About this Event
Taking its title from the practice itself, this lecture reflects on the evolving meaning of “open architecture” for Li Hu and Huang Wenjing. Through a selection of cultural, educational, and experimental projects, they trace this evolution—from the early influence of open systems, to open as a distinctive spatial operation and a way of being, and ultimately to a broader worldview grounded in the interdependence of people, nature, culture, and the environment. The lecture explores how architecture can challenge convention, cross cultural boundaries, and open new possibilities for a shared future.
LI Hu + HUANG Wenjing
LI Hu (Hon. FAIA) + HUANG Wenjing (AIA), founding partners of OPEN Architecture, Howard A. Friedman Visiting Professors in the Practice of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, Kenzo Tange Design Critic in Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, visiting professors at Tsinghua University and China Central Academy of Fine Arts.
LI and HUANG co-founded OPEN in New York City, and subsequently established their office in Beijing in 2008. Prior to OPEN, LI Hu was a partner of Steven Holl Architects, and the director of Columbia University GSAPP’s Studio-X Beijing. HUANG was an associate at Pei Cobb Freed and Partners (formerly I.M.Pei & Associates).
Some major projects by OPEN include: Sun Tower, Shanfeng Academy, Chapel of Sound, UCCA Dune Art Museum, Tank Shanghai, Shanghai Qingpu Pinghe International School, Pingshan Performing Arts Center, Tsinghua Ocean Center, and Garden School/Beijing No.4 High School Fangshan Campus.
OPEN’s work has been widely published and frequently exhibited around the world, such as at the Venice Biennale, Chicago Architecture Biennale, São Paulo Architecture Biennale, London Design Museum, and collected by Museum of Modern Art in New York, and M+ Museum in Hong Kong.
The Department of Architecture Guest Lecture Series presents the diverse guests who visit us to talk, teach and research the complexities of architecture today.
Image: Chapel of Sound, photography by Zhu Runzi
Event venue & nearby stays
AIA Victorian Chapter, 41X Boardroom, Level 2, 41 Exhibition Street, 41X Boardroom, Melbourne, Australia
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