国际著名的新古典主义建筑大师William T

国际著名的新古典主义建筑大师William T.Baker(威廉贝克)先生前日来上海，在CCDI为我们进行一次学术讲座，讲述他如何精妙地运用古典的语汇来诠释当代的人居环境。

在目前的国际建筑界，新的思潮和设计手法层出不穷，与纷繁多变的新建筑相比，新古典主义已经退化为一个比较局限的领域，但是我们也看到，依然有不少像贝克先生这样的建筑师致力于发展古典风格的设计，他们代表着非常高端的生活方式，并且形成了一个稳定的学派。这个学派的核心思想是，不论建筑如何多变，一些关于美学的基本规律是固定的，是可以从古典建筑中不断发掘的。

在贝克先生上一本非常畅销的《新古典主义》一书中可以看到，新古典主义设计非像我们想象的那样仅仅是历史形式的复制，他们更加热衷于将古典的形式和空间运用到当代的生活环境之中。以贝克先生近期的作品来说，他非常注重天然石材，使得建筑既有古典神韵，又能与自然环境的融合。

贝克先生作品集封面

典型的美式豪华住宅平面

这座看上去一百年的房子，房龄其实只有6岁！

非常精致的入口

楼梯是所以新古典主义者的最爱

看得见海的三代别墅，由三座相互联系的单体组成

根据主人对帆船的喜好，贝克先生创意地做出了新古典的创新

楼梯很重要

一幢英式的别墅，乡野气息之中透露着高贵

半露天的壁炉很有创意

英式的红砖别墅

这个天花设计得非常精美

挑高二层的餐厅

以东方瓷器做装饰，是美国人的普遍喜好

阳光卫浴，很宽敞

这座别墅尽然有个室内篮球场！！

方圆几里，独此一幢房子。

以下是贝克先生在上海的部分讲稿：

Building an Architectural Legacy – William T. Baker

It is a pleasure for me to meet all of you today in person. Many of you already know of me through my book New Classicists. Now, today, it is my turn to meet you! Thank you for inviting me to speak here about an important subject for China today – Building an architectural legacy.

Let me take a moment to briefly tell you about myself. My father was a furniture designer and my mother worked in the interiors industry. So design is in my blood. My father taught me to draw at an early age and I always had a passion for architecture. In fact, I was drawing buildings in 3D by the age of seven. Many of you may have similar backgrounds.

I started off in the School of Architecture but because the job market was so bad in the 1970’s, I changed my major to business and graduated

with degrees in Finance and an MBA. I soon found that I regretted not following my true passion for architecture. So I left the profession of finance and went to work for an architecture firm as a construction manager. This was a great way to learn about building and soon I was able to start my own design firm. Now, here I am 26 years later speaking to you in Shanghai! It has been an incredible journey for sure.

Each of you are designing buildings that will go on to become lasting legacies for your towns and cities. Let me take a few moments now to share with you some of the buildings I have been designing as a legacy for America.

(SLIDES)

The topic of building an architectural legacy is very important for China right now. Many of you are designing the great buildings of

China. Architecture is the primary art of a nation. It provides shelter, one of the first and fundamental needs of humankind. It provides the setting for a culture’s public life. And, it supports the numerous trades and professions that are critical to a nation’s development. Furthermore, the very act of creating architecture and the ability to appreciate the beauty of it appears to be uniquely

human. This is one of the reasons why the buildings you and I design are of such importance to our cultures.

Those of us who practice the art of architecture, and the craft of building, are the protectors of the physical fabric of our nation, our cities, and our neighborhoods. The architect takes the intangible hopes and dreams of a people and translates it into a tangible building. Architecture has a major role in how a society views itself and its place in the world. The power of architecture can be harnessed to help China in its efforts to achieve a noble society because buildings express a country’s hope and commitment to the future.

I encourage each of you here today to take the lead to create an excellent built legacy for China. The great architecture of your past accomplished this and the best architecture of the future will do so as well. You can succeed in your efforts to design buildings that stand the test of time. Your commitment to architectural excellence will result in a built environment that reflects China’s aspirations for the future. This must be your legacy!