Old quarters have been replaced by skyscrapers and modern buildings as economic growth led to a construction boom in urban areas, such as Beijing. These developments ignored some of the fundamentals of Asian architecture, which are still of high value today: seeing architecture as part of a greater harmony and nature.

Why does the West know 'nothing' about architecture in Asia? What elements and historical developments should we understand? Is it possible to read a society by studying its architecture? What sort of foreign concepts of architecture do we encounter in China and how are these adapted to the local context? And what Eastern ideas of architecture do we have in Europe?

Join the discussion with Zhang Xi, the co-founder and creative mind behind EXH design in Zurich and Shanghai, and Eduard Kögel, architectural historian, author and regular lecturer at the Berlin Institute of Technology and Bauhaus University Weimar, live at our office or online on Zoom.

This event is for Asia Society Members only. How to become a member?

Participation at our office is limited to 10 people. Masks are mandatory. Contact details of all participants are collected during registration to allow contact tracing. If you have any symptoms, we kindly ask you to stay at home. Asia Society members can also join the event online on the Conference platform Zoom.

Attendance is free. In order to avoid no-shows for tickets at our office, a CHF 50 no-show fee will be charged if you do not cancel your registration until 24 hours before the event the latest.