--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, our…" description: "\"Since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, our office has been discussing how we can make architecture more human and at one with nature. We need to ask ourse..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/ma-yansong-9334_architecture_since-the-beijing-olympics-in-2008-our-o_1197297.jpg" --- # Since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, our office has been… ![“Since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, our office has been discussing how we can make architecture more human and at one with nature. We need to ask ourselves, what legacy do we want to leave behind on humankind's urban culture?” quote by Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/ma-yansong-9334_architecture_since-the-beijing-olympics-in-2008-our-o_1197297.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/ma-yansong-9334_architecture_since-the-beijing-olympics-in-2008-our-o_1197297.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/ma-yansong-9334_architecture_since-the-beijing-olympics-in-2008-our-o_1197297.jpg) > “Since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, our office has been discussing how we can make architecture more human and at one with nature. We need to ask ourselves, what legacy do we want to leave behind on humankind's urban culture?” [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He urges architects to consider humanity and nature, questioning the lasting impact of their designs on urban culture. **In simple terms:** He calls for human‑centered, nature‑aligned architecture. Key Takeaway Design with purpose for future generations. Themes architecture environment legacy Mood inspirational thoughtful Type visionary reflective When to use this quote - urban planning - public spaces - design education Key Concepts sustainability humanism Questions to Reflect On - What legacy do you want your buildings to leave? - How can architecture honor both people and nature? A Different Perspective Balancing innovation with tradition is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Architecture Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture-human-444246/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Humankind Urban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humankind-urban-3576044/) [Legacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legacy/) [Make Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-architecture-495983/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Urban Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urban-culture-572723/) ## Related quotes > [For me the working of hair is architecture with a human element.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vidal-sassoon/for-me-the-working-of-hair-is-architecture-with-a-human-element/) [Vidal Sassoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vidal-sassoon/) > [In China, it's very easy to make architecture special because anything you design will look different, as most parts of the city are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/in-china-it-s-very-easy-to-make-architecture-special-because-anything/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [In urban culture, Larry Davis is something of a legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-dash/in-urban-culture-larry-davis-is-something-of-a-legend/) [Damon Dash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-dash/) > [You know, urban culture is fun; it's lovely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/you-know-urban-culture-is-fun-it-s-lovely/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [There's something about the authenticity that Hollywood is missing when it comes to urban culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/there-s-something-about-the-authenticity-that-hollywood-is-missing/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [I realized how far-reaching the effect of hip hop was when I walked by a jewelry store named Bling in a small, rural town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-stoute/i-realized-how-far-reaching-the-effect-of-hip-hop-was-when-i-walked/) [Steve Stoute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-stoute/) > [Essentially all civilizations that rose to the level of possessing an urban culture had need for two forms of science-related technology, namely, mathematics for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-seitz/essentially-all-civilizations-that-rose-to-the-level-of-possessing-an/) [Frederick Seitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-seitz/) > [To build means to make architecture real on the borders of knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frei-otto/to-build-means-to-make-architecture-real-on-the-borders-of-knowledge/) [Frei Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frei-otto/) > [One cannot make architecture without studying the condition of life in the city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-rossi/one-cannot-make-architecture-without-studying-the-condition-of-life/) [Aldo Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-rossi/) > [Architecture is what nature cannot make. Architecture is something unnatural but not something made up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/architecture-is-what-nature-cannot-make-architecture-is-something/) [Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/) > [To make architecture with any real value is a massive challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/to-make-architecture-with-any-real-value-is-a-massive-challenge/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [Sustainability has become a religion in architecture - not that there's anything wrong with it - but I think it has to work both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vito-acconci/sustainability-has-become-a-religion-in-architecture-not-that-there-s/) [Vito Acconci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vito-acconci/) > [You don't have to become a slave in a corporate office or groupie of a celebrity architect, because all you need is a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raimund-abraham/you-don-t-have-to-become-a-slave-in-a-corporate-office-or-groupie-of/) [Raimund Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raimund-abraham/) > [When I graduated from high school, I thought I wanted to make science fiction movies, so I applied to film school, but I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/when-i-graduated-from-high-school-i-thought-i-wanted-to-make-science/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [Architects think that beauty is a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/architects-think-that-beauty-is-a-crime/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) ## More by Ma Yansong > [China is a place where you can experience two very contrasting things coexisting. First, the rich, cultural history of the country - and, second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/china-is-a-place-where-you-can-experience-two-very-contrasting-things/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I don't like to talk about sustainability, because sometimes I see green buildings that don't appear any different from those in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-sustainability-because-sometimes-i-see/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [Architects think that beauty is a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/architects-think-that-beauty-is-a-crime/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [When I graduated from high school, I thought I wanted to make science fiction movies, so I applied to film school, but I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/when-i-graduated-from-high-school-i-thought-i-wanted-to-make-science/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [If we're talking about the urban landscape as an advanced, forward-thinking art form, there must be some intellectual thinking involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/if-we-re-talking-about-the-urban-landscape-as-an-advanced-forward/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [In traditional cities like Beijing, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, nature was a very important part of urban planning - not only as a landscape but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/in-traditional-cities-like-beijing-nanjing-and-hangzhou-nature-was-a/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I think where traditional values are concerned, Chinese people see nature as very symbolic. It's a form of culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-think-where-traditional-values-are-concerned-chinese-people-see/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [In China, it's very easy to make architecture special because anything you design will look different, as most parts of the city are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/in-china-it-s-very-easy-to-make-architecture-special-because-anything/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [The way we do our architecture is to show that we can come up with our own solutions. We don't just take orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/the-way-we-do-our-architecture-is-to-show-that-we-can-come-up-with/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I would say that many architects are very logical. They start their process from analysis and from rational processes to try and find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-would-say-that-many-architects-are-very-logical-they-start-their/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [Although we're architects, we believe we do culture; architecture is culture, and the topics we tackle will always arise a broader debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/although-we-re-architects-we-believe-we-do-culture-architecture-is/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [We proposed Tiananmen Square - this very empty political square in the city centre - should turn green. Maybe in the future, this space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/we-proposed-tiananmen-square-this-very-empty-political-square-in-the/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [I treat my projects as art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/i-treat-my-projects-as-art/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [To allow millions of people to live together on limited land, we have to go to the sky; we have to build a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/to-allow-millions-of-people-to-live-together-on-limited-land-we-have/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [A door handle is very symbolic to me. It is the first object that one will interact with before entering a new space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/a-door-handle-is-very-symbolic-to-me-it-is-the-first-object-that-one/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) [Explore all 73 Ma Yansong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) ## More Architecture quotes > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [The Parthenon is really only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-parthenon-is-really-only-a-farmyard-over-which-someone-put-a-roof/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/) [Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Engineering, medicine, business, architecture and painting are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent - not with how things are but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/engineering-medicine-business-architecture-and-painting-are-concerned/) [Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/) [Browse all 3,013 Architecture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, our office has been discussing how we can make architecture more human and at one with nature. 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