z

Por si había alguna duda, la vicepresidenta del Gobierno, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, la ha despejado. El Estado es el gran propietario de España junto, quizá, a la Iglesia. Sáenz de Santamaría ha hecho público que la Administración General del Estado dispone de 55.000 edificios -muchos sin uso alguno-, por lo que el Gobierno pondrá en marcha de un plan integral de gestión inmobiliaria. Paradójicamente, a pesar de esta realidad inmobiliaria, España se gasta 100 millones de euros al año en alquileres.

Según estimaciones que ha presentado durante su comparecencia ante la Comisión Constitucional del Senado, sólo en el centro de Madrid habría un patrimonio sin utilizar por valor de 500 millones de euros.

El Ejecutivo califica de 'inaceptable' que haya inmuebles a los que no se da ningún uso

Tras recordar el compromiso de austeridad del Gobierno, Sáenz de Santamaría ha considerado que resulta "inaceptable" que haya inmuebles a los que no se da ningún uso y ha defendido la puesta en marcha de un plan integral de gestión del patrimonio.
Este plan establecería pautas homogéneas para la gestión de los 55.000 edificios que el Inventario General de Bienes Inmuebles atribuye a la Administración General del Estado.
El programa definirá criterios homogéneos de valoración de bienes, gestión de activos, ocupación de espacios y planificación de proyectos, de obras y de servicios generales de mantenimiento y conservación.

FCC gana 108,2 millones en 2011, un 64% menos

2012-02-28T10:20:00.000Z

Foto: FCC

FCC obtuvo un beneficio neto de 108,2 millones de euros en el ejercicio 2011, lo que supone un descenso del 64,1% respecto al de 2010, consecuencia principalmente del saneamiento de 301 millones realizado en el balance de la filial Cementos Portland, según informó el grupo.

En caso de descontar esta operación en la cementera, el resultado de la compañía controlada por Esther Koplowitz habría alcanzado 316 millones de euros, importe un 5% superior al del pasado año.
El impacto del saneamiento de Portland no se pudo cubrir en su totalidad con las plusvalías de 195,2 millones de euros que FCC registró con la venta de distintos activos, como son el negocio de aparcamientos y la Torre Picasso de Madrid.

La cifra de negocio del grupo de construcción y servicios descendió un 1,3% en 2011, hasta 11.754,8 millones de euros, mientras que el beneficio bruto de explotación (Ebitda) se situó en 1.252,3 millones, un 8,3% menos.

FCC logró por vez primera en 2011 facturar más en el exterior que en el mercado doméstico. Los ingresos internacionales sumaron 6.163,2 millones de euros, el 52,4% del total, y un 13,6% más que un año antes.

Este nuevo refuerzo de la estrategia de internacionalización de la compañía permitió al grupo "compensar en gran medida la caída de la actividad vinculada a infraestructuras en España".
El centro y el Este de Europa constituyen los principales mercados internacionales de FCC, dado que acaparan el 60,8% de los ingresos de la compañía en el exterior. No obstante, el mayor incremento, del 48,1%, lo registró en América.

EL PAGO DE AYUNTAMIENTOS, PARA RECORTAR DEUDA.

Al cierre de 2011, la compañía que preside Baldomero Falcones soportaba una deuda financiera neta de 6.277 millones de euros, lo que supone una reducción del 19% en comparación a 2010.

FCC asegura que esta cifra "se verá de nuevo sustancialmente recortada con el plan del Gobierno de España para que los proveedores de las Administraciones Públicas cobren las deudas pendientes".

Por áreas de negocio, la tradicional actividad constructora se mantiene como primera fuente de ingresos, al generar 6.686,2 millones de euros, el 57% del total. Esta cifra es similar a la de un año antes y se sostuvo gracias al crecimiento del 19% logrado en la construcción internacional.

De igual forma, la compañía elevó un 9,7% la cartera de contratos logrados en el exterior, que suma 4.908 millones, y ya supera a la correspondiente a España, que cayó un 16,4%, hasta 4.610 millones.

La división de servicios medioambientales es la única que creció, un 1,7%, y facturó 3.735,4 millones, también impulsada por la actividad internacional (+8%), mientras que el resto de actividades de servicios, englobadas en Versia (mobiliario urbano, logística y handling, entre otros), ingresaron 767,3 millones, un 9,3% menos. La rama cementera, por su parte, redujo un 19,1% sus ingresos, hasta 609,1 millones.

