rocker-lange blog

We are excited to share that Christian J. Lange will be speaking at a special Book Talk hosted by ORO Editions and Axiomatic Editions during the opening weekend of the Biennale Architettura 2025 in Venice. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Palazzo Bembo, the event will explore the continued relevance of architectural books in our digital era, drawing inspiration from Victor Hugo’s famous line, “Ceci tuera cela”. Christian will be joining an exceptional group of authors to discuss the work on his book “Cities of Repetition”, the role of authorship as activism, and how those ideas intersect with the Biennale’s theme, “Intelligens.”

Location and time:
Palazzo Bembo
Saturday, May 10, 2025, 4:00 PM

Featured Speakers include:
– Adèle Naudé Santos (Santos Prescott and Associates)
– Alan Ricks (MASS.)
– Charles Waldheim (Harvard University)
– Christian J. Lange and Jason Carlow (HKU and American University of Sharjah)
– John Marx (Form4 Architecture)
– John Lin (HKU)
– Jordan Rogove & Wayne Norbeck (DXA Studio)
– Susan Jones (atelierjones)

Moderators: William Richards (Team Three) & Ashley Simone (Axiomatic Editions)
Presented with the support of the European Cultural Centre.

If you’re attending the Biennale, I hope you’ll join us for this afternoon of critical discussion and exchange.

We’re excited to share that Christian J. Lange was recently featured on the newly launched ARCHITALKS podcast, which explores innovative voices and ideas shaping the future of architecture.

In this episode of ARCHITALKS, Christian J. Lange, Associate Professor (Teaching) in the Department of Architecture and lead of the Faculty Robotic Fabrication Lab at the University of Hong Kong, and principal investigator of the Reformative Coral Habitat Project, speaks on the collaborative research effort between the Robotic Fabrication Lab and the Swire Institute of Marine Science at HKU. We discuss his research interest in clay and 3-D printing technology and computational design, the challenges with design and fabrication, working with marine biologists and reflect on the potential applications beyond the coral reefs project for architecture, landscape design, and coastal protection in a climate change vulnerable region.

We invite you to listen to the full podcast here.
https://www.arch.hku.hk/event_/architalks-ep-6/

We are pleased to announce that Christian J. Lange will be delivering a lecture, alongside co-author Jason Carlow, as part of the Future Human Habitats Lecture Series 2025 at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School. In this talk, Lange and Carlow will share insights from their recent book, Cities of Repetition: Hong Kong’s Private Housing Estates. The lecture will explore the urban logic, architectural patterns, and socio-spatial dynamics of Hong Kong’s large-scale residential developments, offering a critical lens on the city’s high-density living environments.

The lecture will be held on April 1st 2025 at 5:00pm in the lobby in Building H Future Human Habitats, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School.

I am very happy to be part of the upcoming 1-Day symposium on AI in Sharjah, UAE. The Interrogating Intelligence in Artificial Architecture symposium will be hosted by AUS’s Department of Architecture on Sunday, March 9th.

Interrogating Intelligence in Artificial Architecture

Date: Sunday, March 9
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Venue: AUS Main Building, Lecture Hall B

As the efficacy of artificial intelligence develops and its use and application becomes more widespread, academia and industry are bracing for significant change. AI is not going away and it will get smarter. The question design educators are facing is not “if” but “how” to incorporate artificial intelligence into the classroom. CAAD is committed to lead the discussion on developing an ethical, generative pedagogy that propels our students toward cutting-edge design technologies and careers. This symposium intends to probe the limits and infinitude of machine learning’s impact on the built environment. The panel comprises leading researchers, educators, practitioners and industry leaders who have been using AI to rethink architectural design and production in various ways. The event will feature five presentations on the use of AI with regard to architectural design and education followed by a moderated discussion.

Presenters / Panelists:
Omran Alowais, Founder ARDH
George Guida, Architag / Harvard GSD
Anna Wanyu He, CEO of xKool / Lookx
Andy Shaw, Principal – AMA Design Dubai
Christian J. Lange, The University of Hong Kong

Moderator: Marcus Farr, American University of Sharjah

I am thrilled to share the upcoming book launch at HKU of “Cities of Repetition,” co-authored by Christian J. Lange. The book launch is part of HKU’s discussion series and will be held on 23 October, 2024.

