Bartek Winnincki on his architectural jump from Europe to Asia, living (and designing) in interesting times and an eye-opening design process that he has experienced during the Shanghai Library East competition.
My adventure with Schmidt Hammer Lassen has been going on for over 6 years. Six eventful years in which I managed to take part in over 25+ projects, won 7 of them and 4 of which are now in the construction phase. However, how did I get here? Why SHL? First things first.
After numerous internships in reputable offices in Europe, mainly in the Netherlands and Denmark, in 2012 I decided to make a complete change – I left well-organized Europe and tried my strength on the Asian soil that was completely unknown to me. I will not lie that the raging economic crisis helped me to make this decision. China has been my home for over 9 years now and I have spent practically half of my professional career in this country living in Beijing first and Shanghai since 2014.
Getting out of your own comfort zone and moving your life interests completely to a different culture is initially difficult, and it probably is not for everyone. However, you have to try to find out. In my case, I made such an attempt during a vacation in China, I decided that such a chance for adventure may not repeat itself and I stayed. Throwing yourself in at the deep end is sometimes the best way to learn to swim.
First impression – scale shock. Never before have I experienced such a great leap between what I knew in Europe and what I was doing at that moment. The beginning was definitely not easy, but as time went on, I became more familiar with the local culture, the specificity of the market and the design processes taking place. That was the time to set on a journey to find a perfect place.
I spent the first years of my career in China in large architectural corporations, focusing mainly on commercial and office projects. This is probably the widest branch of the market, which will always, no matter what the moment, keep crowds of architects busy. However, my interests have always oscillated around projects of public importance, such as libraries, theaters or museums, where I could focus on a human and his relationship with the architectural space, such as the urban space, which is key and superior. The natural direction of the search for an office was determined by my previous work experience in Copenhagen. The Danish approach to design, the awareness and consistency of the form as well as the simplicity of the message directed me to SHL which at that time was and still is one of the few Scandinavian companies with its headquarters in Shanghai at that time. The mere preparation of the portfolio took me about 2 months, everything had to be refined down to the smallest detail. I knew I had to surprise them with something, so I decided to send the entire package directly to the hands of the office director. Well, that was a match.
COMPETITION BACKGROUND – Shanghai Library East
First competition – Shanghai Library East and first prize! Shock, excitement and an incredible joy because I just joined the office and here was such an immediate success. Surely, it has been a competition that I will never forget for many reasons. Firstly, it was my first project implemented in China of such scale and rank. Secondly, the design process that I experienced fully opened my eyes that the clarity of the message and design simplicity is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of a good designer, which I really wanted to become by joining the Shanghai studio.
Almost 3 months of strenuous work, hours spent in the model room and in front of the computer and White Diamond is set to open to a wider audience in early 2022.
Winning such a prestigious competition gave an amazing boost to the entire office. And just as Copenhagen has its Black Diamond (SHL project), an icon of modern approach to designing multifunctional libraries would appear on the other side of the globe. Here, I must mention that a contemporary library is not only a magazine for books with places to study them, but a multi-functional cultural, exhibition and artistic space, a modern agora, which is to revive the urban tissue and open horizons to the world for the city and its inhabitants. Especially in the age of the Internet, where practically everything can be found online, creating a place to meet and exchange thoughts is even more important.
And this library is like that! Located in the Pudong district, the area of the city known for its iconic skyline is a block with a total area of 115,000 sqm, which includes an auditorium for 1,200 people, exhibition spaces, a studio cinema and a separate library for children. The library boasts an impressive book volume of approximately 1.5 million copies.
The relationship between human and architecture was a priority during the design process. Another important factor that we paid particular attention to was the aspect of nature. Nature always plays a very important role in all our projects. It is thanks to Nature that a person can rest mentally, regain strength and focus. The fact that the library is located in the largest Shanghai park has created a unique relationship between the reader and the surrounding environment. There is probably nothing more soothing than enjoying literature in nature – this is the effect we wanted to achieve. Nature is practically knocking on the library’s door and by deliberately extending the existing park, the green “covers” the lower pavilions over which the pure, white form of the building stands.
A simple architectural language conveying the clarity of ideas is the domain of our office, we do not exaggerate, we always strive to be honest in our message and it was no different in this case. The client appreciated our way of operating and mutual understanding resulted in a strong bond between experts. We drew knowledge from the best minds in the library profession and the client felt that he was presented with architecture by capital A.
