Value lies not only in drawings-AAI International Architecture Office

T+a: According to your years of experience in China, what are the future advantages and challenges of international architectural design institutions? Cai Chuxi: The advantage in the future is mainly internationalization. International teams and the integration of various cultures and ideas bring more experience and imagination, which can be effectively transformed into design strength and constitute the core competitiveness of overseas design institutions. Speaking of future challenges, I think it is still on the pulse of one side of the soil and water. The more accurate and in-depth we know, the more opportunities we have. So is aai. T+a: You often mention that as an architect, you must stick to concentration. What are the specific aspects of aai's "focus" design attitude? Cai Chuxi: It lies in "innovation" and "deepening". For aai, every design is a brand-new creation, which will put the wisdom of the core team into providing creative solutions for the owners. At the same time, aai will interpret the regional culture and positioning of the project in a deeper level, think carefully about the needs of customers and users, and get involved in the whole project. However, this is all vague. I think owners who have had in-depth cooperation with aai will have more say. We often sigh that the gains of cooperation with aai are often more reflected in the work process, and some drawings and photos are unspeakable, such as trust or appreciation. T+a: How to understand "holistic programming service"? What are the characteristics of aai's whole programming service? Cai Chuxi: "Full-process programming service" is familiar to many people. For aai, we usually use two axes and four directions to define our complete programming service. Specifically, "left" refers to the pre-project planning, "right" refers to the post-professional guidance, "up" refers to the urban strategy, and "down" refers to the meticulous degree of design and service, that is, to control the overall situation of the project. Perhaps, this practice is not unique to aai, but our characteristics are our rich practical experience and proactive attitude. T+a: How to understand the uniqueness of design service? What positive attempts has aai made in this regard? Cai Chuxi: Simply put, uniqueness is like tailoring clothes for you to ensure your own uniqueness. The same is true of applying this design concept to architectural design. The most obvious role is to change the same appearance, explore the project's own personality to the greatest extent, and realize its own responsibilities, such as implementing specific architectural design techniques, which are very diverse. From the perspective of regionalism design, it is more reflected in the integration of local characteristics. For example, in the design of Meijiangnan comprehensive community, we introduced the historical elements of Tianjin city; In the design of perfume bay Resort Hotel, we used the prototype of the local Li traditional residence for reference. From the perspective of caring for the surrounding environment, it is reflected in the integration of architecture and environment in geography or temperament. For example, the design of Qingshan Huigu Villa is built according to the mountain situation, creating a variety of apartment space; In the design of the four-point hotel, the designer boldly introduced Dushu Lake into the lobby, guest rooms and even the entrance. Although the hotel is mainly business, it feels like a holiday, which blurs the boundary between business hotels and holiday hotels. "Unique" design has rich connotations. Through the application of specific design strategies, users will feel that these buildings are born for this land. How will AAI develop in the future? Can you briefly describe your ideal state? Cai Chuxi: In the years before the rapid development of the real estate industry in China, aai maintained its own principles and personality, and achieved good market feedback and brand effect. In the future, aai hopes to continue to stabilize the pace of its own development in the future, with moderate and quality development. With an architect's sincere heart, we are cautious about project selection and expanding our business field. Although the whole social environment is demanding "faster", we believe that the whole industry still needs professional service companies like aai that insist on refined creativity.