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Professor ZHUANG Shen X RIBA Exhibition: CHANGE IS A COMMON SENSE

Professor Zhuang Shen from Shanghai Jiao Tong School of Design was invited to curate a research-oriented practice exhibition of his architectural studio: Atelier Archmixing at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in London, UK from August to October 2022.

​The exhibition is based on the overall work status of Atelier Archmixing. The growth and development of Atelier Archmixing is in the period of rapid urbanization in China, and the studio has been based in Shanghai for a long time; the work of the studio focuses on the development and changes of ordinary architecture in Chinese cities and takes this as the main working surface; in terms of working methods and organization, the studio integrates practice, action, experimentation, research, reflection and expansion, presenting a process of continuous change and growth.

For these reasons, the characteristics and meanings of the work of Atelier Archmixing are more suitable to be presented in a holistic manner, which is more comprehensive than a project-based approach. At the same time, because Atelier Archmixing's work is so realistically and deeply integrated into the development and construction of cities and architecture in China's rapid urbanization, the comprehensive state of work of this small independent architectural practice is a reflection of the changing nature of Chinese cities and architecture.

The exhibition is conceived as a documentary exhibition with small conceptual models and multiple types of images and texts. According to the need of presenting the overall work of the studio, the content is divided into two parts. The first part is the overall description of the studio's status, which contains 5 items: manifesto and studio information, Urban Nomadic Office, Urban Research, "NEXMIXING” (Experimentation in the use of space), typical cases of design practice focusing on the everydayness of ordinary urban architecture.

The second part is the design research in practice, which contains 3 items: "Redundant and Neutral Architecture in Changing Space", "Part", and "Interior", described from the cognitive, working surface, and methodological levels.

The first part is characterized by a longitudinal structure with developmental accumulation, while the second part is a horizontal one with analogical correlation of categories.