This July, Mr. Yang Bangsheng, founder of YANG & Associates Group, was invited to attend the UK-China Architecture Forum organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Representing Chinese design alongside leading British architectural practices, he delivered keynote speeches and engaged in in-depth dialogues, bringing an Eastern perspective on design to the international architectural community.
On the afternoon of July 17, the first UK-China Forum was held at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge. Professor Alan Short, Professor of Architecture at the University of Cambridge and President of Clare Hall, delivered the welcome address.
Mr. Yang Bangsheng joined prominent guests from China and the UK, including Patrick Usborne, President of the Cambridge Architectural Association, Joanna Bacon, Managing Partner at Allies and Morrison, and Simon Bayliss, Managing Partner at HTA Design, in delivering keynote speeches and participating in a roundtable discussion.
Representatives from leading British architectural firms including RSHP, Perpendicular Architecture, Jestico + Whiles, Niall McLaughlin Architects and Daniel Statham Studio gathered to exchange ideas around the theme of 'Integrated Morphology of Future Cities'.
Taking “Spatial Making in the Context of Eastern Culture” as his starting point, Mr. Yang Bangsheng shared the latest practices of Chinese design in hospitality and high-end residential environments. His concept of 'design enabling cultural symbiosis'—translating the spirit of Eastern culture through contemporary design language and bringing a sense of human warmth to future cities—resonated strongly with the attendees and generated an enthusiastic response.
On the afternoon of July 20, Mr. Yang Bangsheng was invited to University College London, where he continued the dialogue with architects and scholars from China and the UK around topics including future urban forms, sustainable design strategies, and cultural symbiosis.
On the occasion of the official London launch of the English edition of his new book, ‘Constructing Living Realms,’ Mr. Yang Bangsheng delivered a keynote speech of the same name, centred on the core ideas of the book.
In his speech, he proposed that 'Sheng Xi' concerns the principles of coexistence between humans and nature, while 'Jing Gou' refers to the logic through which space and culture are constructed. This theoretical framework, which integrates Eastern philosophical wisdom with contemporary design practice, sparked strong interest and high recognition among the British architects and scholars present.
From Cambridge to UCL, Mr. Yang Bangsheng brought thirty years of design thinking into an in-depth exchange with the British architectural community. This also represents a meaningful act of practice-sharing and cultural dialogue by YANG on the international academic stage.