Abstract:
Housing is one of the most fundamental elements of urban growth, and Hong Kong has for decades hosted some of the most intense built environments on the planet. The city’s urbanization has produced unparalleled living conditions in terms of building scale and density. Due to lack of space, topographical constraints, political conditions, and extremely high population density, Hong Kong became an incubator for the development of housing models and tower typologies for high-density living.

“Cities of Repetition provides a comprehensive graphic documentation and analysis of the largest Hong Kong housing estates built by private developers from the late 1960’s through the early 2000’s. The original drawings and diagrams illustrate and compare the ultra-dense, mass-produced, highly repetitive built environments in which hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents live. Drawings, diagrams and photographs not only display the immense scale of the housing estates within the city, but also present the hundreds of similarly planned housing units and their subtle differences. Detailed diagrams compare statistical information to show how the planning of these massive estates has evolved over the past decades to efficiently conform to building regulations. The publication and larger research project present a comprehensive analysis of the architectural and spatial realities of some of the most densely populated, urban environments ever built. Overall, the project presents an investigation and analysis of how hundreds of residential towers in Hong Kong, built in the final decades of the twentieth century, were shaped by regulatory and economic forces that radically standardized the city and limited architectural specificity in relation to context.

Fall 2024 Discussion Series
Date: 23 October, 2024
Time: 18:30-20:00
Venue: KB419, Knowles Building, The University of Hong Kong

Speakers:

Christian J. Lange, Associate Professor (Teaching), Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong

Jason F. Carlow, Associate Professor and Head of Department, Department of Architecture, American University of Sharjah

Discussants:
– Eunice Seng, Head, Department of Architecture, HKU
– Juan Du, Dean, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, University of Toronto
– Gary Chang, Managing Director, EDGE Design Institute Ltd. HKU MArch 1987⁠
– Lam Lai Shun, Associate, Thomas Chow Architects HKU MArch 2013

We are happy to announce that Christian J. Lange will deliver a lecture as part of Shenzhen University’s ‘Contemporary Architecture Frontier’ 2024 | Artificial and Intelligence series.

The series of lectures for the ‘Contemporary Architecture Frontier’ postgraduate demonstration course at Shenzhen University, under the guidance of ‘International Vision’ and ‘Youth Vanguard’, has built a platform for theoretical construction and practical analysis of architectural design and urban construction in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Over the past three semesters, this course has focused on hot topics including history, philosophy, art, urban and rural renewal, digital cities, and Shenzhen experiments, inviting more than 70 high-level experts, scholars, and architects from domestic and international brother schools and the industry, and has held more than 20 frontier academic lectures and dialogues.

Against the backdrop of the industry where the future of architecture and cities has sparked widespread discussion, the theme of this semester’s course is ‘Artificial and Intelligence – Architecture Towards the Future’. On the one hand, it explores the academic frontier where emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, robots, and metaverse intersect with architecture. At the same time, it attempts to seek the genuine power of ‘anti-AI’ architectural design creation in the era of change, and plans to invite pioneering scholars from home and abroad to try to discuss the new ideas, new theories, and new practices in the architectural industry under the ‘planning design – construction interaction’ full industry chain from two distinct paths, focusing on generative design of urban architecture, intelligent or traditional construction methods, and information interaction between machines and humans or nature and humans, and to carry out knowledge sharing and academic speculation on the transformation of architecture and cities.

Lecture Abstract:

From Standard to Non-Standard Standards：New modes of production in Architecture

In Architecture, the concept of standardization has had a profound impact on the built environment. In a sense, standardization has been the essence of all economic developments and rapid urbanization since the early 20th century. However, computational tools and CAD/CAM methods developed in the past two decades have given architects a loophole to escape the mandate for standardization. Robotic fabrication and 3D printing are the latest ingredients in the modern toolbox of an architect, promising the world more specificity for the same price. The next big thing is already on the horizon. AI has emerged at light speed as a powerful new tool out of nowhere and is here to stay to shake up the world of Architecture as we know it. This lecture explores this transformation from standard solutions to a world that might give a renaissance to arts and crafts with a digital twist. Drawing from personal research conducted at the Robotic Fabrication Lab at HKU, the presentation delves into innovative projects that depart from traditional standardization approaches and try to offer new solutions with the aim towards non-standard Standards.

