The offices of the magazine Arquitectura Viva
serve as meeting place for the critic Vladi-
mir Belogolovsky (Odessa, Ukraine, 1970),
founder of Curatorial Project in New York,
and the architect Gong Dong (Beijing, China,
1972) director of Vector Architects and au-
thor of works like Alila Yangshuo Hotel in
Guangxi, Seashore Chapel in Beidaihe, and
Captain’s House in Fuzhou, all built in China
but with a significant international impact.
Together they discuss architecture’s evolution
since the Modern Movement and the different
impact in the East and the West, stressing the
importance of recovering the cultural history
of cities without neglecting the technological
development of contemporary construction.
Vladimir Belogolovsky: Spain was, at
least until the financial crisis of 2008, one
of the leading countries in the global archi-
tectural panorama, and a real playground
and research field for architects, perhaps
similar to what China has become, but in a
very intense way. There were many talented
architects here, and many interesting works
were built during that period. I would say
that this situation is a continuous thing,
despite the economy and despite the fact
that a number of younger Spanish architects
left the country, because still quite a few
are producing very good quality work. Do
you plan to visit or meet with any of these
architects during this trip?
Gong Dong: This is a very short visit,
but I’m sure I’ll come back next year with
more time. Personally, I’m not so familiar
with the younger generation of architects,
but for some reason I really agree with you.
When you look at the European architectural
legacy, or even at the world’s, Spain repre-
sents a very subtle and sophisticated tension
between discipline and emotional expres-
sion. This sums up my overall view of the
environment. To me these are two essential
pillars of architecture, and Spain is moving
right in the middle. It’s a very fine balance.
VB: I remember you telling me about the
impressions of your first trip to Europe.
GD: That was around the year 2000,
twenty years ago, and I keep fond memories.
China was very different then, and to me it
is interesting to see the contrast between the
cultural shock I experienced then and how
it is for the younger generations that travel
and study abroad, in the United States or
Europe. I don’t see that much cultural shock
in their faces, even when it’s the first time
they come out and look at the world. In China
today – Shanghai, Beijing or in so many
other places – they live with cars, comput-
ers, all the systems. When they come out and
go, for example, to an airplane terminal or
a train station, they realize that the built
world is not so different, so they don’t feel
a strong gap anymore. When I travelled to
Europe twenty years ago I saw things I’d
never seen before.
VB: You started your practice in 2008.
It was a very important year for China,
because that was the year of the Olympics,
and the year when a number of foreign ar-
chitects just finished major iconic buildings
in Beijing and overall in China, but particu-
“Architecture in Spain
represents a subtle and
sophisticated tension
between discipline and
emotional expression.”