OUR PROCESS
Each subsequent project after the completion of the competition for the Shanghai Library East and each new design task proved to me that the path to the final result is always similar. Going through checkpoints helps to systematize the process and clearly explains the steps behind. Nothing is accidental and every move you make has its justification. “If you can’t explain it simply, You don’t understand it well enough”. Albert Einstein
We create such architecture in our 80-person strong studio. Our office is relatively young, we have a lot of people who just graduated from renowned universities all over the world, where group work and an interdisciplinary way of thinking is the accepted norm. The motivation with which people approach projects, it reminds me a bit of working on competitions when I was a student myself. Passion and the desire to be the best, all in an atmosphere of endless discussions and brainstorms.
Everything starts with the initial analysis of a given topic, this is what we call the GO IN phase. In this phase, the most important thing is the discussion and a deep understanding of the problem. Usually, the team that starts the competition is small, consisting of an architect leading the project, one or two mid-level architects and architecture students who are interning with us. The number of people in each team varies and in the later stages of the project, team members with a more technical profile are added to coordinate aspects that are of technological or constructional nature. Also, a small team allows you to be more effective in terms of organization and budget.
Analysis and research are crucial. We do it carefully to discover the least obvious sides of the project. There are no stupid questions or crazy directions for us, we test and explore every, even the least obvious, path, which discovered at the very beginning saves a lot of time in the further stages of the project. That’s why at this stage we basically flatten the office hierarchy and the voice of each person on the team is of equal importance. This creates a more creative space for action where everyone feels equally responsible for the end result. The physical model is an indispensable element of our work, at this stage it serves primarily to understand the scale of the existing context, in later stages it becomes a “mother model” on which we test multiple options. From the technical side, we operate on pre-prepared file templates and components, which we collect practically with every new project.
Already at an early stage we try to think like a future user. What problems accompany him? How will it adapt to the new function? How will the place where we design look in 5, 10 or 20 years? The specificity of the place is a key aspect. We try to answer local problems and anchor ideas in local culture. Such a structured stage of the analysis naturally leads us to the next phase of the cycle in which we explore the possibilities and potential scenarios.
GO WIDE opens up a range of possibilities that meet all the requirements of the brief and our own architectural ambitions. It is in this phase we discuss multiple possibilities and concepts that can challenge the limits of the brief and functions.
The main toolbox we use consists of sketch, model and diagram. The creative process is completely non-existent for us without these three ingredients. The sketch is the fastest, most abstract and at the same time the most honest reflection of our design ambitions and it’s on its basis we try to visualize the future shape of the project. It is a kind of synthesis or essence of what we are striving for. A natural transition from the sketch stage is to check the ideas set out in the model – both physical and digital. It is at this stage that we stop to evaluate what is in front of our eyes for a longer time, because many times what looks good in 3D is not reflected in the physical model, be it the overall character or the scale. We often build the physical model in many scales to be absolutely sure that our direction is correct. Often, we create many programs and formal options, taking one step ahead and two steps back, knowing this is part of the process. Mistakes are human, so making a mistake is worthwhile to achieve a bigger goal. Each option of the physical model is photographed so that we can always revert back to it. When we finish the sketching stage of the first model, we proceed to attempt to diagrammatize the steps taken. A simple diagram is to explain in a clear and efficient way what components determine the final form of the project.
Such a set of materials is a base to create presentation sketchbooks, which we present and discuss during weekly project update meetings of design principles. Each of the sketchbooks is automatically uploaded onto our internal platform which is accessed by our American and European teams. This allows for almost direct exchange of thoughts and notes, which is important at every stage of the project. The transparency of the activity is one of our strong points and we want other offices to see our design process as well as we are open to constructive criticism.
The GO WIDE phase is the longest of all phases in the cycle. The goal is to cut down to one to three main options and develop them in the next phase. The end of this phase is a kind of Point of No Return, which means that we don’t experiment anymore and instead bring all the focus on development of selected directions.
The main goal of the GO DEEP phase is pushing the chosen option(s) to the limit, so that the team can move to the production mode. At this stage, the design team is supplemented with new members who are able to analyze and point out all technical problems. Compliance with local and national codes is carefully reviewed taking into account potential structural or technological problems. For that, we reach out for the advice of external companies and consultants who are experts in their fields. Results of their analysis and discussion confirms whether the project is rational and feasible. At the same time, we develop plans, cross-sections and test various façade variants. Often, this is the moment in which we start to focus on interior design developing the main spaces of the project. By creating mood boards, we choose the best matching color palettes that emphasizes the body and seamlessly merges with the interior. Sustainability is an incredibly important aspect of the design. We aim to incorporate ecological trends in modern design into our ideas. The Chinese government plans to become a carbon-neutral economy by 2030, that’s why at our studio we want to adapt to the upcoming changes and build wisely with the future in mind. Approaching the topic from many angles helps to clarify the main variant on which we finally focus and develop in the production phase. Here comes another Point of No Return, where the final, best direction is developed in detail.
