BIM Architecture: Embracing Retreat as a Step Forward | Wang Jianfeng Speech

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Guest Introduction

Wang Jianfeng

Founding Partner of PL-T Architecture Firm and Local Winery Studio. Italian-trained architect with a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Venice (IUAV), specializing in urban architecture and Aldo Rossi-related theories. During his time in Italy, he worked at Ferlenga Architetti Associates in Milan and participated in the Venice Biennale.

Hello everyone. Although based in a city like Guangzhou, I often engage with projects beyond the city limits. Today, architects facing urban projects often act as teachers—offering guidance, encouragement, or critique. However, when confronted with the natural environment, architects become like naive students, for nature itself is the ultimate teacher.

We learn from nature and the mountain inhabitants, allowing nature to lead the design while we assist. This approach has led me to a crucial realization:

Only nature can truly command time, creating a depth and quality that no designer can replicate. Consider the enduring majesty of a century-old walnut tree, the weathered salt fields, or the ever-changing reflections on a lake.

Quzika, Tibet © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

Quzika, Tibet © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

Thousand-year-old salt fields in southern Tibet © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

Batang Plateau © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

The allure of nature lies in its constant transformation. Time and nature collaborate to evolve a landscape, preserving its unique local character. This evolution is fascinating. As I’ve mentioned before, design ultimately explores the potential of spatial transformation and evolution. In cities, as history and social needs change, durable architectural spaces adapt to new functions—like the Doge’s Palace in Padua, Italy, now serving as a marketplace, or the Torentini Monastery in Venice, repurposed as a university library. These buildings retain distinct forms and physical features, what we habitually call ‘a building in the city.’

Torentini Monastery, Venice © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

In nature, a house that truly embodies local character can be adapted over time to meet changing living needs. More importantly:

The essence of such a house should evolve organically, shaped by nature and time.

Its materials, windows, lighting, views, airflow, and spatial qualities will naturally respond to environmental changes. We call this:

Integration into the natural landscape, rather than mere architecture.

Such a house should be regarded not as a building, but as a natural phenomenon or scene. From this perspective, the building’s appearance is less important—I aim to design spaces that are ‘de-formalized.’

Although all buildings eventually take some form, the goal is to prioritize the interaction between the spatial phenomenon and its natural context over any predetermined form.

The hope is that the building fades into nature, yet its life remains perceptible.

Quzika, Tibet © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

Concealed externally within nature, internally simple and ethereal. This encapsulates the design intention, which I summarize as:Primitivism.

What does primitivism mean here?

Primitivism is not simplistic; rather, it is complex and profound.

To illustrate, consider this image of a tropical grassland settlement in West Africa.

Tropical grassland settlements in West Africa © Image sourced from “One Hundred Teachings of Settlements”

Japanese architect Hiroshi Hara eloquently describes this in his book One Hundred Teachings on Settlements:

“One grain of sand, one world”—this phrase captures the unique power and potential of primitivism. Yuan Guangsi elaborates:

“One grain of sand, one world. Even the smallest element can reflect the universe.”

This concept originated with Anaxagoras in ancient Greece, was inherited by Neoplatonism and philosopher Gutanus, and has influenced Western European thought as a framework for understanding the world. Similarly, Eastern philosophies, such as the Upanishads’ concept of ‘Brahman as One’ and Buddhist reflections, echo this idea. Japanese medieval aesthetics in abbots’ dwellings and tea houses further illuminate its meaning.

The structural principle of ‘one grain of sand, one world’ is known as self-similarity, which modern mathematics interprets as fractal geometry, as developed by French mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot. This concept scales up to ideas like the city as a microcosm of the universe. For example, in West Africa’s tropical grasslands, a single residence can represent a universe in miniature.

In essence, the concept means transcending scale—buildings or cities should not be judged solely by their size.

Now, let’s turn to two murals for further reflection.

The first is from Cave 290 of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, dating to the Northern Zhou Dynasty—over 1400 years ago. Nearly four decades later, during the Tang Dynasty, the Mogao Caves saw a flourishing of exquisite Buddhist paintings. However, I find the earlier murals from the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou periods more moving.

Why? Perhaps because they exude a simple, pure, and primitive aura—powerful, ethereal, and inspiring boundless imagination for more than a millennium.

Disciples from Mogao Caves, Cave 290, Northern Zhou Dynasty © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

The second mural dates 750 years later and is one of the 28 frescoes by Giotto in the San Francesco Cathedral in Assisi, Italy, titled “St. Francis Preaching to the Birds,” painted in 1330. Giotto’s work marked the dawn of the Renaissance and brought forth many masters.