Lecture Time and Location:

Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at 19:00, Room C205
School of Architecture & Urban Planning,SZU
Address: 3688 Nanhai Avenue, Nanhai District,Shenzhen

We’re excited to share the upcoming discussion series “Critical Disruptions,” organized by Christian J. Lange at the University of Hong Kong. This series of talks will explore the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence in architecture and its potential to critically reshape the discipline and the architect’s role within it.

Abstract:
Computational tools based on artificial intelligence (AI) are advancing fast and becoming more accessible to the industry of Architecture. Since 2022, the profession has witnessed an extraordinary development on architectural representations with applications, such as Midjourney, Dall-E, or Stable Diffusion. A recent RIBA report disclosed that 41% of all UK architects are already using AI in their daily work. The question at stake is whether AI is just another tool at hand in creating architecture, or whether it is, as some say, a disruption to the industry, shaking up the very definition of the role of the architect.

Last semester, the studio “Vary (Strong) | Upcycling public housing via AI” taught by Christian J. Lange and Mono Tung started a first discussion in the Department of Architecture at HKU on how to utilize AI in the discipline. The studio generated some very innovative outcomes by developing novel methods in the design process with the help of AI.

The “Critical disruption” discussion series is a next step in bringing attention to the subject by inviting some architects and designers who have dedicated their work and research in recent years to the subject of AI and to advance its usage in the profession.

Organized by
Christian J. Lange

Moderator
Adeline Chan
AI Researcher & Project Associate, Department of Architecture

Discussant
Christian J. Lange
Director of the Fabrication and Material Technologies Lab and Associate Professor (Teaching), Department of Architecture

Discussion Schedule:

Tim Fu 傅倜龍, CEO, Studio Tim Fu (London)
Friday, 12 April 2024, 6:00–8:00pm

Hamid Hassanzadeh, Founder, Parametric Architecture
Tuesday, 16 April 2024, 6:00–8:00pm

Hao Zheng 鄭豪, Director, Architectural Intelligence Group (AIG)
KB419 Lecture Hall, 4/F Knowles Building, HKU
Wednesday, 17 April 2024, 12:30–2:00pm

Carlos Banon, Architect, Associate Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Design, SUTD
Thursday, 18 April 2024, 6:00–8:00pm

Wanyu He 何宛余, Founder and CEO, XKool
KB730 Lecture Hall, 7/F Knowles Building, HKU
Tuesday, 23 April 2024, 1:00–2:30pm

Arturo Tedeschi, Director, Studio Arturo Tedeschi
Thursday, 9 May 2024, 6:00–7:00pm

For more information, please use link below.
https://www.arch.hku.hk/event_/critical-disruptions/?page_num=10

We’re pleased to announce Christian J. Lange’s latest exhibition at PMQ, marking the culmination of his doctoral research completed at RMIT University in spring 2023. Titled Autobryksformation: Towards a New Approach to Brick Expressionism | Methods for Unique Idiosyncrasies in Architectural Material Systems | A Practice in the Making, the exhibition introduces audiences to Lange’s innovative exploration of robotic 3D printing with raw clay. Spanning six years of research at the intersection of architecture and advanced fabrication, the show presents a rich body of work through full-scale prototypes, material experiments, and visual documentation—reimagining the potential of ceramic building components in the architectural landscape.

Abstract:
With a focus on robotically controlled 3D printing methods, this exhibition reflects on the past six years of Christian J. Lange’s research, which culminated into his Ph.D. at RMIT in 2023.
Using raw clay as a base material to innovate form, function, and ornament of architectural ceramic building components, the work on display oscillates between his research in the Robotic Fabrication Lab and his teaching at HKU. The two arenas have become the dominant modes of operation to advance the creative work and constantly influence each other through their specific relationship. The exhibition combines and displays the various projects and approaches in these two streams accumulated throughout the years via physical models, 1:1 scale prototypes, video footage, drawings, and photographs.

