MARK HEMEL'S INSIGHT INTO LITTLE AND LARGE

Text by Josef Ho

Translation by Leo

Pictures provided by Mark Hemel

The core of Mark Hemel’s architectural thought lies in his counter reaction to the approachof space segmentation in modern architecture. Modernism has no place in his conceptual world, where buildings “grow” naturally in their environment.赫梅尔最核心的理念是空间方块分割思维。在他的理念世界里，没有生硬的现代主义，只有原地环境里自然“生长”的建筑物。

马克·赫梅尔的宏观和微观世界

The Canton Tower – a 600+meter TV and sightseeing tower overlooking a tributary of the Pearl River in Guangzhou – was a masterpieceof Dutch architect Mark Hemel, his wife Barbara Kuit and their Amsterdam-based practice Information Based Architecture (IBA). Hemel, a tall, muscular man himself, and his team have created a rare feminine architectural landmark that stands proudly amidst many of its high-rising peers exhibiting masculinity in Guangzhou.

Even in Europe, IBA, co-founded by Hemel and his wife, can be considered an avant-garde architects' fi rm. In his early years, Hemel worked under and was heavily infl uenced by Zaha Hadid – the world-famous Iraqi-born architect – in terms of design style.

Following the design of Canton Tower, one of the world's highest TV towers, Hemel shifted his attention to Ghana, where he designed student dormitories for a school in a remote village. The design included two single-storey buildings that formed a crescent shape by joining together and complementing each other. The two buildings embraced each other to form an oval courtyard in the centre, which can serve as a playground and a venue for students to socialize. The sunshades that stretch out allow the students to engage in activities on days of rain or scorching sun. Besides, a streamlined shape is used to make the fl ow of the sea breeze through the houses much easier, which is particularly useful in tropical Ghana. Therefore, this design is another demonstration of Hemel'sunique approach to architecture – “synthesis and integration” with the environment.

In the 1990s, Sarajevo – the war-torn capital of Bosnia and Hercegovina – needed to build a concert hall as a landmark to civil culture. Hemel was the person tasked to do the job. But to do this in the heart of ethnic and religious confl icts was no easy job. He thought of the idea of building a concert hall with seating for 1,50o spectators across from the Parliament Building. The result was one that wasin an irregular geometrical shape and was free from the rigid and dogmatic segmentation of a modern building. The folding structure didn't fail to createan illusion of refi ned spaces.And its highly magical yet simple architectural language put the musical venue in stark contrast with the government building and the ruined environment around it.

Hemel's offi ce also undertakes a variety of experimental research for a number of developing countries. He believes that following the massive urban expansion of some Asian countries, Africa is about to embark on its urbanization journey that will completely change the face of the continent. For years, he has been working as an urban construction research consultant for Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. Hemel believes that in the era of big data, “information”holds the key to the success of architectural design and urban planning. He says that information is not supposed to be collected once and for all ahead of construction work. Instead, new input should be constantly incorporated into the data system as the construction work moves forward. Furthermore, completed buildings should by no means stay as they are, as new functionality and potential has yet to be explored.

广州湿润炎热的土壤上，一座高达600多米的参天巨塔正俯瞰着珠江的东部支流。耸立着的正是这个欧洲男人的手笔——广州塔。马克·赫梅尔，这个一米九的荷兰高个子，在众多以阳刚之气盛行的高楼之中，为广州带来了一座为数不多的“女气”建筑地标。

即使是在欧洲，赫梅尔及其妻子芭芭拉·库威特创立的“信基建筑事务所”也算是先锋的建筑团队。在更加年轻的岁月里，赫梅尔曾经跟随伊拉克裔建筑大师扎哈·哈迪德学习，因此设计风格也深受哈迪德的影响。

在为繁华的广州设计了全世界最高的电视塔后，赫梅尔把视野转到位于热带的岛国加纳。为加纳一个偏僻农村设计的一栋学生宿舍同样贯彻了其与环境融合的理念。赫梅尔为这个村的学生们带来了两座只有一层高，却相互咬合互补的新月形建筑。两栋建筑在中间围成了一个椭圆形的大院，在非洲国家，这种大院可以为人们提供社交和娱乐场所，是学生们相互交流的公共空间。往外延伸的雨篷，则让学生们在太阳暴晒或者下雨的时候都能够在走廊闲坐交流。房屋之所以是流线型设计，是因为加纳的夏天非常炎热，而流线型能够更加有利于海风在屋内穿梭。

在1990年代饱受战火摧残的波黑首都萨拉热窝，曾经需要一个音乐厅作为市民文化的主要地标。……