Liu Yichun

Liu was raised in a village near Nanjing, Jiangsu in Southern China where the culture of "Jiangnan" prevails and strongly influenced his architecture. Jiangnan literally means the south of Yangtze River and, in architecture, is famous for its unique typology—Chinese garden. Stick with the traditional "Jiangnan" culture, he believes that the wisdom in classical architecture would be able to help him find a way to really reconstruct memory of people's life. Instead of just copying the forms like ancient pagodas and roofs, he focused more on the spatial relationship that works for actual functions and users. By appreciating how ancient architects manipulated the relationships between different kinds of spaces, building and context, building and nature, he developed sophisticated spatial mechanisms, such as “separation” and “continuation”, that involves physical experience and evokes memory. His abstract philosophy and altitude are materialized and manifested through the continuously changing experiences. He carefully designs both interior and exterior space to encourage more social interactions and activities.

His latest work is Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai, completed in 2014, adopted from a Coal-Hopper-Unloading-Bridge that was constructed in the 1950s. The old structure is remained for underground parking and the new designs are embedded into the original basement so as to be concreted with the existing framework structure. “As to the overground space covered by the “vault-umbrella”, the walls and the ceiling feature as-cast-finish concrete surface so that their geometrical dividing line seems faint. Such structure cannot only shield the human body in conformation but visually echoes with the Coal-Hopper-Unloading-Bridge at the wharf. Moreover, the building's internal space can also represent a kind of primordial and tameless charm while the spatial dimension, large or small, and the as-cast-finish concrete surface with the seam among moulding boards and the bolt holes bring a sense of reality as well. The directness and simplicity resulting from this “literal” structure, material and space plus the sense of force or lightness because of large-scale overhanging style enables the overall building's continuation of the industrial property of the original site, not only in time but in space."

Liu is excellent in interconnecting context with the building and creating continuously changing physical experience. In his Spiral Gallery in Jiading New Town, completed in 2011, “pure round is inserted by a spiral, brings into a primal space with a spiral interior flowing from the public to the private; most importantly, it gives a way to enter the building from the landscape: you can enter the annular interior space directly, or walk along the spiral external stairway to first get onto the higher place of the rooftop, and then go downstairs to the central courtyard to enter the building. The plot, angle and height of the view are continuously transformed, the spatial height is changed, and the introverted and open spaces are being mutually altered by the walking direction as well. A cruise joy is provided, which also can be seen as an abstract way of the Chinese garden. Here, the way to view is also the way to enter the building”.

Liu was born in 1969 in Haiyang, Shandong Province, China. After graduating from Tongji University, Shanghai, attracted by the rapid urban development in Guangzhou, he worked as an architect for Architectrual Design Institute, Guangzhou. Encouraged by his mentor in the design institute, he later decided to continue his architectural education and accomplished his master's degree in Architecture in Tongji University in 1997. At that time, led by the Shanghai new development set up by the Central Government, more opportunities were opened for young architects, which made Liu decide to stay in Shanghai. Serving as the Chief Architect of the Architectural Design Institute of Tongji University from 1997 to 2000, he realized he gradually neglected his creativity and independent thinking on too many commercial projects, which finally led him to found his own office, the Atelier Deshaus, in 2001.