He Jingtang: One Creation is Better Than 100 Products Campus News - SCUT

“One creation is better than 100 products. One elaborate work is better than 100 simple ideas.”

 On September 18th, the third session of Lectures from Chinese Architectural Masters was held in Guangzhou. Professor He Jingtang, an Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering as well as the dean of School of Architecture at South China University of Technology (SCUT), gave a lecture on “the essence of craftsmanship in architectural design.”

 During the lecture, Professor He elaborated the spirit of architecture in three words: passion, meticulousness, and lifelong learning.

 He argued architectural creations originate from love and passion, which lead us to enthusiasm and obsession with the beauty of building. He urged architects to keep meticulous during work, and to always go after extreme and perfection.

Professor He Jingtang sharing his opinions on architectural creation

Professor He also pointed out that knowledge has no limit to learn, and creation is something we need to give efforts and insist for the whole life. He admitted that no architectural work can be absolutely flawless, but with good ideas, proper methodology, solid innovation and great teammates , even failures can lead a architect closer to the flawlessness. 

"Even if there is no perfection, we still strive for excellence. Even if there is no best, we still try better. To inherit from the tradition and to innovate – this is our lifelong cause." 

On the same day of the lecture, an opening ceremony was held in SCUT Wushan Campus to celebrate He Jingtang Studio being designated Science Popularization Base. Last November, The studio was approved to become one of the first Science Popularization Bases by Architectural Society of China.

Chinese version by University News Center

English version rewritten by Xu Peimu and Lin Jiaxin, Edited by Xu Peimu

From the SCUT News Network, October 09,2015