Eugene Tssui


Eugene Tssui is an American architect noted for his use of ecological principles and "biologic" design, a term coined by Tssui himself in the 2010 issue of World Architecture Review. He has proposed a number of projects such as a bridge across the Strait of Gibraltar to connect the continents of Africa and Europe as well as a 2-mile-high tower capable of housing 1 million residents.
He has been called the "Seminal Architect of the 21st Century." In May of 2013, Tssui was also listed as one of one hundred "Guardian Angels of the Planet" by Project Coyote.

Biography

Tssui was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the child of Chinese immigrants, and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Despite the encouragement of his friends and family to pursue medicine, and a wide variety of interests in his youth, Tssui decided to pursue architecture. After working in numerous offices and institutions, including the Organizing Committee of the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, he was accepted at Columbia University's Graduate School of Design, based on his professional work in architecture offices. His unconventional designs did not match the expectations of the university, and he left to be apprenticed under architect Bruce Goff instead. He later received a bachelor of architecture from the University of Oregon, along with graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned two masters and a doctorate. Tssui specializes in nature influenced architecture, preferring shapes and forms inspired by living creatures and natural constructions to standard rectilinear designs. He has won numerous scholarships and grants for his work in architecture, including those from the Graham Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Apart from his work in architecture, Tssui has pursued assorted other areas of interest. His efforts in design extend out to clothing and furniture, and often reflect similar concerns about movement, weight, and sustainability as appear in his architectural designs. He also pursued a number of athletic endeavors. The most notable titles to his name include the super middleweight boxing title in the 2005 Ringside World Championships, the world's largest amateur boxing tournament, and the Presidential Sports Award, both of which he won eight times. He is also a four-time Senior Olympics Gymnastics All-Around Champion.
Tssui is married to sociologist and educator Elisabeth P. Montgomery, Ph.D., who works in China as a school superintendent.

Philosophy and style

Tssui believes nature to be an incomparable educator, with knowledge of design and construction borne of the necessary adaptation to constantly evolving systems. Exploring the hows and whys of nature's workings, and looking at the active and reactive relationships of organisms with the surroundings are some of the driving forces behind Tssui's designs. According to Tssui, humans are students of nature, who is the educator. In order to create efficient and sustainable living spaces and lifestyles, architecture must draw from nature to achieve the optimum solution to a given problem. Tssui searches for design elements that work to place the responsibility of environmental and human health back into the daily conscience and behaviors of human life. This outlook must then be expressed in the building's spaces, both interior and exterior, as well as in the detailing and relationship with the site. Tssui also underlines the desire to create responsive buildings which not only work in tandem with and prevent further damage to the environment but also restore damage that has already been done.
From this philosophy, Tssui's work derives a biomimetic aspect, which he initially discussed in terms of evolutionary architecture and has in more recent years begun to refer to as biologic design. Deriving from the Latin bio, meaning alive or natural, and logic, meaning well-reasoned, Tssui's conception of biologic architecture asks the question "What would nature do given this context, requirements, and functional goals?" The goal of this approach is to make buildings that take into account challenges of the environment and apply the "knowledge" exemplified by other natural organisms inhabiting the site—in this way preparing for the environment, and ultimately deflect normally disastrous calamities. Some key aspects of Tssui's biologic design include:
From these aspects of design, the resulting architecture works in tandem with the environment, drawing inspiration from the ecosystems around the structure to produce a sustainable and adapted building. As a result of these tenets, Tssui derives a distinctive style of architecture which makes use of curvilinear forms, sails, "wings," egg-and-sphere-shaped structures, closing wall and roof systems, and other elements which are highly reflective of the natural world. Those who have lived in Tssui's spaces have spoken of the design exuding "freedom and energy," and ultimately encouraging creativity.

Built projects

Dr. Tssui's built designs include the Watsu School at Harbin Hot Springs, his firm's headquarters in Emeryville, and several residential homes embodying his ecological principles.
Headquarters for Tssui's company, Tsui Design and Research Inc., began development in 1991 and its final phase of construction completed in 1998; the design utilized recycled materials for manufacturing, and was built with energy conservation in mind. The now defunct office building was subsequently sold in 2007 and demolished, as it was deemed "too unusual to rent."
His design for his parents' house in Berkeley, California, is known for its unusual round shape and its structural concept. The home, sometimes called "Ojo del Sol", is also known as the "Fish House" and, according to Tssui, is based on the anatomy of a tardigrade. The materials used in making the Ojo del Sol include inexpensive and recycled materials that draw inspiration from the Cholla cactus, which is virtually fireproof. Tssui designed the house with the goal of making it the "safest house in the world," intended to survive fires, earthquakes, flooding, and termites.
Tssui also designed a zero-energy dwelling, known as the ZED Residence, located in the foothills of Mount Shasta, California. The geodesic dome maximizes the "strength-to-weight" ratio found in many super-strong objects and dissipates forces from wind, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Other projects include his showcase building in Shenzhen, China, known as the Ecological House of the Future. He is also the designer behind the Reyes Residence in Oakland, California, which is notable for its dragonfly-like roof ventilation "wings."

Proposals and city planning projects

Tssui has worked in professorial duties and as a lecturer at a number of schools and universities, including:
Tssui's clothing designs include prototypes with sequin-like solar panels which would allow the wearer to charge and power their personal electronic devices. The designs have appeared in magazines such as Mondo 2000 and Hyphen. The 2008 Winter cover of the magazine Hors Ligne also features one of his garments.
His work is described as "moving architectural clothing" and reflects the biologic principles found in his architecture, in that his designs are meant to adapt to the wearer's physical activity as well as protect from the elements. Some of the stylistic influence of his architecture also bleeds over into his fashions, with ridges, spines, and wings all featuring in his designs.
In his furniture design, Tssui uses principals of maximum strength using the least amount of materials: similar principles which are found in his biologic style of architecture.

Media appearances

Tssui was the subject of the film TELOS: The Fantastic World of Eugene Tssui, which premiered at the Architecture and Design Film Festival in Los Angeles on March 13, 2014. The film held screenings at various locations in the United States as well as abroad.
A new feature documentary is in production about Tssui's life story called "Man Beyond Time," directed by Laurent le Gall.
Additionally, Tssui has appeared on various television channels, including PBS, the Discovery Channel, CTV News Channel and Asian television channels CCTV and SinoVision. A number of short films have featured him and his work as a subject, including "Nature's Blueprints." Tssui has also contributed to a number of short films, including "S.A.C.E.Y./SAFE PLACE ALTERNATIVE" and "Time To Save the Wolves," for which he composed the piano music.
He has also been featured on radio and has interviewed with Jack Foley.

Books and periodicals