Fluid Density

surfaces that curve and turn to guide people through the different sites. As a photographer, I mostly observe how people interact with architecture, and with its fluid organisation of solid versus void, Da Wang Jing offers great vantage points for doing exactly that.

Da Wang Jing brings people together and connects different parts of the district. I spent hours roaming around the development, from sunrise to sunset, and observed how instead of being obstacles, the buildings form a smooth connection between the rigid city grid and the large and vibrant urban park at the eastern end of Wangjing. The fluid, organic language employed by Bromberg means the towers and podium buildings merge high-density spaces with much-needed permeability.

When I photograph an urban complex like Da Wang Jing, I shift perspective rapidly, going between macro (including the surrounding context) to micro (details and closeups) multiple times. In doing so, I realised that Da Wang Jing forms its own skyline as it steps up and down — from afar, complementing the larger urban organisation of Wangjing, and up close, one emphasised by distinct bulging shapes.

To photograph Da Wang Jing is to observe China’s scale. A scale that is the norm here, and yet so alien in other parts of the world. In a part of the world where density can feel excruciating, Da Wang Jing finds a way to alleviate these pressures on the urban fabric.

Kris Provoost is an architecture photographer based in Hong Kong. He has been living in China for the past ten years, capturing projects of all scales and conditions and using his background as an architect to portray a unique perspective