Interview with Ivana and Jan Bendová

Architects Ivana and Jan Bendovi have been working in Shanghai for more than ten years. According to their designs, a whole range of skyscrapers and residential complexes has already been built in the rapidly growing Chinese cities. The Bendovi couple provided our review with an exclusive interview not only about life and construction in China. Their views on the construction of high-rise buildings are also interesting.

Why did you choose China? Was it difficult to establish yourselves in the Middle Kingdom?
Ivana: In the early nineties, there was an economic crisis in North America. The company I was working for at the time began looking for new markets and expanding into China. In 1991, I was selected to work on the first Chinese project in Shenzhen. The beginnings were very tough, especially psychologically – a completely different culture, language, way of thinking. At the turn of the millennium, a transformation occurred, and Shanghai began to be a city where one can live. There is a tremendous energy there that cannot be experienced anywhere else.
Jan: I believe that an architect should be where construction is happening. And by the end of the twentieth century, China became one of the largest construction sites in the world. I arrived in Shanghai in March 1993, when there was really almost nothing there and everything was just starting up. So I am both a direct witness and a participant in all the events.

What were the most complicated obstacles you had to overcome?
Ivana: One of the biggest problems is the incredible speed at which work must be done. Many of our foreign colleagues struggle with this. The Chinese are very resilient, they work almost without a break, in the evenings and on weekends. Our firm ultimately had to mandate that there would be no work on Sundays unless there was a completely extraordinary reason, so that employees would have at least one day off, as required by official Chinese law. Another problem is how we repeatedly encounter a completely different logic, different ways of thinking. Sometimes these are absolutely unimaginable thought processes for us, which logically stem from traditional Chinese culture, values, and views on life upon closer inspection.
Jan: It could be said: “many are called, but few are chosen.” Initially, we faced more technical and communication problems; now there is a famous architect in just about every corner of China and the entire business is more competent. Therefore, I consider it a success that our firm was ranked as the sixth best in Shanghai this year.

How many constructions do you have to your credit, and which one is your favorite?
Ivana: We don’t have real statistics yet. We estimate the number of projects in the hundreds. However, that does not mean that everything has been built. The most are probably various residential complexes – in both the volume of built area and the number of projects. A typical residential complex ranges from several tens of thousands to one million square meters. For comparison, we read somewhere that in the Czech Republic, about sixty thousand square meters of apartments are built each year. The projects that have grown closest to my heart are mostly the newest ones.
Jan: I think that the number of our constructions is not so important. What matters is to what extent we have managed to change or improve the lives of ordinary people. We strive to create architecture that is significant – not from the perspective of architectural theory, but from the perspective of human life.

How does designing and building in China differ from here?
Ivana: In terms of size, speed of processing, and generally a slightly lower standard of construction execution. Most constructions are built "on greenfield sites," so there is not much to rely on or connect to. In certain respects, Chinese projects are more generous; clients want to have a bit of "fun" with constructions. There are also significant differences in culture, lifestyle, and how society operates – legislation, economics, business, social ties.
Jan: It’s hard to talk about; the principles of projects and design rules are different, just like the tasks of contemporary Chinese architecture. It is not possible to mechanically compare house to house; what is essential is to understand the society and its value system well. Sometimes the problem is getting the idea across to the other side of the table, finding the right way to communicate the project's principles not only to colleagues in the office but also to the client, all consultants, and builders. It is about conveying what is essential, what must be adhered to, and where there may be alternative technical solutions. The incredible speed of construction, determined by the number of people on site, the length of working hours, project management, the education of construction workers, the organization of work, and many other aspects is different as well.

How do you find collaborating with Chinese builders and suppliers?
Ivana: I would say it is somewhat similar to everywhere else. It largely depends on the people. Some are honest, others try to cheat. In the case of an architect, it is essential to understand the work that suppliers need to perform and to be able to convince them of how things need to be done.
Jan: In China, the client himself still chooses suppliers, just as he selects the final materials. Sometimes he asks for our opinion, sometimes he doesn't. In many cases, the client is unable to distinguish between the quality of the material and its value. He does not have enough experience in knowing where it is possible to save effectively and where it is not. Thus, we face the problem of how to convince the client that we are working in his interest, that we are on his side.

There are many architects from all over the world working in China. How do Chinese architects perceive foreign competition?
Ivana: They are doing everything they can to catch up with and, if possible, surpass foreign competition. They have the advantage of a domestic environment, which is very important. In principle, the Chinese are reluctant to collaborate with foreigners, and vice versa. A Chinese developer would much prefer to hire a Chinese architect because he knows they will understand each other better. The cultural, linguistic, and professional barriers are so vast that communication between Chinese and foreigners always hits some problems. It is important to know this and to be able to avoid such situations or to solve them properly. Foreign developers, for the same reasons, prefer to hire foreigners. The Chinese often reach out to well-known foreign architectural firms just to boost the project's reputation.
Jan: It is quite logical that Chinese architects are losing many opportunities. But on the other hand, they know they lack experience with a whole range of building types and that it is more advantageous for them to entrust construction to experienced teams.

