The poetics of place: Architecture, nature, and memory in the works of Liu Jiakun

Description

This paper explores the architecture of Liu Jiakun through the lens of phenomenology and the poetic experience of space. Grounded in embodied perception and multisensory engagement, Liu’s work responds to the environmental and cultural challenges of contemporary China. Rather than imposing form, his projects establish relationships between architecture, landscape, and urban life, inviting users to engage with material, light, time, and memory.
This research addresses a knowledge gap: while phenomenological approaches to architecture have been extensively studied in Western contexts, little has been written about their resonance within Chinese conditions. Liu’s projects demonstrate how phenomenology can be reinterpreted through the lens of rapid urbanisation, cultural memory, and the search for liveability and habitability in Chinese cities.
Drawing on Merleau-Ponty, Pallasmaa, and Zumthor, the study highlights the role of thresholds, sequences, and atmospheres in shaping spatial experience. Four case studies — Shuijingfang Museum, West Village, Luyeyuan Stone Sculpture Art Museum, and the Museum of Clocks — are analysed through direct fieldwork in Chengdu and its surroundings.
The paper proposes a transcultural reading of phenomenology that connects Western theory with Chinese practice. It shows how Liu Jiakun’s work at multiple scales generates new forms of liveable and habitable environments, affirming architecture as a poetic and ethical act at the urban and environmental scale.

Period	4 Dec 2025
Event title	58th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association
Event type	Conference
Location	Melbourne, AustraliaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International