Más información en su contexto original:
http://www.europapress.es/economia/noticia-fcc-gana-1082-millones-2011-64-menos-20120228084602.html

The ecobarrio The Rosilla get certified BREEAM

2012-02-28T10:14:00.000Z

The transformation of the old town marginal The Rosilla Ecobarrio has a certified BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) version of Planning, as reported by the Madrid City Council.

BREEAM is the method of evaluation and certification of more sustainable construction used in the world and includes a set of advanced tools and procedures to measure, evaluate and assess the levels of sustainability of a building, both during design and stages of implementation and maintenance .
After more than twenty years certifying the sustainability of buildings , the seal will develop BREEAM version Urbanism, for he has chosen as a model Ecobarrio La Rosilla. Valencia's Central Park and the Regional Plan of Private Marquis of Ensenada, in Medina del Campo (Valladolid), are two other case studies.

During the celebration of the Advisory Board of BREEAM, which is part of the Municipal Housing and Land (SLA), the CEO of the SLA, Fermin Oslé, explained that "the government must take the initiative and implement quality criteria and sustainability subsequently transferred to the whole society. "

In this regard, stressed that the SLA "Sustainability is the element that structures all our actions in order to set up a Madrid more livable and better quality of life . "
In this place you will conduct a testing and certification scheme that helps to improve, measure and certify independently the sustainability of their development proposals in the early stages of urban planning.

Applying the seal will enhance the sustainability of the project Vallecas

Applying the seal will enhance the sustainability of the project, being an internationally recognized methodology making it a reference urban development in Spain.
The Rosilla will have about 400 municipal sustainable social housing , 10,262 m² of parkland and 6,503 m² for equipment.

The combined buildings of varying heights and will have a centralized system of hot water and heating saves on energy consumption up to 50%. The key is raised urban structure, internal organization and orientation of buildings to use sunlight, prevailing winds, insulation and ventilation.
The parking garage will be located under the buildings to avoid affecting the basement of open spaces, pedestrian and vehicular traffic will be accessible, be planted native species, and the buildings will be designed with sustainability criteria.

source: elmundo.es

El ecobarrio La Rosilla recibe certificado BREEAM

2012-02-28T10:11:00.000Z

La transformación del antiguo poblado marginal de La Rosilla en un Ecobarrio ha obtenido la certificación BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) en su versión de Urbanismo, según ha informado el Ayuntamiento de Madrid.

BREEAM es el método de evaluación y certificación de la sostenibilidad de la construcción más utilizado en el mundo y comprende un conjunto de herramientas avanzadas y procedimientos encaminados a medir, evaluar y ponderar los niveles de sostenibilidad de una edificación, tanto en fase de diseño como en las fases de ejecución y mantenimiento.

Tras más de veinte años certificando la sostenibilidad de edificaciones, el sello BREEAM va a desarrollar su versión en Urbanismo, para lo que ha escogido como modelo el Ecobarrio de La Rosilla. El Parque Central de Valencia y el Plan Regional de Urbanización Marqués de la Ensenada, en Medina del Campo (Valladolid), son otros dos casos de estudio.

Durante la celebración del Consejo Asesor de BREEAM, del que forma parte la Empresa Municipal de Vivienda y Suelo (EMVS), el consejero delegado de la EMVS, Fermín Oslé, ha explicado que "las administraciones deben tomar la iniciativa e implantar criterios de calidad y sostenibilidad que posteriormente se trasladen al conjunto de la sociedad".

En ese sentido, ha destacado que en la EMVS "la sostenibilidad es el elemento que vertebra todas nuestras actuaciones con el objetivo de configurar un Madrid más habitable y con mayor calidad de vida".

En este lugar se llevará a cabo un esquema de evaluación y certificación que ayuda a mejorar, medir y certificar de forma independiente la sostenibilidad de sus propuestas de desarrollo en las fases iniciales de planeamiento urbanístico.

La aplicación del sello permitirá potenciar la sostenibilidad del proyecto de Vallecas

La aplicación del sello permitirá potenciar la sostenibilidad del proyecto, al ser una metodología reconocida internacionalmente, convirtiéndolo en un desarrollo urbanístico de referencia en España.

La Rosilla tendrá alrededor de 400 viviendas protegidas municipales sostenibles, 10.262 m² de zonas verdes y 6.503 m² para equipamiento.

