馬巖松：新潮的古典主義者

當(dāng)今的中國建筑圈流行一句話：“建筑師三十多歲是不可能成名的，除非你是馬巖松?！弊詮?1歲那年成為中國首個(gè)中標(biāo)海外的建筑師，馬巖松便成為了圈內(nèi)外“年輕有為”的代名詞。對(duì)于那些拿他和大師作對(duì)比的質(zhì)疑，他不以為然。成為大師，他不著急。

馬巖松給魚建的房子，讓金魚仿佛游入了一個(gè)充滿趣味的洞穴。

一雙淡定的眼睛習(xí)慣性地半闔著，配以一口不緊不慢的京腔，馬巖松看起來溫和儒雅。雖然正值壯年，這個(gè)75后建筑師卻儼如一位年長的智者。而正是在這樣沉靜的外表下，成千上萬個(gè)瘋狂而叛逆的想法輪番上演，在他的腦中發(fā)生光合反應(yīng)。

“有時(shí)候我在想，如果外星人毀滅地球，他們會(huì)留下什么人類建筑?！瘪R巖松冷不丁地冒出這句話，眼神仿似看向無限的宇宙，“也許大部分的建筑都會(huì)被摧毀。當(dāng)我們跳出歷史維度看世界，我們也許會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，現(xiàn)在說的‘古典'和‘現(xiàn)代'，其實(shí)都只是歷史的一個(gè)瞬間。”

馬巖松的語速很慢，字斟句酌，像一個(gè)沉默的話癆。對(duì)他來說無關(guān)緊要的問題，仿佛可以直接掉出他的耳朵；而關(guān)于城市的現(xiàn)在與未來，他卻有著說不完的批判與構(gòu)想：“你別看我這樣，其實(shí)我很焦慮。每一天，我都看到滿眼的問題和丑陋——現(xiàn)在國內(nèi)千城一面，自然人文遭到破壞，而人類還在很了不起地建‘第一高樓'。如果三十年內(nèi)我們還不改變，不發(fā)展新的思想，依舊在復(fù)制西方現(xiàn)代主義的城市，那我們這一代人真的白活了！其實(shí)把眼睛閉上，把耳朵捂上也很舒服。但因?yàn)槲沂墙ㄖ?，我有?zé)任提出解決方案?！?/p>

目前，馬巖松的解決方案是從景觀山水的角度，創(chuàng)造一個(gè)既顧及城市人口密度和功能需求，又能給人歸屬感的人文城市。他把這個(gè)“烏托邦”稱為“山水城市”。在這個(gè)山水世界里，現(xiàn)代與古典不是割裂的，它將既具有現(xiàn)代生活的便利，又留存東方獨(dú)有的詩情畫意。

回顧過去，馬巖松發(fā)現(xiàn)，他對(duì)這種理想社區(qū)的向往，其實(shí)在孩童時(shí)代便已扎根。小時(shí)候在什剎海游泳劃船，在富有人情味的胡同里生活的回憶，已經(jīng)不知不覺地融入了他的作品里。

剛從耶魯畢業(yè)的時(shí)候，馬巖松便開始了對(duì)西方摩天樓的批判性反思。他更想設(shè)計(jì)出一個(gè)自然、柔軟、擁有人性的樓。三年后，他在加拿大密西沙加市的公開招標(biāo)中，從來自世界70個(gè)國家的600多份競(jìng)賽注冊(cè)和最終的92份提案中勝出，獲得了該市最高建筑的方案設(shè)計(jì)權(quán)。

鮮少人知的是，在這之前，創(chuàng)業(yè)初始的MAD事務(wù)所輸了上百次投標(biāo)和競(jìng)賽?？神R巖松并不認(rèn)為自己比其他人更努力?！芭κ呛苷５?，它不能保證結(jié)果，而思考和探索才是最關(guān)鍵的?！笨梢噪S時(shí)隨地陷入深度思考的馬巖松，把自己定義為一個(gè)“不太傳統(tǒng)的傳統(tǒng)的人”。他認(rèn)為正是歷史中始終貫穿的反叛精神，在不斷推動(dòng)著人類文明發(fā)展和演變。

這個(gè)在許多人看來已經(jīng)達(dá)到“人生巔峰”的“明星設(shè)計(jì)師”，其實(shí)從未想過轉(zhuǎn)行或是跨界。建筑是他愿意付諸畢生熱情和耐心的事業(yè)，他清楚實(shí)現(xiàn)設(shè)想的過程必然是緩慢的，而這正是建筑的魅力所在。