Rethinking and revitalizing the 7000-year-old material system of brick, and in particular the brick special (bespoke brick) and other means of ceramic components, the research in this exhibition addresses new modes of production that explore innovative structures, novel performances, and unplanned surface expressions. The work offers alternative answers and applications to the generic, standardized building systems that dominate most of today’s built environment, constrain architectural creativity, and limit innovative design approaches.

The exhibition reveals Lange’s particular approach in this research territory via four lenses that will give a unique insight into the work that offers material solutions for architecture that can be more specific and expressive. The explorations with design-built projects, prototypes, and material experimentations on display unfold and contextualize the methods of making developed successively over time.

Exhibition designed by:
Dr Christian J. Lange

Assisted by:
Adeline Chan

Project Collaborators:
Donn Holohan
Holger Kehne
Dave Baker
Lidia Ratoi
Phil Thompson

Research Assistants:
Tony Lau, Anthony Hu, Teego Ma Jun Yin, Ernest Hung Chi Lok, Chau Chi Wang, Ren Depei, Mono Tung, He Qiye, Henry Ho Yu Hong, Kristy Chow, Pamela Maguigad, Kevin Xi Lin, Nicholas Lau, Leung Ka Chi Alvin, Liu Oui Desmond, Samuel Tam, Tam Chi Yan Jack, Hu Chi Hing Jason, Dominic Co, Chen Jiaao, Chan Ka Chun Tom, Lau Ngai Lam Ellen

Students:
Alexandra Bedin, Milan Nushev, Wiley Ng, Alfred Mak, Shu Ting, Qu Tao, Soo Yeon Bong, Jing Lun Zhao, Jing Jiang, Yingxin Wu, Ho Ka Wing Karen, Cheng Tak Hei Ivan, Victoria Dong, Nicole Biewenga, Fan Xinkai, Hu Chi Hing, Lin Xuancheng, Fan Taiwen, Hong Chen, Lai Chu Tung Jetson, Liu Pui Hang Des¬mond, Wang Youlin, Yam Ka Kit, Chan Ka Chun, Co Dominic Lim, IP Chung Ming, Lau Ngai Lam Ellen, Ma Chun Hon, Tam Chi Yan, Tam Shing Yat, Wang Yi Xiao, Wong Suet Ying, Chan Kwun Kit, Huang Shidan, Liu Tsz Shing, Liu Tsz Yeung, Ng Jian Yao, Tse Wang Chun, Zhang Houzhe, Zhu Chenglin

Venue:
H310, 3/F, Hollywood (Block B), PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street
Central, Hong Kong

Date:
21-Dec-2023 – 11-Jan-2024
11:00 am – 8:00 pm

“I am very proud that we finally finished the installation of our upgrade for the Robotic Fabrication Lab at HKU. It took a while but the result has been rewarding.

“Here the official text:
The Robotic Fabrication Lab at the Faculty of Architecture of The University of Hong Kong has undergone a transformative expansion, showcasing cutting-edge advancements in the latest robotic fabrication technology.

“The Lab now proudly houses two large-scale robots mounted on tracks, representing a significant leap forward for the Faculty’s research activities in robotic fabrication. These state-of-the-art robots are equipped with diverse end-effectors that can be changed seamlessly and instantaneously, demonstrating remarkable application versatility.

“The introduction of these advanced robotic systems marks a pivotal moment for the Faculty’s commitment to staying at the forefront of technological innovation within the architectural field. Incorporating robots on tracks with quick-change mechanisms amplifies the scale of fabrication and enhances accessibility for our researchers and students.

“The Lab’s emphasis on adaptability is particularly significant, as the robots’ ability to swiftly switch between different functions – concrete printing, clay printing, pick & place solutions, welding, and many more – enables a broad spectrum of fabrication techniques for our various research activities. This versatility opens up new possibilities for architectural experimentation and pushes the boundaries of what can be achieved in terms of design complexity and material construction.

“The upgrade of the Lab has been initiated and planned by Christian J. Lange, Leader of the Robotic Fabrication Lab, together with team members Jacky Chu and Mono Tung.

Christian J. Lange will deliver an invited talk at the upcoming 2nd International Conference on Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems (BECoME-2022). The conference will be held during 3-7 January 2022 at the City University of Hong Kong.

For more information on the conference, please use the following link:
www.become2022.com