Los edificios combinarán distintas alturas y contarán con un sistema centralizado de agua caliente sanitaria y calefacción que permite ahorros en el consumo de energía de hasta el 50%. La clave es la estructura urbana planteada, la organización interior y la orientación de los inmuebles para utilizar el soleamiento, vientos dominantes, aislamiento y ventilación cruzada.

Los aparcamientos subterráneos se situarán bajo los edificios para no afectar el subsuelo de los espacios libres; la circulación rodada y peatonal será accesible; se plantarán especies autóctonas; y los edificios serán diseñados con criterios de sostenibilidad.

Más información en su contexto original:
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/02/27/suvivienda/1330333291.html

Wang Shu 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate

2012-02-28T00:51:00.001Z

Wang Shu of The People’s Republic of China Is the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate

Los Angeles, CA—Wang Shu, a 48 year old architect whose architectural practice is based in Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China, will be the recipient of the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize, it was announced today by Thomas J. Pritzker, chairman of The Hyatt Foundation which sponsors the prize. The formal ceremony for what has come to be known throughout the world as architecture’s highest honor will be in Beijing on May 25.

In announcing the jury’s choice, Pritzker elaborated, “The fact that an architect from China has been selected by the jury, represents a significant step in acknowledging the role that China will play in the development of architectural ideals. In addition, over the coming decades China’s success at urbanization will be important to China and to the world. This urbanization, like urbanization around the world, needs to be in harmony with local needs and culture. China’s unprecedented opportunities for urban planning and design will want to be in harmony with both its long and unique traditions of the past and with its future needs for sustainable development.”

The purpose of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which was founded in 1979 by the late Jay A. Pritzker and his wife, Cindy, is to honor annually a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture. The laureates receive a $100,000 grant and a bronze medallion.

Pritzker Prize jury chairman, The Lord Palumbo, spoke from his home in the United Kingdom, quoting from the jury citation that focuses on the reasons for this year’s choice: “The question of the proper relation of present to past is particularly timely, for the recent process of urbanization in China invites debate as to whether architecture should be anchored in tradition or should look only toward the future. As with any great architecture, Wang Shu´s work is able to transcend that debate, producing an architecture that is timeless, deeply rooted in its context and yet universal.”

Wang earned his first degree in architecture at the Nanjing Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture in 1985. Three years later, he received his Masters Degree at the same institute. When he first graduated from school, he went to work for the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou undertaking research on the environment and architecture in relation to the renovation of old buildings. Nearly a year later, he was at work on his first architectural project—the design of a 3600 square meter Youth Center for the small town of Haining (near Hangzhou). It was completed in 1990.

For nearly all of the next ten years, he worked with craftsmen to gain experience at actual building and without the responsibility of design. In 1997, Wang Shu and his wife, Lu Wenyu, founded their professional practice in Hangzhou, naming it “Amateur Architecture Studio.” He explains the name, “For myself, being an artisan or a craftsman, is an amateur or almost the same thing.” His interpretation of the word is relatively close to one of the unabridged dictionary’s definitions: “a person who engages in a study, sport or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons.” In Wang Shu’s interpretation, the word “pleasure” might well be replaced by “love of the work.”

By the year 2000, he had completed his first major project, the Library of Wenzheng College at Suzhou University. In keeping with his philosophy of paying scrupulous attention to the environment, and with careful consideration of traditions of Suzhou gardening which suggests that buildings located between water and mountains should not be prominent, he designed the library with nearly half of the building underground. Also, four additional buildings are much smaller than the main body. In 2004, the library received the Architecture Arts Award of China.

His other major projects completed, all in China, include in 2005, the Ningbo Contemporary Art Museum and five scattered houses in Ningbo which received acknowledgment from the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction in the Asia Pacific. In that same city, he completed the Ningbo History Museum in 2008. In his native city of Hangzhou, he did the first phase of the Xiangshan Campus of the China Academy of Art in 2004, and then completed phase two of the same campus in 2007.

True to his methods of economy of materials, he salvaged over two million tiles from demolished traditional houses to cover the roofs of the campus buildings. That same year in Hangzhou, he built the Vertical Courtyard Apartments, consisting of six 26-story towers, which was nominated in 2008 for the German-based International High-Rise Award. Also finished in 2009 in Hangzhou, was the Exhibition Hall of the Imperial Street of Southern Song Dynasty. In 2006, he completed the Ceramic House in Jinhua.

Other international recognition includes the French Gold Medal from the Academy of Architecture in 2011. The year before, both he and his wife, Lu Wenyu, were awarded the German Schelling Architecture Prize.