“建筑這行就像個(gè)無底洞，讓人一直專研卻依然會(huì)感到遺憾。在充滿激情的創(chuàng)作后，等到房子蓋出來了，卻往往不是你預(yù)想的那樣，或者這時(shí)候你的理念已經(jīng)產(chǎn)生了變化。你總覺得下一個(gè)更好，于是周而復(fù)始?！瘪R巖松看似在吐槽，對(duì)建筑卻是看盡滄桑后的真愛。

在他看來，創(chuàng)造每一個(gè)建筑的旅程都是對(duì)精神更深層次的探索，而這個(gè)長期追求的過程與建筑師的思想成熟度相關(guān)。“所以我認(rèn)為年輕人是不可能成為大師的。最終，誰活得更老，誰就成為大師?！闭f完，仿佛是為了配合自己的冷幽默，馬巖松“嘿嘿”地憨笑起來。

MA YANSONG TALKS ABOUT ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY OF ARCHITECTURE

N=NIHAO

M=MA YANSONG

N: What's your take on new forms of architecture in today's China?

M: The world in which we live today is fi lled with

realism. We are so much infl uenced by modern values that we are extremely keen on impact and size of architecture, as the Olympic motto, “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” rightly puts it. Yet the core of traditional Chinese wisdom lies in emotional satisfaction deep down in one's heart. For example, traditional Chinese gardens focus on the creation of feelings or emotions one has when they are in them rather than on extremes. This kind of high taste is rarely seen in modern cities, as we talk so much about things like economy, politics and power. But I believe the day when we can talk about architecture as a cultural topic will surely come. I wish that the time-tested wisdom of ancient Oriental civilisation—that it is the journey, not the destination that oneshould enjoy most—would come alive again one day, contributing to the thoughts of the world at large.

N: How is “novel architecture” of the West being accepted in China?

M: The National Centre for Performing Arts, the CCTV Headquarters, and the National Stadium (also known as the Bird's Nest), all based in Beijing, are iconic examples of China opening its doors to architects from around the world. In recent years, all kinds of conservative, strange or even uglylooking cultural buildings have sprung up across the country. Yet we must distinguish between good taste and simple novelty. Why is China so open to international designers? It is because we are not very sure about where our own culture stands. That's why classical and ugly buildings are so awkwardly put together. That's why China is dubbed by some as “a testing ground for foreign architects.” Of course, this is perhaps a step that any culture has to take towards maturity. The fact that China - or any place - gathers the world's fi nest architects at least shows its open attitude toward

new ideas.

N: How far are you from your “Beijing 2050”vision? Why did you come up with this vision in the first place?

M: Thirty-three years, obviously (he smiled when he said this). The city of Beijing has grown too large to cover on foot, unlike its original layout, which largely consisted of today's Jingshan Park, Beihai Park, Gulou (Drum Tower) and Houhai Lake. The spiritof a life amid nature is thus lost. In fact, the new districts of many Chinese cities are all alike, featuring large squares and wide roads. The result is that people have to travel, either on foot or by vehicle, from one place to another, with each area serving a single function, just like a farm. The same is true with the layout of residential apartments, which all look about the same, for architects have designed them without thinking that their occupants would live a life fi lled with emotion.

In fact, the whole of old Beijing was a garden, where human life was inextricably intertwined with nature. At least this was the memory of many older native Beijingers. My hope is that the garden style can survive the changes of our time and beyond, so that our culture will prosper in harmony with nature. A vision, a spirit and value are what we most urgently need to defi ne for the city.

N: Has the West's recognition of Chinese architecture risen in recent years?

M: Following China's reform and opening up, more Chinese architects opened their eyes to the West and began to think about the differences between Eastern and Western cultures. After more than three decades, we are catching up with the West in terms of architectural quality, materials and technology, but we still lag behind in terms of the origination of infl uential thoughts as well as cultural impact globally. But the Western world is indeed starting to pay attention to the Chinese force of architectonic—for example, by publishing Chinese architects' exhibitions.

N: What advice would you give to aspiring young architects?

M: Architecture is a profession that requires much hard work, but more often than not, gives one little sense of achievement. Many architects barely get to design a house until they're 50 or 60. But what makes it matter most is architecture as a journey of self-discovery. I used to advise younger architects to “be yourself.” Yet I found out that many understood this partially. Perhaps those who have a strong character could understand me better, for it takes much more time and effort for people with a weak personality to really know themselves. So I have made my piece of advice more specifi c: young architects need to be clear about who they are, what they want and what makes them unique before they follow their heart and put their enthusiasm and sense of responsibilities into practice.