GO HIGH also known as the final production phase. This is the last leg during which we work on high quality visual materials that can communicate the idea and the project to its best. The key thing is consistency, we care for every little detail and make sure all elements will match graphically. We outline the final plans, cross-sections or diagrams that would go into the final booklet or multimedia. For the final renderings, we choose external companies that are able to present the character of our architecture in the best possible way. We carefully select companies with whom we work, that are usually on the market for years, we know exactly what we can expect and how much time we need to get high quality images. We usually use a mix of local and foreign companies. Leveraging previously determined templates, we are able to quite quickly carve the final shape of the final presentation. A project can be compared to a good action movie, it must have its pace – we do not want to show everything right away, but rather create momentum and uncover our story step by step. That’s why very often the plans are interwoven with renderings or diagrams. This creates a more colorful and accurate image from the viewer perspective and spontaneously tells the story of the project. To add the final touch to the project, we create a project logo, a kind of emblem that will be memorable and is its representation. Collected materials go into the Final Booklet, which is delivered to the customer in the form of a report. One copy always stays in our office and joins our project library. This is an incredibly useful tool to which we come back while working on other themes.
These 4 steps are the essence of our design process. Circle of innovation is constantly enriched and improved to be a source and base for new colleagues joining our office. We aim to follow modern trends and keep up with them, that’s why we created an office design group inside which meets on a monthly basis and discusses how we can improve our methods of operation and elevate them to the next level. Time is a currency that cannot be bought, hence establishing good productivity and efficiency habits allows our colleagues to fully deliver their duties at regular allotted time.
FUTURE CHALLENGES
What will the future bring? I have no idea, howeventhe old Chinese proverb “May you live in interesting times” is probably already coming true in some ways. The epidemic turned the world upside down, so it’s hard to predict what the next month will look like, let alone the next year. China handled the pandemic quite well and the remote work didn’t last long here – probably around one or two months. We quickly returned to (new) normal, which did not affect our morale very much, hence the plans in our Shanghai office are very optimistic. At the moment, we have positioned ourselves on a fairly safe ground, where we intertwine direct commissions with invites for competitions. It gives us the possibility to both experiment and improve the already well-developed design processes. We have the privilege that after so many years of exposure to the Chinese market, we are quite a recognizable brand and customers know and recognize our style. They understand Scandinavian minimalism and the timelessness of our designs.
The element we would like to work on and focus our attention on is sustainable design and the application of ecological solutions in more of our projects. The question is not if but more about when the stakeholders on the Chinese market will prioritize sustainability and customers will treat it as the norm when it comes to all newly-designed architecture. As I mentioned before, changes in China are taking place very quickly, so our actions must be planned in advance. Hence, we begin to upgrade our design process to adequately respond to the contemporary ecological problems and market requirements.
The next year will be very special for us, because some of our projects, on which we have been working the last few years, will finally open their doors to visitors. Shanghai Library East, Suzhou Science Museum and Shenzhen Waste Energy plant are just a few projects from our portfolio. We are proud that we can pursue our broad ambitions and do it in the way we have imagined. Passion and consistency in reaching a previously set goal is the overriding aspect that guides us and we want to cultivate it at all times.
Our office is constantly developing, hence we are always looking for raw talents for our studio, open minds absorbing knowledge. We believe that we are a platform for the exchange of views on the widely understood creation of space. We always try to find extraordinary characters who, regardless of their interests, want to broaden their horizons. Young architects and students who come to our office each year represent a very high work culture and are prepared to an amazing degree for professional work. I mean both software skills and the way of thinking. I am proud of the fact that they see our studio as the place to develop their professional career.
Bartek Winnicki
Born in Silesia – an industrial region of Poland and raised in a miners’ family which shaped his hard-working personality. Bart’s educational and professional experience gained in Poland, Denmark, Netherlands, and China is deeply rooted in urbanism, architecture, interiors, and graphic design.
His design trajectory always strives to balance both the experimental and the visionary with simplicity and pragmatism. Interests encompass the entire creative process starting with the very first idea, through the conception and realization phases, all the way to the final attention to detail.
If you would like to ready more case studies like the one above please check our annual publication
Architecture Competitions Yearbook.
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