MasterWorks 2013: Cambridge Galleries, Design at Riverside
Exhibition: September 17 – October 6
Opening: Tuesday, September 17, 6:30pm
MasterWorks 2013 is an annual juried exhibition selected from proposals for solo and/or group exhibitions by graduates of the Masters of Architecture program at the University of Waterloo, School of Architecture.
Vernacular and Anonymous Architecture: Beijing Courtyards & Toronto Chinatown
Vernacular architecture is a form of building fabric, indigenous to a specific place that evolves over generations according to the needs of a particular cultural group. It is built by its users, without the input of architects. The social and cultural traditions, construction methods, locally available materials and unique local conditions dictate the character of its built form. The architecture grows and changes over time, incrementally adapting to the specific needs of its inhabitants, evolving as an expression of the collective, rendering the individual builder anonymous.
Vernacular and Anonymous Architecture brings together two theses: one titled “Towards a Sustainable Future: Courtyard in Contemporary Beijing” by Ningxin (Sophia) Zhu, investigates the evolution, essences and sustainable offerings of the traditional courtyard house (siheyuan) in Beijing and its relationship with the city at large; the other titled “Learning from Chinatown” by Li Ting (Nora) Guan, examines the unique fabric of Toronto’s Chinatown, documenting the activities and social bonds of the adapted Chinese culture within a foreign context. While being distinct research projects, they share a parallel dialogue in reflecting the changes in social, economic, political and environmental structures over time, which in turn challenged the nature, usefulness and relevance of the existing building fabric. Both developed design proposals to update the vernacular typology based on contemporary needs, yet maintaining its own uniqueness rather than assimilating into a homogeneous global culture.
– Li Ting (Nora) Guan & Ningxin (Sophia) Zhu
