WAI Architecture Think Tank

WAI Architecture Think Tank or WAI Think Tank is an architectural practice based in Beijing that was founded in Brussels in 2008 by Cruz García and Nathalie Frankowski.[1][2][3]

WAI Architecture Think Tank
Practice information
Key architectsCruz García, Nathalie Frankowski
Founded2008
LocationBeijing
Website
www.waithinktank.com

Background edit

After founding WAI Architecture Think Tank in 2008, Cruz García and Nathalie Frankowski relocated their practice to Beijing in 2009.[4][5][6][7][8]

Buildings and Books edit

WAI Architecture Think Tank has been selected as finalist in several museum design competitions, including the shortlisted design for the National Centre for Contemporary Arts, in Moscow, Russia and the Museum of Gardens in Suzhou.[9][10] Since 2011 WAI Architecture Think Tank publishes an independent architecture and urbanism magazine titled What About It? [11] In 2013 they wrote, designed and published the book Pure Hardcore Icons: A Manifesto on Pure Form in Architecture.[12][13] In 2014 Pure Hardcore Icons was translated into German and published by the quarterly magazine ARCH+.[14]

Since 2008 WAI Architecture Think Tank founders Cruz García and Nathalie Frankowski have been collaborating on the art collective Garcia Frankowski, creating exhibitions, curatorial projects and publications including the book Shapes, Islands, Texts: A Garcia Frankowski Manifesto.[15] [16][17]

Several manifestoes (Architecture and Art manifesto)and essays of WAI Architecture Think Tank have been translated into Spanish, Chinese, German, Arabic and Portuguese. The work of WAI Think Tank has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin, the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art in Manchester and in St. Petersburg, Moscow, New York, Los Angeles, Columbus, Chicago, Michigan, Barcelona, Madrid, Bratislava, Buenos Aires, Zurich, Basel, San Juan, Montevideo, Guadalajara, London, Manchester Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Osaka, Milan, Venice, Istanbul, Prague, Helsinki, Paris, Zurich, Sydney, Melbourne, Lisbon and Porto.[18][19]

WAI Architecture Think Tank is one of the participants of the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial.[20][21]

Publications edit

  • Cruz García & Nathalie Frankowski, “Pure Hardcore Icons: A Manifesto on Pure Form in Architecture”, (Artifice Books on Architecture: London, 2013). ISBN 978-1-908967-39-8
  • Cruz García & Nathalie Frankowski, “Shapes, Islands, Texts: A Garcia Frankowski Manifesto”, (Vibok Works: Sevilla, 2014) ISBN 978-84-941464-7-3

Exhibitions edit

  • 2015 Room of Manifestoes,Arch+ Displays, Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin [22]
  • 2014 Archizines Beijing, Quanyechang Bazaar, Beijing [23]
  • 2014 Paper Manifestoes, Quanyechang Bazaar, Beijing [24]
  • 2014 Archizines Shanghai, HKU Study Centre, Shanghai [25]
  • 2014 The Voice Currency: Making Community, Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA), Manchester, UK.[26]
  • 2014 The Vestige of Architecture, Mingtai Space, Beijing
  • 2013 Pure Hardcore Icons: Manifesto Exhibition, The Factory, Dashilar District, Beijing
  • 2013 Cut 'n' Paste: From Architectural Assemblage to Collage City, Museum of Modern Art, New York[27]
  • 2013 Walls, Islands, Frames, Mirrors, CU Space, Beijing
  • 2013 Archizines, Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein[28]
  • 2012 Archizines + Arch-Art! Books, Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York[29]
  • 2012 What About It?, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan[30]
  • 2011 What About it?, Tsinghua University, Beijing
  • 2011 What About it?, CU Space, Beijing[31]
  • 2011 Archizines, Architectural Association, London[32]
  • 2010 Post Post Post Nueva Arquitectura Iberoamericana, CCEBA, Buenos Aires[33]
  • 2010 Unplanned: Research and Experiments at the Urban Scale, Superfront Gallery, Los Angeles[34]

