Beijing Center successfully hosted a workshop on Environment, Design Arts, and Wood

On September 7, Columbia Global Centers | Beijing, in collaboration with USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, American Hardwood Export Council, and American Institute of Architecture, hosted a workshop on “Environment, Design Arts, and Wood”.

Dr. Christopher Bielecki, Deputy Director of ATO Office, U.S. Embassy Beijing, delivered an opening speech. Dr. Christine E. Bruckner, Director of M Moser Associates, and Emma Chang, Principal and Design Director of Gensler, were invited to share new concepts on environmental sustainability and green materials and their design ideas that enhance contemporary living environment in ways of wellness, comfort, elegance, and sustainability.

“The main idea of design is people-oriented,” said Dr. Bruckner. “In the future, we will develop more collaborations with various fields to use wood in the interior design, and we would want more people to see the beauty of combination between arts and nature.”

“One of the major concepts in our design is that we derive from nature but we also integrate into nature,” said Chang. “We are more than willing to use low-carbon and environmental-friendly broadleaf trees in our projects, whether it is architectural design or interior design.” Chang continued that the wide use of wood could give people a natural sense of reality and comfort and help people experience the leisure away from the city life.

More than 150 people attended the event, including professors and students from Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design and Central Academy of Fine Arts’ School of CAFA. More than 120,000 people watched the event live through the Beijing Center’s live streaming platform.