What materials are most commonly used in construction?
Jan: Reinforced monolithic concrete is the most common choice for supporting structures. For filling materials, practically everything available in North America or Europe can be found. The problem is more about their proper use and application. The details are often not executed as we would like.

What facade systems are used?
Ivana: In China, all construction materials, products, and systems are available just as in any other country. The question is more about the price and what the budget for the project is.
Jan: Almost all major foreign manufacturers of facade systems have branches in the country. If there is enough money for the construction, it is not a problem to import anything.

Last year, thanks to a teleconference, you participated in a conference on high-rise buildings in Prague. In your presentation, you clearly supported the construction of skyscrapers in our city of a hundred spires. What is your vision for Prague in 2050? I see a city with high...?
Ivana: The answer is not simple. In our presentation, we emphasized that the first step is to process a vision for the development of the city, where questions concerning Prague's position within Europe or even the world would be addressed, what is needed for such a position, and how it can be achieved. The answer to the question of whether to build high-rise buildings in Prague, where and how, should arise from this fundamental vision. In principle, we believe that the construction of tall buildings will be necessary in the future with regard to the protection of agricultural land, achieving sufficient urban density, and the efficiency of public transport.
Jan: The height of a building is just one of its dimensions. Prague needs enlightened councilors who can convince politicians and architects to find common ground, as well as have the courage themselves to allow constructions that would define a new architectural standard. Buildings that would match, in quality and significance, those of St. Vitus Cathedral and other jewels of Czech architecture. People still talk about building upon the interwar architecture, but I think it is difficult to move forward with one's head turned backward. Dreams are more important than memories.

You also mentioned that the Chinese government is working on transforming Shanghai into a global metropolis. While the construction of skyscrapers is certainly encouraged, it is said that with their increasing number, the city is gradually sinking into the sea...
Ivana: The construction of skyscrapers is part of a vision that aims to catapult Shanghai into the realm of global cities. It is one of the "most..." – "the tallest skyscraper," "the fastest train," etc. However, Shanghai is sinking due to its very watery subsoil. Whether skyscrapers are contributing to this and whether it would be different without them is another question.
Jan: High-rise buildings are just one of many aspects that, when seen in their entirety, give a complete picture on which the city can be perceived as a "global metropolis." But it would be a great mistake to think that skyscrapers alone are to blame. You can surely imagine that a 400-meter high building is quite heavy and its foundations must rest on solid rocky ground. I believe that the issue is not so much the weight of the buildings as the extraction of groundwater during construction. It is likely that once construction activity calms down, the ground subsidence will also cease. For now, it is several millimeters per year.

It is also known that the Chinese closely guard the historic cores of their cities. How do they resolve the coexistence of the old with the new?
Ivana: That is a distorted piece of information. The Chinese traditionally do not assign much value to old houses. Quite the opposite. An old house can be negatively impacted if someone died there or was a witness to troubled fates. In China, everyone prefers living in something new. Heritage protection has never been among established Chinese concepts and its principles are difficult to enforce. Many traditional local buildings have irretrievably disappeared in recent years, and cohabiting the old with the new is not considered unusual or shocking. Here, we hit upon a completely different way of thinking, value concepts, lifestyle, and so on. It is a separate chapter in the development of Chinese cities, which needs to be given much more time.
Jan: As far as I know, Chinese universities would welcome the expertise of Czech heritage conservationists regarding methodology and systematic research of old houses, their classification and categorization. When it comes to reconstructions, I fear that Czech conservationists are too conservative and struggle to accept the contemporary era as another of the historical layers, equally valuable as all those before it. There is perhaps an opportunity for the Czech side to learn something here.

What would you recommend to young architects who want to establish themselves in China?
Ivana: Recently, I met in Shanghai with the director of the "Princeton in Asia" program, which has been operating for over 108 years. Its aim is to send young Americans to Asia to work and teach English. To my great surprise, I found that the most important quality when selecting suitable candidates is considered to be humility. I completely agree with that. One cannot come to China with the idea that it is a backward country and that "we" are the ones who have better knowledge and experience and are therefore destined to save and remake it. It is also important to learn at least a bit of the language.
Jan: Those who are afraid shouldn’t enter the forest, as the old folk wisdom goes. Similarly, this applies to China. Working in this country requires not only courage and humility but also a significant effort to understand the people, culture, and value system of contemporary China. And most importantly, it is crucial not to approach it with a ready-made notion of what China is based on information presented in the media. The most important thing is to form your own independent perspective based on real-life experiences. Not everything is good; surely everyone will encounter some problems, but China offers young people an opportunity that is hard to find elsewhere. However, if someone believes that living and working in China is easy, they are sorely mistaken.