International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications

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Yin-yang Idea in Architectural Design – Following Rather Than Altering the Objects’ Nature

Received: 13 December 2016    Accepted: 13 January 2017    Published: 13 February 2017
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Abstract

Yin-yang theory is one of the oldest Chinese philosophies whereby the world is constituted of Yin-yang units rather than pure individual elements. A belief arising from this theory is that when Yin and Yang interact with each other, new things will be generated. “Following rather than altering the objects’ nature”, which has been widely applied in art and craft creation, originally stems from Yin-yang theory. This idea provides a principle of creating new things based on the original situation with minimal alternation. When the image of the new creation matches the object’s existing features, the new creation will be born. Red Brick Art Museum, a rebuilt project based on an abandoned factory, adopts the above idea as its design concept. Thus this project could well interpret the idea “following rather than altering the objects’ nature”. The design concept does not refer to any supposed form or symbolic meaning of the building, but provides a pragmatic approach of design. Existing circumstances have been addressed greatly. When the image of the new space matched with the existing conditions of the building, transformation strategies would be created, and the rebuilding process would be pushed forward. The ultimate building form is not determined at the very beginning. Building form is not the purpose of the design, but acts as the consequence resulting from the way of dealing with actual problems throughout the design process.

DOI 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20160301.11
Published in International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications (Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2017)
Page(s) 1-10
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Yin-yang Idea, Following Rather Than Altering, Objects’ Nature, Red Brick Art Museum

References
[1] Zhu, Bokun, Works of Zhu Bokun. Shenyang: Shenyang Publishing House, 1998.
[2] Yang, Qingzhong. “On the Dao in the Commentary of the Book of Change,” Frontiers of Philosophy in China 2006, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 572-593, 2006.
[3] Zeng, Shiqiang. The Secret of I-Ching. Xi’an: Shanxi Normal University Press, 2009.
[4] Lan, Yungong. “Yin-Yang Thinking and the Characteristics of Chinese Traditional Culture,” Journal of Liangshan University, 1999, no. 1, pp. 79-82.
[5] Dou, Zongyi. “Exploration of I Ching's Philosophical Principle of Dialectical Monism Based on the Enlightenment of Modern Science,” Study on The Book of Changes, 1995, no. 3, pp. 71-79.
[6] Bai, Kun. “Brief Discussion of the Idea of Leaving Blank in Chinese Painting and Its Origin,” Qilu Realm of Arts, 2008, no. 1, pp. 19-21.
[7] Dong, Yugan. Broken Walls and Ruins, Shanghai: Tongji University Press, 2012.
[8] Dong, Yugan. “Designing According to Circumstances - Design for the Red Brick Contemporary Art Museum,” Architecture Journal, 2013, no. 2, pp. 44-51.
[9] Dong, Yugan. Heaven and Paradise, Beijing: China Architecture & Building Press, 2015.
[10] Dong, Yugan. “Image and Setting - Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing,” Time+Architecture, 2013, no. 2, pp. 65-70.
[11] Frampton, Kenneth. Studies in Tectonic Culture: The Poetics of Construction in nineteenth and Twentieth Century Architecture. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1995.
Author Information
  • School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

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    Xi Ye. (2017). Yin-yang Idea in Architectural Design – Following Rather Than Altering the Objects’ Nature. International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications, 3(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20160301.11

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    Xi Ye. Yin-yang Idea in Architectural Design – Following Rather Than Altering the Objects’ Nature. Int. J. Archit. Arts Appl. 2017, 3(1), 1-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20160301.11

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    Xi Ye. Yin-yang Idea in Architectural Design – Following Rather Than Altering the Objects’ Nature. Int J Archit Arts Appl. 2017;3(1):1-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaaa.20160301.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijaaa.20160301.11,
      author = {Xi Ye},
      title = {Yin-yang Idea in Architectural Design – Following Rather Than Altering the Objects’ Nature},
      journal = {International Journal of Architecture, Arts and Applications},
      volume = {3},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-10},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijaaa.20160301.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijaaa.20160301.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijaaa.20160301.11},
      abstract = {Yin-yang theory is one of the oldest Chinese philosophies whereby the world is constituted of Yin-yang units rather than pure individual elements. A belief arising from this theory is that when Yin and Yang interact with each other, new things will be generated. “Following rather than altering the objects’ nature”, which has been widely applied in art and craft creation, originally stems from Yin-yang theory. This idea provides a principle of creating new things based on the original situation with minimal alternation. When the image of the new creation matches the object’s existing features, the new creation will be born. Red Brick Art Museum, a rebuilt project based on an abandoned factory, adopts the above idea as its design concept. Thus this project could well interpret the idea “following rather than altering the objects’ nature”. The design concept does not refer to any supposed form or symbolic meaning of the building, but provides a pragmatic approach of design. Existing circumstances have been addressed greatly. When the image of the new space matched with the existing conditions of the building, transformation strategies would be created, and the rebuilding process would be pushed forward. The ultimate building form is not determined at the very beginning. Building form is not the purpose of the design, but acts as the consequence resulting from the way of dealing with actual problems throughout the design process.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

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