On Monday 11 July 2016, the RA welcomed Chinese architects Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu, of Amateur Architecture Studio, to deliver the 26th Annual Architecture Lecture.
Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu founded Amateur Architecture Studio in Hangzhou, China in 1997. They chose the name to emphasise the focus on craft, cultural memory and the everyday in their practice. Making frequent use of recycled building materials, their work negotiates the relationship between an architecture that is informed by Chinese tradition and one that is forward-looking, creating buildings that are at once timeless and shaped by the present moment. Works such as the Ningbo History Museum (2003-08) and Xiangshan Campus of China Academy of Art (2004-07) reveal their ability to create architecture that is contextual yet challenging, and monumental yet full of intimate spaces.