Daniels Lecture: Nature Trilogy

This lecture explores three recent built works by OPEN Architecture: the UCCA Dune Art Museum, the Chapel of Sound, and the Sun Tower. Each project offers a unique response to its specific site and cultural context, yet all are grounded in shared principles: a deep reverence for nature, resilience in the face of harsh environments, and a profound alignment with celestial rhythms.

Rooted in Chinese philosophy, these works aim to channel the invisible energy of chi, creating visceral, sensorial experiences that help people reconnect with their innate senses—and with the natural world. In doing so, they address an urgent need in our age of technological fragmentation: to restore a sense of place, presence, and belonging.

Together, these three buildings form a kind of trilogy—one that calls on architecture not just to shelter, but to reawaken the very faculties that define us as sentient beings. They remind us of our ability to sense, to connect, and to understand our role within the greater web of life—so that we might better care for the world we inhabit.

A short film titled Nature Trilogy will also be shown as part of this lecture. The film, currently featured as a special video installation at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale, offers another lens through which to experience and reflect on these works.