Architecture Competition Archhive Books' Portable Reading Rooms 3rd place and Student prize winner - NANCHANG UNIVERSITY

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 3rd place and Student prize winner of our “Archhive Books' Portable Reading Rooms” competition - Wenhao Nie from China.

Wenhao Nie from China

Bachelor of Urban Planning/Nanchang University (China)

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For Instance what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where company/ Individuals have been involved?

Floating Books is a portable device which is designed to solve some social problems about paper books. I attempted to conduct a simple but interesting design, because only in this way can this design become real and then serve the society. For me, the size of architectural scale is not the only criterion to consider whether a building is “superior or inferior”. Design needs to be able to integrate into the society or try to solve some social problems, even if only a little.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

Architecture is an emotional vessel that can itself trigger human feelings and bring strength, such as comfort, happiness, vitality and even sadness. Architecture is closely related to us and is a concrete representation of our memories. Architects are an indispensable part of urban construction. They should shoulder some sense of social mission, take into account the comfortable space for different people and try to solve some social problems.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

It has a novel topic and inspires my thoughts, allowing me to learn how other people think about the same problem, which is a very interesting and meaningful experience.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture vision competitions?

Feel free to participate in, don't worry too much, and enjoy it. Whatever the outcome, it will be another step up in your thinking and design. When you have completed the design, you will be proud to have overcome many difficulties and come up with your own ideas.