Lin An Lakeside Precinct: Cultural Centre Part 2 Project 2004 Jason Stewart Queensland University of Technology Brisbane | Australia Similar to other recent, emerging Asian countries, China is undergoing continuous rapid growth combined with unprecedented changes in social and value systems. Consequently, there is a limited knowledge within these countries of architectural history and development which led to Modernism and post-Modernism.The continuous self-inventing intellectualisation of aesthetic theories of the metropolis appears to have exhausted itself at present, especially in the face of an increasingly global culture. It is essential that this all-embracing contemporary world culture and the relationship between tradition and modernity is better understood. If Chinese Architecture is to succeed in a longer term creative project, the core elements of ‘Essence’ (ti) and ‘Form’ (yong) will have to come to rest, conceptually speaking – preferably in forms different enough to enable a productive tension to continue to ensure an essential role for history in the further production of Architecture.The design process of the Lin An Cultural Centre attempts to uncover and challenge China’s traditional unique responses to place and climate, and thereafter, to exteriorise these formal and symbolic identities into creative new forms which reflect contemporary realities – including values, cultures and lifestyles. The deisgn process aims to manifest a new, contemporary vernacular. This is a simple yet elegant project that cleverly plays to the contemporary Chinese fascination with the 'look at me' monumental posturing of many recent landmark projects. It does this, while maintaining an integrity and formal rigour that derives from a modernist 'form follows function' aesthetic.There is a careful consideration of tectonic qualities that contribute to a balanced and harmonious composition that parallels that of the Chinese characters, 'Ti' and 'Yong', the starting point for this design.The project engages with the scale of the public plaza to the south, creating a grand sheltered forecourt to the new Arts facility. The spaces within are arranged in a straightforward manner, providing a clear sequence of well serviced and workable exhibition and activity areas.