GENARCHITECTS
Beilei Fan
Founded in Shanghai in 2013, Genarchitects, under the leadership of Beilei Fang, Kong Rui, and Xue Zhe, tackles a variety of projects, including educational, cultural, and commercial buildings. Their work, such as the Dingshu Vocational School of Pottery and Yitingting Cottage, demonstrates their commitment to blending architectural quality with functionality, earning them numerous international accolades.
In her interview with us, Beilei talks about how the firm took on different types of projects following the shifting development needs in Shanghai. She shares with us how she balances the different aspects of her life with strict scheduling and how she choreographs space as a theater for the performance of life.
“You can feel like they focus on me to check if I’m okay, but afterward they will feel okay—she’s strong and she’s okay. And everything will be more smoothly.”
Why did you choose Shanghai to establish your firm?
I chose Shanghai very naturally because I truly love Shanghai. I live here, and I studied architecture here. And my first job was here. It's very rational to think about. The reason I say because it's an international city and every person is open-minded. And it’s very easy to start your business very young in this kind of big city. You know, it's a lot of opportunity, I think. Yeah, I think like many architects and architecture offices, the first projects come from friends.
Can you share with us the beginning of the firm?
My first client is kind of perfect because they are a couple and they are the friends and classmates of Kong Rui, and they want to leave the big city, to leave Shanghai, to go to the mountains and to open, like breakfast and bed, a retreat. And they ask us to help them to design the buildings and this is kind of, like friends, because you trust each other, and you know what you want. And afterward, we decided to open the office. And theirs is- Xue Zhe is kind of like the first group. We start with. And then I ask him if you want to be our partners. And he agrees. And we start.
Dingshu Vocational School of Pottery - Image by Su Shengliang
How do you get new projects now?
I think it's always difficult to get projects. Yeah, it's- it's all the questions for all the architects-- where all this fantastic project come from. For me, it's just a one by one. Yeah. Every period I feel very dangerous because they already like finish. No project. But afterwards one project. Come and come and come.
Has the way of getting projects changed from the beginning to now?
We are always discussing visiting people. We are partners and we always change our direction. From 2013 to 2017. We do a lot of renovation in downtown Shanghai because at that time a lot of people earned money from the first wave of the real-estate, like boom. And afterward, they find that there is some very easy business- is to rent like a big factory from the government and- you like renovate it into an office park, more like site changing. Transform to the office park in the downtown. It's like good business. You can rent a different kind of office like us. They care about the space. So, you want to have diversity—like the balcony, like a courtyard in the downtown afterward, I feel that all these clients know how to start a project, but they don't know how to operate it. We spend a lot of time to- to imagine the future life. We want to give this kind of like public space, the courtyards like a square. But afterward they- they add more and more space without [being] organized. And at that time, I think this kind of project we put like 90% of our work. But in the end, only 30% were represented. It's exhausting. So I still remember Xue Zhe said that maybe we- we quit. we closed. I think it's not super-fast to do this kind of work. I figured out that maybe we can't go to the rural area, like, outside of Shanghai, because there are many, like, private clients, like my, my first projects clients, they want to open like a small hotel. Hotel with a museum with a public space in the rural area. And also the government. They knew that a public building was very important in the small town because they needed some project to attract the people to come here.
What direction are you planning on expanding the firm in the future?
Before Covid, we were already like 20 and now it’s like about 15 people. I think there's a perfect size for us. And we don't want to be even bigger in the future, because if there are only 15 people we can do two projects at the same time. One is for example like very concept period. And on the other side, the other project is under construction and now it's like comfortable for me. I, I couldn't do many projects at the same time.
What are some of the obstacles or difficult moments you have to overcome during the years of practice?
The difference between the women and the men. Because when I was a child, you know, in China there's one-child policy. So each family. They care about only one child. So, for me, I never felt I'm a girl or a boy when I was a child. And I always fight with a boy and I always want to be the leader in the class and fight with all the boys. After I open the office, I be the partner of the office. I feel the difference. I always have this metaphor. It’s like, you get on the taxi and you'll find the driver is- is a woman then you will be a little bit worried. it's always like that. And in the first period of the project, you go to the construction area, you go to the meeting, you meet different people they will be like “Oh, it's a woman.” Yeah. You can feel like they focus on me to check if I'm okay, but afterwards, they will feel okay. Yeah, okay, she’s strong and she’s okay. And afterwards, everything will be like, more smoothly.
“You need everybody feels they contributed something. Because if only you thinking they are. Just do what you want. I think [it is] not healthy.”
Is there a specific design process that you follow?
You know architecture is too complicated. Nowadays, you can’t do it by yourself even from early periods because there is a lot of information. You should be organized in the very first time. So really in our office, I think is kind of being the school. Yeah, it's like a studio. And us three partners are like teachers, we are always with the students and usually, we design at the same time, they produce a lot of things. And we also produce our things, and we discuss them like in class. We talk- we talk about everything. We share everything. You need everybody feels they contributed something. Because if only you thinking they are. Just do what you want. I think [it is] not healthy. It's like because I'm [a] mother. When I treat a relationship between I and my child it’s totally the same. You should share everything You should tell them how you made the decision. And you. You should ask him to also to make decision and to ask him to know if you make the decision, you should share the results. And we discuss with models and pictures, models, pictures, reference models.
Mi Casa Su Casa Club Hotel - Image Credits Su Shengliang
“So, I always separate three parts. When my son was very young, the four hours for him. Like two hours in the morning two hours during the night for the child and four hours for myself. As reading, design. And the other is for the office. You should be very disciplined, you should put everything balanced, otherwise you will feel exhausted.”