As Fu Lei observed:

“There is an objective realism and fresh imagination hidden in the naïve sketches; no artist has ever portrayed the innocent story of Saint Francis as vividly and movingly as Giotto.”

“St. Francis Preaching to the Birds,” San Francesco Cathedral, 1330 © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

In my view, what is remarkable is that the anonymous artist of the Northern Zhou “Portrait of a Disciple” and Giotto, painting 750 years later, share an astonishingly similar style, as if cut from the same cloth.

Look closely: the simple palette of blue, black, gray, and ochre harmonizes between the two murals. The gestures and rhythms of the monks and priests align, their postures devout and benevolent, resembling one another. The compositions are tall, simple, and carry an ancient spirit. This innate and primitive temperament allowed these works to transcend their more refined and skillful successors.

This embodies the idea of ‘retreat as progress.’

Left: Northern Zhou “Portrait of a Disciple,” Mogao Grottoes, Cave 290 © Photo by Wang Jianfeng
Right: Giotto’s “St. Francis Preaching to the Birds,” San Francesco Cathedral, 1330 © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

The key difference between these murals lies in the concept of ‘retreat as progress.’ The earlier Northern Zhou piece exhibits a more surreal abstraction than Giotto’s Renaissance fresco, arguably surpassing Picasso’s “Dream,” painted 1400 years later.

If Picasso, who painted “Dream” in 1932, had visited the Mogao Caves and seen these ancient murals from the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou dynasties, how might he have reacted? Would he have been lost in the dream of ‘progress or regression’?

Left: Northern Zhou “Portrait of a Disciple,” Mogao Grottoes, Cave 290 © Photo by Wang Jianfeng
Right: Picasso’s “Dream,” 1932 © Image sourced from the internet

To clarify these ideas further, let me introduce a small project:

TREE HIDEOUT – Hidden Tree

Lead Designer: Wang Jianfeng / PL-T Architecture

Location: Latvia

Date: 2018

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This meditation house project is located in Ozolini Farm, a rural area in northeastern Latvia surrounded by grasslands and forest. It is an ideal environment for physical and mental relaxation in an unspoiled natural setting. The project’s goal was to create a residence where guests could quietly immerse themselves in the forest for meditation.

Returning to the concept of “externally hidden in the forest, internally simple and ethereal,” this design aims to embody Primitivism.

How do we understand primitivism here?

For people accustomed to modern urban living, spending time in this forest for meditation means embracing a lifestyle and philosophy entirely different from city life. It helps clear material and mental clutter, reaching a state of ‘zero’—returning body and mind to their origin. This is fundamental for meditation.

How do we design such an experience?

We cannot truly create it, because it is not manufactured; it is sought. The search for the original state of life is the closest connection between human existence and nature—returning to a degree of primitivism.

For example, a Tibetan woman on the Batang Plateau builds unique walls from cow dung, demonstrating profound wisdom in living harmoniously with nature.

Litang Plateau © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

We also need quiet spaces, but what is ‘quiet’? For those truly seeking quietude, it is more than just silence. It is returning the mind and body to simplicity and calm, free from restlessness—true tranquility. A baby can sleep soundly amid noise; adults find this difficult because of their engagement with the external world. The quieter the cicada forest or bird-filled mountain, the less this is physical quiet and more inner peace.

Inner peace depends on human behavior and environment. Here, primitivism is essential—allowing behavior to return to an original state, reconnecting closely with nature daily. This signifies a different way of life and psychological state than in cities.

Therefore, I reiterate: “The exterior hides in the forest, while the interior is simple and ethereal.”

This meditation space is conceived within Latvia’s pristine forest, establishing a close connection with nature. The idea was to create a cabin replicable and adaptable to any forest environment—capable of blending seamlessly into the woodland, not just through colors and materials but by becoming part of nature itself.

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To realize this, I drew inspiration from the forest’s primary element—the tree. By emulating the form of Nordic pine trunks, I created an interior ‘tree space’ embodying meditative qualities from Western culture. This led to a simple conical shape that almost disappears within the forest.

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The structure uses local wood with vertical narrow wooden strips on the exterior, matching the surrounding pine forest and keeping construction costs reasonable.

The entrance is subtle and mysterious, designed as a narrow ‘gap’—like entering through a crack in a tree trunk into the “tree interior space.”

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This conical space condenses my vision of a Western-style meditation space. Interestingly, while I admire many Italian churches from the Renaissance, their complex, layered prayer spaces have never inspired my meditation space designs.

