The lab NICOLAS GODELET 戈建 Architects & Engineers (NG-Lab) was founded in 2008 in Beijing by Nicolas Godelet, Architect Engineer practicing in China since 2003. The workshop develops a multidisciplinary practice for projects with very wide questioning:
-Architecture and interior design
-Landscaping and landscape infrastructure
-Planning and urban design
-Bridges, footbridges and special structures
-Furniture design and material research
Sustainable development, technical research and a focus on the site and context of each project are our founding priniciples
In our opinion, the quality of a project is determined by the questioning it raises.
Each project is a subject in itself, requiring a comprehensive range of skills and studies (economics, engineering, landscaping, culture, energy, lighting, spatial and urban composition, design). This methodology reflects our philosophy of teamwork, involving professionals and external consultants of multiple disciplines to achieve specialized research. We focus on quality, materials research and innovation, delivering a balanced, contemporary architecture that respects the site where it takes root.
Through consideration of light, materiality and spatial experience we generate an architecture that respects the site, the human scale, and is integrated as part of the landscape.
Each project starts with an in-depth analysis of the global and local environment.
In order to develop the sustainable potential of each of our studies, (each project) we start(s) with an in-depth analysis of the global and local environment. Sustainability allows a project to persist but also to adapt and transform itself over time to meet future needs. A sustainable project will maintain a bilateral relationship with its environment. The project benefits from the qualities of its environment and in return increases the landscape value and emphasizes a local culture. It protects the natural and cultural qualities of its environment while also protecting itself from the environment.
Sustainable development is therefore a core philosophy of NG-Lab. It relates to all areas concerning the art of design and the art of building. It should never in any circumstance be solely based on technical performance but should be based on a view of the site as a whole, formed from in-depth study of the environment covering both tangible, concrete data and intangible, non-material qualities. The project site then becomes a mirror for the local environment, a place that resonates with its context yet has its own identity and local cultural essence.
Nicolas Godelet, Ir. Architect