Do you have a personal routine?
Yeah, it's very important for me. Usually, I get up like eight and from eight to one o’clock. I close my phone, this time by myself. I do the design, reading, or writing, and afterward I go to the office. I'll have a meeting on the Internet, from like 2 to maybe 8 or 9, and afterward, I will have dinner and do exercises. It's very important for me because it will make me like peaceful and then reading or maybe email or something. I want my life as simple as possible. You should have your rhythm, your routine, and you should make all the people respect your routine. Because I have a child, I have family, so it's very important. You should calculate the time, the hours. You can give your child, you can give to the office, you can give yourself. So I always separate like three parts. When my son was very young, the four hours for him. Like two hours in the morning two hours during the night for the child and four hours for myself. As reading, design. And the other is for the office. You should be very disciplined, you know, you should keep everything balanced, otherwise you will feel pretty exhausted.
How do you share roles and responsibilities with your partners?
We three guys. Like I think we are like family. Yeah. We never discussed--you have a different position in the company. we are very free to share the tasks of the office. For example, Kong Rui is so kind, so nice to everybody. So he likes to do the operation of the office because he focuses on everybody’s emotions and everybody’s needs. And Xue Zhe is kind of the artist. He wants to be A.I. I think. Yeah. So, he only focuses on the project and me kind of a balance for me. I always face outside-- talk to the public to share our information. The best way for us to feel comfortable.
Jiaotong Warehouse Renovation- Image by Chen Hao
What qualities do you look for in collaborators?
All kinds of people in our office. 15 we are like saying like personality, we are not that want to go out. I think architects should have very important characters, or personalities. you should be patient with everything and very positive to seek out the most important parts of everything.
How do you find new collaborators?
It's very difficult to make the decision only by talking. You should work together. So you usually come to the office. You should, like, try for three months, and then we totally understand. If we are, we can work together. Yeah. It's like the best way to test. You know usually we put them in like very technical things, the construction drawings. This part is the most tough part of each projects. So the architect you should- you are aware of every part and then you know, the whole picture and the, you know, which team can solve which kind of problem. It's very difficult. It’s like cooking, I think. you will always feel cooking is easy because you just prepare all the things together, and you think that you have to like one by one step- You can have a delicious. but no. Yeah. You should feel the heat of the pot. You should put the dish at the really right moment. And you should have a lot of experience in treating the different situations.
What are some challenges you have today?
It is always a big issue for us to want to keep people here long in the it's really difficult because it's not because of our office, I think. Is it because of the market? more and more young people leave the architecture region. They think there's no good future. Even in the school. No students chose the major of architecture because- because some people are really nice. They just want to work hard just to stand on. But afterward, their passion will disappear. And it- it will never come back. So for me, I want to keep each person's passion for their work, of their major.
“For me, the client brief is always only like 10% of the project because the client only has their perspective of this project. They have this very strict aim for each space, but the architecture will be there for hundreds of years.”
Is there a specific kind of experience you have in mind when designing a project?
There is always not enough time and you need to give something to talk with a client, For me, the client brief is always only like 10% of the project because the client only has their perspective of this project. They have this very strict aim for each space, but the architecture will be there for hundreds of years. Clients only focus on the time only like ten years. Architects kind of modifies the earth. You know, you create a space for the whole future. You should understand the very crucial parts. Understand how people behave in a space, how they live together, and what kind of space makes them feel free.
Can you share with us an example?
Two years ago, there was a renovation of a middle school. And this middle school is kind of like the best school in that city. So I go I run there school to wait for all the students to go to the, how to say, the finish of their class. And for me, that disaster thing is I saw all the students like, get to the restaurant in line and the teacher give-
give their path. You only can go this path one by one and go to eat. Finished. Finish eating and go back to class. So I hate it because this terrible teacher kills a student's life. Students are like soldiers-- reading, learning, eating. People don't live like that. Afterward, when I renovate the school, I kind of want to put some stuff. For example, they renovated, the sports center and I put the restaurant canteen just underground. I want all the space, and all the functional buildings to be multi-functional. We have people going there for different aims. You don't have any force or light and rights to decide for the students. Nowadays, I am designing a university in Chongming outside of Shanghai. The first thing is I want to open all the ground floor and to make all the functions like mixed on the ground floor. In each building you can read, you can learn you can sport can sit you can eat in. and the ground floor is open. Everybody can see you and you can go up, can have a clear view of the campus. I think the campus is like the town I want. Everybody lives here. They can't feel that real life is not just a place for learning is a place to meet. Maybe you can meet the most important people in your life here.
Can you elaborate on your idea of the architecture as a place to meet?
Create a space as a theatre. Everybody can perform, you know? If you perform, you will have an audience. Yeah. Audience. And this audience. Maybe your fan, maybe your partner, maybe your fans. in Florence, there is a bridge. in the during the daytime, it is so crowded. But during the night it becomes the theater.
Yitingting Cottage- Image by Chen Hao
What are some moments and experiences that inspired your practice?
I went to India to work for one month and I went traveling from the north to the south. It was a really fantastic period because in the last week. Because the week before leaving India, I went to Louis. Khan’s IIM, because I worked in Ahmedabad. The moment I go inside the bridge of the building. I kind of like crying, you know, because I feel Louis Khan gives India the most important part is like so peaceful, it is so exhausting in India. There are animals, people, the climate, the rain, the high like 46 degrees. But when you go there, you feel peaceful.