Instead, two images come to mind when thinking of meditation houses in Latvian forests—one real, one imagined.

The first is a photo of the Pantheon in Rome, over two thousand years old:

Pantheon, Rome 27–25 B.C. © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

The second is Hieronymus Bosch’s painting “The Rise of Blessings,” painted between 1505 and 1515:

“The Rise of Blessings” by Hieronymus Bosch, 1505–1515 © Image sourced from the internet

Wikipedia insightfully describes this painting:

The most captivating element is the large channel at the top, resembling a direct view to the sky through a straw. Stephen Hitchens calls it “a channel of kindness and light,” symbolizing a visionary union with God.^[1] This 3D tunnel allows viewers to glimpse the “white light” of heaven, with three figures awaiting the blessed souls. Nearby, an angel leads the soul toward a pearl-like gate. These figures—one robed with wings, the other naked—represent the soul and angel in prayer.

Beneath the tunnel, angels assist human souls toward redemption.

The painting’s lighting contrasts dim surroundings with bright light at the tunnel’s end, symbolizing a realm beyond earthly illumination. This funnel resembles contemporary accounts of near-death experiences and was a common medieval depiction of heaven’s entrance.^[2] Bosch’s funnel shape also echoes modern zodiac charts, transformed into a luminous corridor guiding the blessed to God.

The passage to heaven in Bosch’s painting closely mirrors the Pantheon’s dome. It seems Bosch rotated the dome 90 degrees to form this radiant tunnel and pearl-like gate.

I suspect Bosch visited the Pantheon centuries earlier; otherwise, how else could he envision such a heavenly perspective?

Left: Pantheon, Rome 27–25 B.C. © Photo by Wang Jianfeng
Right: “The Rise of Blessings” by Hieronymus Bosch, 1505–1515 © Image sourced from the internet

This heavenly passage, funnel-shaped space, and luminous portal inspired me to rotate Bosch’s tunnel by 90 degrees and embed it into the forest environment. This concept forms the pure prototype of the meditation house’s interior.

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Left: “The Rise of Blessings” by Hieronymus Bosch, 1505–1515 © Image sourced from the internet
Right: © PL-T Architecture Firm

From a temporal perspective, this is ‘regression’; spatially, it is ‘progress.’ This encapsulates my understanding of ‘retreat as progress.’

This meditation room is a small, tranquil sanctuary free from distractions, fostering inner exploration. Narrow, elongated windows frame the surrounding forest, focusing attention on the subtle movement of branches and leaves—a profound insight into the natural world.

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Functionally, the design separates spaces to provide a quiet, independent environment for meditation and reconnection with nature. The accommodation, auxiliary, and meditation areas are distinct units.

But beyond function, I aim for these units to form a hidden settlement in the forest, evoking the texture of primitive African tribes.

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All three buildings rest on a unified wooden platform, connected by this outdoor deck, creating cohesion and unity. This platform serves as the outdoor communal area, which I prefer to call a ‘region’ or ‘territory,’ reflecting how primitive settlements define their own space.

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Prototype of African nomadic settlements, Venice Biennale © Photo by Wang Jianfeng

The largest unit is the “living pod,” a simple open space incorporating a small kitchen.

Notably, the bed is suspended. This encourages a primitive, natural way of moving—climbing up and down—that reminds occupants they live in a forest, not a smart city. It also lends a ritualistic quality to daily life and sleep, an important habit from slower-paced past lives now lost in fast urban living. Another vital aspect is that sleepers are visually closer to the circular skylight above, which, along with the bed, creates a quiet, expansive space filled with light and nature. This perspective contrasts sharply with urban life, which often offers only up or down views with limited sky visibility due to light pollution. Additionally, suspending the bed frees the lower space for better use.

The bathroom occupies another small unit connected to the living space, with interlocking forms visible externally.

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Solar panels installed on nearby trees provide electricity and lighting for the units.

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A rainwater collection tank is concealed beneath the outdoor wooden platform.

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The wall construction considers the region’s climate—cold winters and warm summers—with a breathable insulation layer and cork veneer, combined with the building’s form, effectively regulating indoor temperature.

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This concludes today’s discussion on advancing through retreat. My message is that stepping back is not merely an architectural idea but permeates design, art, and everyday life.

The final image shows a project I completed in Tibet, situated in a forest at the foot of Meili Snow Mountain. It also reflects the theme of Retreat as Progress, Nature as Teacher. We will explore this further next time.

Thank you all.

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