Architectural Interpretation of Hackett Medical College from the Perspective of Cultural Genetic Recombination
Inspired by the theory of genetic recombination in the field of biological genetics,the concept of architectural genes is proposed from the perspective of cultural genes.This study focused on the buildings,especially the Lam Woo Hall building in Hackett Medical College,the first women's medical school in China established by the American Presbyterian Church in Guangzhou.Reasons for integrating Chinese cultural genes into these buildings and their deep meanings were analyzed.The historical development of buildings in Hackett Medical College from the foundation and expansion to the merge of Canton Hospital and the formation of Dr.Sun Yat-sen Memorial Medical College were reviewed through field survey,analysis of original design blueprints,as well as the mining and review of related historical documents and archives.Against a background of Chinese and Western culture,the evolutionary process from Western genes to Sino-Western fusion was studied.According to the evolution of the architectural genes,architectural development was divided into three stages:the Female Medical School period(1899～1901),the Western Architectural Gene period(1902～1915),and the Sino-Western Architectural Gene Recombination period(1923～1936).Furthermore,the influence of external cultural genes on the recombination of the college's architectural genes was analyzed.Key attention was on three aspects:the choice of missionary strategies by the American Presbyterian Church,changes in the organizational and management structure of Hackett Medical College,and the spatial and functional requirements of Western medicine.The contributions of religious,political,and medical cultural factors to the architectural genes of Hackett Medical College were highlighted.Finally,this study focused on Lam Woo Hall,the last building from the third development phase of Hackett Medical College and a key surviving historical architectural heritage.The historical events and related figures of Lam Woo Hall were explored through construction,naming,and design.On this basis,the Sino-Western architectural genes and the phenomenon of their recombination in Lam Woo Hall were elucidated.As the most prominent example of Sino-Western architectural fusion in the college,Lam Woo Hall vividly demonstrated the characteristics of Sino-Western architectural gene recombination and the design philosophy of its architect,Charles Alexander Gunn.The gene recombination included three types:homologous recombination,site-specific recombination,and aberrant recombination.Homologous recombination was primarily reflected in the extensive architectural space and form expression,especially in the roof design,which adopted traditional official Chinese roof styles.Site-specific recombination occurred in specific architectural components and spaces,most visibly in the architectural decorations that give Lam Woo Hall its regional characteristics.Aberrant recombination,the most prominent type,encompassed both the dominant and recessive aspects of architectural genes,reflecting the fusion of Chinese and Western architectural genes in space and form.These three types of recombination often interacted and mixed.The Chinese architectural genes of Lam Woo Hall emphasized their close connections with local culture,achieving high unity between medical-social ethics and national ethics.The application of the theory of cultural gene recombination provides a novel perspective for the study of modern church hospital buildings.This is conducive to gaining a more accurate understanding of Sino-Western cultural fusion in modern hospital buildings and offers valuable guidance for future preservation and restoration efforts.
architectural genetic recombinationHackett Medical CollegeLam Woo Hall
国家科技期刊平台
NSTL
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