▲ competitionline十年综合排名

在建筑事务所排行榜competitionline上，gmp已经四次高居榜首。competitionline是基于各事务所每年的竞赛成绩而设立的。2021年，在该榜十年综合排名上，gmp更是取得了总名次第一的好成绩，被称为“竞赛传奇”。

gmp has topped the annual ranking of competitionline, a German organization that evaluates the performance of architects based on their national and international competition results, for four times in the Architects category. In 2021, it was assigned 1st place by this architects’ platform in its ten-year comprehensive ranking, and acclaimed as a "competition legend".

gmp为什么会成为竞赛中最成功的德国建筑事务所？中德竞赛文化有何不同？建筑设计竞赛对gmp、乃至整个建筑文化有着怎样重要的意义？

How has gmp managed to be the most successful competition player among all the German architects? What’s the difference between design competitions in China and Germany? And what is the significance of architectural competition to gmp and the architectural circle at large?

gmp作品：柏林中央火车站 © Marcus Bredt

1965年，曼哈德·冯·格康与福尔克温·玛格共同创立 gmp·冯·格康，玛格及合伙人建筑师事务所。在成立的第一年，这个年轻的事务所就赢得了8项建筑设计竞赛，充满传奇色彩的柏林泰格尔机场就是其中之一。可以说，如果没有泰格尔机场的公开招标，就不会有gmp的诞生。因为在那之前，gmp连个车库都没有建过。

A success story right from the beginning: Meinhard von Gerkan and Volkwin Marg formed their partnership in 1965; in the first year, having just started out in their profession, they won eight architectural competitions—including the legendary one for Tegel Airport in Berlin. So it is fair to say that, without the open bidding of Tegel Airport, gmp would not even exist, because before that, it had not built any project, even a garage.

也同样是竞赛，将gmp带入了中国市场。1998年，gmp在北京德国使馆学校的建筑设计竞赛中获胜。自那之后，gmp通过竞赛的方式累积获得了百余项建筑项目的委托。在中国，gmp每参加四次竞赛就会赢得其中的一次。

It was also through competitions that gmp entered the Chinese market. Starting from the architectural competition for German Embassy School in Beijing, which gmp won in 1998, the practice has managed to secure 100+ architectural contracts in the country through competitions. In China, it wins one every four competitions it participated in.

无论在哪个国家，参加建筑设计竞赛是gmp获得项目委托最重要的途径。只有通过竞赛，才能在与其他事务所的较量中取得进步，同时也找出自身不足，而这些珍贵经验的获取常常与输赢无关。

Architectural competition has been the most important means for gmp to win architectural contracts in all countries where it operates. The practice believed that only by competing with other participants in competitions can it identify deficiencies and make progress, which is in fact irrelevant to the the competition results.

gmp作品：柏林泰格尔机场 © Marcus Bredt

gmp作品：德国使馆学校 © Jiang Shaoying

作为一家国际建筑师事物所，gmp在中德两地都拥有丰富的竞赛经验。总体来说，在中国参加竞赛的条件和在德国或欧洲没有太大的区别——这里同样具备清晰的设计要求以及专业的作品评审会。两地区别仅在于竞赛之后。在德国组织建筑设计竞赛，是为了选出一个实施方案。而在中国，不少竞赛是先选定一位建筑师，然后与其开展对话，在对话中共同推进项目。

As an international architectural practice, gmp has gained rich competition experience in both China and Germany. Generally, the way to participate in a competition in China is no different from that in Germany or Europe. Clients in China also provide clearly defined briefs and bring together experts to evaluate entries. The difference arises only after the competition. In Germany, competitions are organized for clients to select an implementation scheme; while in China, many competitions intend to firstly pick an architect, with whom dialogues are established to jointly advance the project.

在中国参加竞赛，gmp需要用自身的业绩来申请参赛资格。竞赛组委会会选出少则三至四家，多则十几家事务所来参加，并支付一定的费用。同时，参赛的事务所不但要提供方案设计，还有义务提供更费时耗力的建筑模型、效果图、视频来展示完整的设计内容，但这也为更全面地评审设计作品创造了更好的前提条件。

To qualify a competition in China, project portfolio are required at the pre-qualification stage. Normally, the organizing committee of a competition would select at least 3 or 4 or even 10+ participants to the competition and pay stipends to them. The participating architects are required to submit not only the design scheme, but also physical models, renderings and video to fully present the design content. These deliverables, though time-consuming, allow the jury to better evaluate design entries in an all-round way.

人们常说：“世界上每建两座房子，就有一座在中国”。所以，在中国参加竞赛时遇到德国竞赛时的老对手并不罕见。

As people always say, "For every two buildings built on the planet, one is in China". So it is no surprise that gmp often competes with same competitors in competitions in China and Germany.

gmp作品：成都未来城 © ATChain

gmp作品：苏州奥林匹克体育中心 © Christian Gahl

对gmp来说，中国市场和德国市场是互相影响、互相成就的。

For gmp, the markets in China and Germany influence and support each other.