Since 2000, Wang Shu has been the head of the Architecture Department of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, the institution where he did research on the environment and architecture when he first graduated from school. Last year, he became the first Chinese architect to hold the position of “Kenzo Tange Visiting Professor” at Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is also a frequent visiting lecturer at many universities around the world, including in the United States: UCLA, Harvard, University of Texas, University of Pennsylvania. He has participated in a number of major international exhibitions in Venice, Hong Kong, Brussels, Berlin and Paris.

Upon learning that he was being honored, Wang Shu had this reaction: “This is really a big surprise. I am tremendously honored to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize. I suddenly realized that I’ve done many things over the last decade. It proves that earnest hard work and persistence lead to positive outcomes.”

The distinguished jury that selected the 2012 Pritzker Laureate consists of its chairman, The Lord Palumbo, internationally known architectural patron of London, chairman of the trustees, Serpentine Gallery, former chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain, former chairman of the Tate Gallery Foundation, and former trustee of the Mies van der Rohe Archive at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and alphabetically: Alejandro Aravena, architect and executive director of Elemental in Santiago, Chile; Stephen Breyer, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Washington, D.C.; Yung Ho Chang, architect and educator, Beijing, The People’s Republic of China; Zaha Hadid, architect and 2004 Pritzker Laureate; Glenn Murcutt, architect and 2002 Pritzker Laureate of Sydney, Australia; Juhani Pallasmaa, architect, professor and author of Helsinki, Finland; and Karen Stein, writer, editor and architectural consultant in New York. Martha Thorne, associate dean for external relations, IE School of Architecture, Madrid, Spain, is the executive director of the prize.

The late Philip Johnson was the first Pritzker Laureate in 1979. The late Luis Barragán of Mexico was named in 1980. The late James Stirling of the United Kingdom was elected in 1981, Kevin Roche in 1982, Ieoh Ming Pei in 1983, and Richard Meier in 1984. Hans Hollein of Austria was the 1985 Laureate. Gottfried Böhm of Germany received the prize in 1986. The late Kenzo Tange was the first Japanese architect to receive the prize in 1987; Fumihiko Maki was the second from Japan in 1993; and Tadao Ando the third in 1995. Robert Venturi received the honor in 1991, and Alvaro Siza of Portugal in 1992. Christian de Portzamparc of France was elected Pritzker Laureate in 1994. The late Gordon Bunshaft of the United States and Oscar Niemeyer of Brazil, were named in 1988. Frank Gehry of the U.S. was the recipient in 1989, the late Aldo Rossi of Italy in 1990. In 1996, Rafael Moneo of Spain was the Laureate; in 1997 the late Sverre Fehn of Norway; in 1998 Renzo Piano of Italy, in 1999 Sir Norman Foster of the UK, and in 2000, Rem Koolhaas of the Netherlands. In 2001, two architects from Switzerland received the honor: Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. Australian Glenn Murcutt received the prize in 2002. The late Jørn Utzon of Denmark was honored in 2003; Zaha Hadid of the UK in 2004; and Thom Mayne of the U.S. in 2005. Paulo Mendes da Rocha of Brazil was the Laureate in 2006, and Richard Rogers received the prize in 2007. Jean Nouvel of France was the Laureate in 2008. In 2009, Peter Zumthor of Switzerland received the award. In 2010, two Japanese architects were honored, partners Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, Inc. Last year, Eduardo Souto de Moura of Portugal was the laureate.

The field of architecture was chosen by the Pritzker family because of their keen interest in building due to their involvement with developing the Hyatt Hotels around the world; and because architecture was a creative endeavor not included in the Nobel Prizes. The procedures were modeled after the Nobels, with the final selection being made by the international jury with all deliberations and voting in secret. Nominations are continuous from year to year with hundreds of nominees from countries all around the world being considered each year.

Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art, Phase I, 2002-2004, Hangzhou, China
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art, Phase I, 2002-2004, Hangzhou, China

Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art, Phase I, 2002-2004, Hangzhou, China
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art, Phase II, 2004-2007, Hangzhou, China
Photo by Lv Hengzhong

Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art, Phase II, 2004-2007, Hangzhou, China
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art, Phase II, 2004-2007, Hangzhou, China
Photo by Lv Hengzhong

Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art, Phase II, 2004-2007, Hangzhou, China

Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art, Phase II, 2004-2007, Hangzhou, China
Photo by Lv Hengzhong

Ceramic House, 2003-2006, Jinhua, China
Photo by Lv Hengzhong

Decay of a Dome Exhibit (Test in Hangzhou), 2010, Venice, Italy
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Decay of a Dome Exhibit (Installation in Venice), 2010, Venice, Italy
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Five Scattered Houses, 2003-2006, Ningbo, China
Photo by Lang Shuilong

Five Scattered Houses, 2003-2006, Ningbo, China
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Five Scattered Houses, 2003-2006, Ningbo, China
Photo by Lang Shuilong

Five Scattered Houses, 2003-2006, Ningbo, China
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Library of Wenzheng College, 1999-2000, Suzhou, China
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Ningbo Contemporary Art Museum, 2001-2005, Ningbo, China
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Ningbo Contemporary Art Museum, 2001-2005, Ningbo, China
Photo by Lv Hengzhong

Ningbo History Museum, 2003-2008, Ningbo, China
Photo by Lv Hengzhong

Ningbo History Museum, 2003-2008, Ningbo, China

Ningbo History Museum, 2003-2008, Ningbo, China
Photo by Lv Hengzhong

Ningbo Tengtou Pavilion, Shanghai Expo, 2010, Shanghai, China
Photo by Fu Xing

Ningbo Tengtou Pavilion, Shanghai Expo, 2010, Shanghai, China
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Tiled Garden, 2010, 10th Venice Biennale of Architecture, Venice, Italy
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Vertical Courtyard Apartments, 2002-2007, Hangzhou, China
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Ningbo History Museum, 2003-2008, Ningbo, China
Photo by Lv Hengzhong

Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art, Phase II, 2004-2007, Hangzhou, China
Photo by Lv Hengzhong

Vertical Courtyard Apartments, 2002-2007, Hangzhou, China
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Tiled Garden, 2010, 10th Venice Biennale of Architecture, Venice, Italy
Photo by Lu Wenyu

Wang Shu 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Biography

2012-02-28T00:46:00.002Z

Biography

Architect and Professor Wang Shu was born in 1963 in Urumqi, a city in Xinjiang, the western most province of China. He received his first degree in architecture in 1985 and his Masters degree in 1988, both from the Nan Nanjing Institute of Technology.
Wang Shu and his wife, Lu Wenyu, founded Amateur Architecture Studio in 1997 in Hangzhou, China. The office name references the approach an amateur builder takes—one based on spontaneity, craft skills and cultural traditions. Wang Shu spent a number of years working on building sites to learn traditional skills. The firm utilizes his knowledge of everyday techniques to adapt and transform materials for contemporary projects. This unique combination of traditional understanding, experimental building tactics and intensive research defines the basis for the studio’s architectural projects.
The studio takes a critical view of the architecture profession’s part in the demolition and destruction of large urban areas. At the 2006 Venice Architecture Biennale, Amateur Architecture Studio expressed views of on-going demolitions in “Tiled Garden,” an installation made from 66,000 recycled tiles salvaged from demolition sites. Rather than looking toward the West for inspiration, as many of Shu’s contemporaries do, his work is rooted in the context of Chinese history and culture.
Wang Shu has often explained in lectures and interviews that “to me architecture is spontaneous for the simple reason that architecture is a matter of everyday life. When I say that I build a ‘house’ instead of a ‘building’, I am thinking of something that is closer to life, everyday life. When I named my studio ‘Amateur Architecture’, it was to emphasize the spontaneous and experimental aspects of my work, as opposed to being ‘official and monumental’."
Wang Shu is Professor and Head of the Architecture School at China Academy of Art, Hangzhou. In 2011, he became the first Chinese Kenzo Tange Visiting Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He has exhibited individually and participated in several major international exhibitions including: the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale at which he received a special mention for the “Decay of a Dome” installation – a project whose light, mobile and utterly simple structure can be speedily constructed or returned to nothingness; the 2009 “Architecture as a Resistance” solo exhibition at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels; the 2007 Shenzhen & Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture; the 2003 <em>“Alors, La Chine?”</em> exhibit at the Centre Pompidou, Paris; the 2002 Shanghai Biennale at the Shanghai Art Museum; the 2001 “TU MU-Young Architecture of China” exhibit at AEDES Gallery, Berlin; and the 1999 Chinese Young Architects’ Experimental Works Exhibition, UIA Congress, Beijing.
In 2011, Wang Shu received the Gold Medal of Architecture (grande médaille d’or) from the l'Académie d'Architecture of France. In 2010, Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu were awarded the Schelling Architecture Prize, which goes to individuals who have responsibly advanced architecture's development with significant designs, realized buildings or with profound contributions to architectural history and theory. The Vertical Courtyard Apartment, in Hangzhou was nominated for the 2008, German-based International Highrise Award. In 2005, the project “Five Scattered Houses” in Ningbo received an acknowledgement from the Asia Pacific Holcim Awards for sustainable construction, and in 2003, the Wenzheng Library received the Architecture Art Award of China.
Wang Shu/Amateur Architecture Studio is known for the following built works: Library of Wenzheng College, Suzhou University, China (2000); Ningbo Contemporary Art Museum, Ningbo, China, (2005); Five Scattered Houses, Ningbo, China (2005); Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art (Phase I) Hangzhou, China (2004); Xiangshan Campus, China Academy of Art (Phase II) Hangzhou, China (2007); Ceramic House, Jinhua, China (2006); Vertical Courtyard Apartments, Hangzhou, China (2007); Ningbo History Museum, Ningbo, China (2008); and, Exhibition Hall of the Imperial Street of Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou, China (2009).

