By Claire Brown

The architectural exhibition "Adaptive Reuse/Pre-use," led by young architect Boyuan Wu, officially opened in Los Angeles on November 24, 2024. This highly anticipated exhibition focuses on the diverse applications of architectural design in contemporary society, aiming to explore how to balance experimental and practical design through innovation while promoting cultural exchange between China and the United States.


Boyuan Wu and His
Work in the Exhibition

BoyuanWu, born in 1996, has lived in the United States for 14 years. He graduated with a degree in architectural design from Pennsylvania State University. He worked for a year at an architectural firm in New York before obtaining a master's degree from the University of Southern California (USC). Currently, he works in architectural design at DELTA Construction in Los Angeles. With a multidisciplinary perspective and practical experience, Wu's work spans multiple cities, including Los Angeles and Portugal, reflecting his deep consideration of diverse architectural functions and cultural integration.

The exhibition, centered around the theme "Adaptive Reuse/Pre-use," combines multiple displayed works and interactive elements, showcasing the potential of architectural design in functional transformation, environmental sustainability, and urban vitality regeneration. It provides a platform for international students, architecture enthusiasts, and industry professionals to share ideas and experiences, encouraging dialogue and cooperation between the two countries in the field of architectural art and technology.

In this exhibition, Wu emphasizes the importance of open-source housing and circular economy models, highlighting that these concepts are essential for achieving affordable housing solutions. Open-source housing adopts models such as community land trusts (CLT) and limited equity cooperatives (LEC) and strives to achieve effective resource circulation through de-commodification and incremental development. This model views building materials as part of a fluid resource that can be reused or recycled after disassembly, significantly reducing construction costs and minimizing environmental impact.

During the opening ceremony, Boyuan stated, "I hope to explore how architecture can respond to the rapidly changing needs of contemporary society through this exhibition while showcasing the creativity and possibilities that arise from cultural integration. More importantly, we need to consider how to enable everyone to participate in producing sustainable and affordable housing solutions through co-creation and sharing.

At the opening ceremony of the architectural exhibition by Wu Boyuan, several distinguished guests were invited to participate and witness this significant moment. The attending guests included:
Yanyu, Ding, City Council Member of San Gabriel
Jorge, Herrera, City Council Member of San Gabriel
Shaorong, Wu, Vice Mayor of Monterey Park
Dajian, Lin, Former Mayor of Monterey Park
Their presence signifies the local government’s support for the exhibition and provides a broader platform for promoting the architectural concepts of “adaptive reuse/pre-utilization.” The exhibition's rich interactive segments and diverse showcases have garnered attention and support from these guests, further enhancing the dialogue and cooperation between Chinese and American cultures and architectural design.

The exhibition will last three days and will attract a global audience through online presentations and workshops. Wu Boyuan's work complements the concept of open-source housing, fully demonstrating how diverse owners, residents, and community members can jointly participate in and promote the realization of eco-friendly, affordable housing solutions that adapt to different environments and needs.