一方面，中国业界人士会紧密观察gmp在德国本土的建筑设计项目，以此作为对这个国际性事务所能力的重要考量。此外，当今世界的建筑任务日益趋同。可持续性、对历史遗存建筑的改造、木构建筑在中国也已经成为热门话题。这些话题的相通性又可以创造协同效应，并反向运用在德国项目中。

On one hand, design professionals in China keep a close eye on gmp’s architectural design projects in Germany, and take them as an important factor to measure its competence as an international practice. Nowadays, architects around the world are facing the increasing similar architectural claim from clients, meanwhile, sustainability, renovation of historical buildings, and wood construction are becoming hot topics in China. The commonality of these issues leads to synergy which can be applied to German projects.

另一方面，gmp无疑可以将德国的经验凝聚应用到中国的竞赛项目中，上海临港新城（现已改名为南汇新城）就是一个颇具代表性的例子。这是一个为80万居住人口所规划的城区，在设计规划中参考了欧洲的城市居住环境，创造以水域景观为依托的都市空间。

On the other hand, gmp for sure can summarize its German experience and employ it in Chinese projects. A typical example in this regard is Lingang New City (now Nanhui New City) in Shanghai, an urban district planned with water landscape for 800,000 residents by referencing the urban dwelling environment in Europe.

其中，汉堡市无疑起到了榜样作用。这个北德城市以它纵横交错的运河以及早已融入城市景观的阿尔斯特湖闻名。与汉堡相似，一个直径为2.7公里的人工湖构成了临港新城的中心，充满活力的滨水大道为市民和游客提供了理想的逗留空间。

In this project, Hamburg has definitely played an exemplary role. The city in northern Germany is famous for crisscross canals and Ulster Lake that has long become part of the urban tapestry. Similar to Hamburg, Lingang New City is highlighted in its center by an artificial lake with a diameter of 2.7 kilometers, where a vibrant waterfront avenue offers an ideal place for residents and tourists to stay and take a rest.

gmp作品：临港新城 © Marcus Bredt

gmp作品：易北河桥地铁及城铁站 © Marcus Bredt

gmp只有很少的项目是通过直接委托获得的，所以除了参加竞赛，没有其他的捷径可走。

Only a few of gmp’s projects are directly commissioned by clients. So there’s no other short cut and competition is the only choice for gmp.

每个大学毕业后来到这里的新人，一般来说都有机会参与竞赛。每个新人都要参与关于设计的讨论。也正是这些刚从大学里走出来的年轻人，在讨论中为设计注入了新鲜的观点与视角，gmp对于年轻人加入后产生的思想碰撞极为珍视。彼此团结、保持开放的心态和互相学习的意愿，也是gmp成功的关键之一。

Generally, every fresh university graduate who joins gmp has the opportunity to work on competitions. Design discussions have become mandatory for new employee to learn about. Through discussion, these young people inject new ideas into the design, which are much valued by the office. Unity, openness and willingness to learn from each other are the key to gmp’s lasting success.

gmp的组织形式以小组为单位。除了四位合伙人兼执行总裁外，还有7位合伙人和9位项目合伙人来领导各个小组。这些小组都具有全过程设计的经验，可以胜任从竞赛到项目落成的各个阶段。

gmp implements a team-based organizational structure. In addition to four executive partners, there are also seven partners and nine associate partners acting as team leaders. All teams have whole-process design experience and are capable of working throughout project stages from competition to project completion.

最后呈现的工作是多个小组共同作用的结果，他们彼此连接，而不受官僚主义羁绊，而外界所谓的gmp是一个建筑设计工厂的猜测，与gmp本身的组织形式并不相符。gmp在工作中的灵动性以及打破传统的思考能力，要比外界想象的多得多。

The final deliverables usually represent the joint efforts of several interconnected teams working collaboratively without bureaucracy. The outsiders’ speculation of gmp as an architectural design factory is not a true reflection of gmp’s organizational structure. The flexibility and thinking out of the box philosophy within the office are far beyond the imagination of the outsiders.

gmp作品：上海美术学院 © Wilmore

无论何时何地，举办公开的、规则透明的建筑设计竞赛都有助于促进建筑文化的发展。在欧洲，有两个地区为我们提供了榜样。在奥地利的福拉尔贝格，每个小的社区中心都是一个竞赛作品。在瑞士的提契诺州，优秀的建筑竞赛作品胜似一场视觉盛宴。这些经过竞赛磨练的作品方可使人眼前一亮。

Open and transparent architectural competitions, regardless of the countries where they take place, are conductive to the prosperity of the architectural culture. Two regions in Europe have set a good example in this regard. In Vorarlberg, Austria, every small community center represents a competition entry. In Ticino, Switzerland, good architecture is regarded as a joyful feast for the eyes. Only architectural work truly tested by a competition can easily stand out from others.

建筑竞赛对于青年建筑设计师开启属于自己的事业大有裨益。对此，gmp自身的历史就是一个有力的证明。因为没有建筑设计竞赛，就没有gmp。

Architectural competitions also help more young architects to start their own career, and gmp can stand as a convincing example in this regard. It is architectural competitions that make gmp.

本文内容来源于competitionline对四位gmp合伙人兼执行总裁尼古劳斯·格茨、胡贝特·尼恩霍夫、施特凡·胥茨和吴蔚的专访。

The content of this article comes from competitionline’s exclusive interview with the four executive partners of gmp, who are Nikolaus Goetze, Hubert Nienhoff, Stephan Schütz, and Wei Wu.