References edit

  1. ^ Rivera Esquilín, Eileen (19 November 2011). "Diseño Urbano desde China: Lleno de Proyectos, el arquitecto Cruz García habla sobre su experiencia en Oriente". El Nuevo Día. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  2. ^ Alvarez, Paula (26 August 2013). "Entrevista a Garcia Frankowski: Formas Critica y Autonomia". Arqa. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  3. ^ Alvarez, Paula (12 August 2013). "Space Matters: Garcia Frankowski Interview". Vibok Works. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  4. ^ Rivera Esquilín, Eileen (19 November 2011). "Diseño Urbano desde China: Lleno de Proyectos, el arquitecto Cruz García habla sobre su experiencia en Oriente". El Nuevo Día. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  5. ^ Alvarez, Paula (5 August 2013). "On Manifestos, form, criticism and autonomy: Interview with Garcia Frankowski". Book-A.net. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  6. ^ Ponce Ruiz, Luis (2012). "Cruce y Cruz: Entrevista en Tres Partes al Arq. Cruz García (parte 1)". Revista Cruce. Archived from the original on 11 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  7. ^ Ponce Ruiz, Luis (2012). "Cruce y Cruz: Entrevista en Tres Partes al Arq. Cruz García (parte 2)". Revista Cruce. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  8. ^ Ponce Ruiz, Luis (2012). "Cruce y Cruz: Entrevista en Tres Partes al Arq. Cruz García (parte 3)". Revista Cruce. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  9. ^ "Russia's NCCA Releases a Shortlist for its new Building". Baibakova Art Projects. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  10. ^ Furth, DJ (27 January 2014). "WAI Architecture Shortlisted for Moscow NCCA". Creative Hunt. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  11. ^ Cormier, Brendan (17 March 2011). "DIY Publishing: An Interview with What About It?". The Popup City. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  12. ^ Cruz García, Nathalie Frankowski (2013). Pure Hardcore Icons: A Manifesto on Pure Form in Architecture. Artifice Books on Architecture. ISBN 978-1-908967-39-8.
  13. ^ Rellensmann, Luise (10 March 2014). "Bücher im BauNetz: Pure Hardcore Icons: A Manifesto on Pure Form on Architecture". BauNetz. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  14. ^ "ARCH+ 215: Hardcore-Architektur 2 - Politik versus Form". ARCH+. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  15. ^ Cruz García, Nathalie Frankowski (2013). Shapes, Islands, Texts: A Garcia Frankowski Manifesto. Vibok Works. ISBN 978-84-941464-7-3.
  16. ^ Alvarez, Paula (5 August 2013). "On Manifestos, form, criticism and autonomy: Interview with Garcia Frankowski". Book-A.net. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  17. ^ Alvarez, Paula (26 August 2013). "Entrevista a Garcia Frankowski: Formas Critica y Autonomia". Arqa. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  18. ^ Diaz, Carmen: Por Dentro: El Vigor Tiene forma, in: El Nuevo Día Newspaper, 18 Jan. 2014, pp. 6-9
  19. ^ Dreyer, Jacob (10 November 2014). "What About It?". LifeStyle. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  20. ^ Chicago Architecture Biennial (25 May 2015). "Chicago Architecture Biennial". e-flux. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  21. ^ Binlot, Ann (14 April 2015). "Inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial Announces Participants". Forbes. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  22. ^ Arch+ (12 May 2015). "ARCH+ displays: Room of Manifestoes". Arch+. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  23. ^ Culp, Samantha (26 September 2014). "China's Top Design Talent Descends on Beijing". New York Times T Magazine Blog. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  24. ^ Culp, Samantha (26 September 2014). "China's Top Design Talent Descends on Beijing". New York Times T Magazine Blog. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  25. ^ Kuan, Cindy (26 September 2014). "Archizines Global Exhibit: Now in Shanghai". Creative Hunt. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  26. ^ "CFCCA Archive: The Voice Currency". Centre for Contemporary Chinese Art. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  27. ^ "'Cut 'n' Paste: From Architectural Assemblage to Collage City'". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  28. ^ "Archizines". Vitra Design Museum. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  29. ^ "Archizines /". Storefront for Art and Architecture. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  30. ^ "University of Puerto Rico". ACSA. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  31. ^ "WAI Architecture: What About It". Designboom. 2011-09-14. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  32. ^ "Archizines". Architectural Association. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  33. ^ "POST POST POST Nueva Arquitectura Iberoamericana". CCEBA. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  34. ^ "Unplanned: Research and Experiments at the Urban Scale". Superfront. Retrieved 8 October 2013.

External links edit