Following the steps of the likes of Paul Andreu who laid his avant garde "Eggshell" -- the Grand Theater -- in Beijing, French architect Alain Sarfati is also seeding his creation in the capital.
But his is rather different. The architect won the bid for the design of the new French Embassy in Beijing, whose building will soon break ground.
Sarfati's aim is to show the French character in his works.
"I combine Rene Descartes with Christian Dior -- seeking a balance between philosophy and fashion," he said.
A visitor looks over a model of a design by French architects at the expo "French Visions: city, architecture, sustainable development" in Beijing.
The new construction, covering an area of 16,000 square meters, consists of two parts, including an office building and a garden.
When finished, it will add a new trim to the skyline of the Chinese capital.
The almost-complete "Eggshell" and the new French Embassy are just two examples of the contribution by French architects to China's urban landscapes.
And they are not alone.
A number of their countrymen are engaged in construction of this dynamic developing country.
"French architects are definitely attracted by the energy of China and many of them have discovered the root of their inspiration in the country itself," said Thomas Richez, president of AFEX (Architectes Francais Al'export).
"They could not turn a blind eye to China's booming economy no more than they can fail to admire Chinese history and culture," said Richez.
He revealed that some 50 percent of overseas projects designed by member architects of AFEX are in China.
And now these impressive projects in China along with some in France and other countries such as the US, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Singapore, Japan and the Republic of Korea are on display at an exhibition called "French Visions: city, architecture, sustainable development" at the Beijing City Planning Exhibition Hall until April 23.
A major event in the "Year of France in China," the exhibition is organized by AFEX and the China Centre of International Culture Exchange and Beijing Institute of Architecture and Design.
It will also be held in Shanghai between April 30 and May 20 and Chengdu from May 30 to June 30.
Original designs
Featuring the models, pictures and blueprints of some 350 examples of architecture designed by French architects, the exhibition for the first time presents to the Chinese public a vision of contemporary French architectural works.
"Architecture and the city are two major constituents of human development which today, more than ever, have to be present in the long-term," said the French architect and engineer Bertrand Lemoine, who is also the curator of "French Visions."
"The exhibition not simply aims to promote a particular trend nor to present some representative samples of French architecture. Instead, I and AFEX have carefully selected these 350 works to show what makes the originality and the specificity of French architecture so as to help viewers identify some specific characteristics of French architecture," said Lemoine.
From these examples, it is easy to find the echoes of current international trends.
In addition, they will see some new attitudes, original expressions and other values which confront the project and the city.
"Just as in the attempts to protect bio-variety, we encourage architects to explore different approaches and try to display an overall image of French architecture in the exhibition," said Lemoine.
"The exhibition provides Chinese people with a rare opportunity to appreciate the original designs of French architects. We are not only impressed by their techniques, but the spirit of time interpreted in their architecture," said Pu Tong, deputy director of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Culture, and president of the Chinese Organizing Committee of "Year of France in China."
Talking about the characteristics of the architects, Lemoine said that one of the important attitudes they share is that they are used to taking into account strong cultural, historical, environmental and even statutory constraints.
"When French architects work in China, they pay attention to the specificity of Chinese architecture, its sense of space, its traditional typologies, for example the siheyuan and gardens," he said.
Isabelle Chen Peiwen, an architect with the Shanghai Pan-Pacific Architectural Design Co Ltd agrees with the curator.
"I was impressed by the profound knowledge of history and culture that the French architecture schools provide for the students when I was in France.
"Most of the French architects I work with now will ask the owner to provide some historical information before they start designing. This is their habit. They pay much attention to the relationship between architecture and the city and between architectural and cultural value," said Chen.
Ren Lizhi, vice-president of the Architectural Design & Research Institute of Tongji University shares her view and added: "They respect every culture and maintain the diversity of local cultural elements when they work in different countries."
Critical views
Yet some Chinese architects point out that most of China's construction projects which receive foreign bids are very large ones.
As a result only Andreu or the big companies such as AREP and ADP have achieved both social and commercial success in China.
Actually, many medium and small firms of architects in France are more active and have advanced concepts, they say.
"These medium or small architecture agencies usually have only 20 to 30 architects and it's hard for them to handle such a huge project as the National Grand Theater. But they are at the forefront of contemporary architecture and have very advanced ideas and practices in Europe," said Lu Zhigang, an architect with the East China Architectural Design Co Ltd.
He also points out that AREP specializes in railway station construction, while ADP is known for its airport designs.
Notwithstanding this, they undertake almost any type of architecture project in China now.
Lemoine accepts that in France architecture practice is characterized by the existence of numerous small offices employing only a few architects.
"However, the capacity of these practices to design and construct large public projects is not affected by their size. And now, some small offices are getting together to bid for some huge projects, and that will also be a good solution," he added.
(China Daily April 21, 2005)