Jury Citation. 2012 Pritzker Prize Laureate Wang Shu

2012-02-28T00:45:00.000Z

Jury Members
Lord Palumbo (Chairman)
Alejandro Aravena
Stephen Breyer
Yung Ho Chang
Zaha Hadid
Glenn Murcutt
Juhani Pallasmaa
Karen Stein
Martha Thorne (Executive Director)

Jury Citation

The architecture of the 2012 Pritzker Prize Laureate Wang Shu, opens new horizons while at the same time resonates with place and memory. His buildings have the unique ability to evoke the past, without making direct references to history. Born in 1963 and educated in China, Wang Shu’s architecture is exemplary in its strong sense of cultural continuity and re-invigorated tradition. In works undertaken by the office he founded with his partner and wife Lu Wenyu, Amateur Architecture Studio, the past is literally given new life as the relationship between past and present is explored. The question of the proper relation of present to past is particularly timely, for the recent process of urbanization in China invites debate as to whether architecture should be anchored in tradition or should look only toward the future. As with any great architecture, Wang Shu´s work is able to transcend that debate, producing an architecture that is timeless, deeply rooted in its context and yet universal.
Wang Shu´s buildings have a very rare attribute—a commanding and even, at times, monumental presence, while functioning superbly and creating a calm environment for life and daily activities. The History Museum at Ningbo is one of those unique buildings that while striking in photos, is even more moving when experienced. The museum is an urban icon, a well-tuned repository for history and a setting where the visitor comes first. The richness of the spatial experience, both in the exterior and interior is remarkable. This building embodies strength, pragmatism and emotion all in one.
Wang Shu knows how to embrace the challenges of construction and employ them to his advantage. His approach to building is both critical and experimental. Using recycled materials, he is able to send several messages on the careful use of resources and respect for tradition and context as well as give a frank appraisal of technology and the quality of construction today, particularly in China. Wang Shu’s works that use recycled building materials, such as roof tiles and bricks from dismantled walls, create rich textural and tactile collages. Working in collaboration with construction workers, the outcome sometimes has an element of unpredictability, which in his case, gives the buildings a freshness and spontaneity.
In spite of his age, young for an architect, he has shown his ability to work successfully at various scales. The Xiangshan Campus of China Academy of Arts in Hangzhou is like a small town, providing a setting for learning and living for students, professors and staff. The exterior and interior connections between buildings and private and public spaces provide a rich environment where an emphasis on livability prevails. He is also capable of creating buildings on an intimate scale, such as the small exhibition hall or pavilions inserted into the fabric of the historic center of Hangzhou. As in all great architecture, he does this with a master’s naturalness, making it look as if it were an effortless exercise.
He calls his office Amateur Architecture Studio, but the work is that of a virtuoso in full command of the instruments of architecture—form, scale, material, space and light. The 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize is given to Wang Shu for the exceptional nature and quality of his executed work, and also for his ongoing commitment to pursuing an uncompromising, responsible architecture arising from a sense of specific culture and place

Wang Shu 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Pictures

2012-02-28T00:44:00.000Z

The following high resolution images may be used for printing or broadcast in relation to the announcement of Wang Shu being named the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate. These are photographs of the architecture of Wang Shu, and his firm, Amateur Architecture Studio, based in Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China. The photographer/photo libraries/artists must be credited if noted