Architecture in China

Taschen - Architecture in ...

by Taschen (Editor), Philip Jodidio

Great Leap Forward: Contemporary Architecture in China The past five years have seen a revolution in Chinese architecture?the emergence of independent designers, and a number of new stars?and above all new and interesting buildings that are not the product of direct Western influence. These developments have laid the groundwork for an indigenous modernity that differentiates itself from outside schools as well as eschewing the temptation to put a "Chinese-style" roof on ordinary office blocks. The fact that Beijing has been chosen to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games has been more than a catalyst for the development of high-quality contemporary architecture in China. Major foreign firms like OMA/Rem Koolhaas or Herzog & de Meuron are participating in the design of buildings that will have functions during the Games, but Chinese architects, too, have been mobilized in this massive effort to prepare the country for an unprecedented level of world-wide attention. Architects feature

Genres: Architecture

189 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

'Taschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection. Taschen has been a noteworthy force in making lesser-seen art available to mainstream bookstores, including some fetishistic imagery, queer art, historical erotica, pornography and adult magazines (including multiple books with Playboy magazine). Taschen has helped bring this art into broader public view, by publishing these potentially controversial volumes alongside its more mainstream books of comics reprints, art photography, painting, design, fashion, advertising history, film, and architecture.' - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Lorenzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the photography.
This is right the kind of book you'd buy for it's stunning photos, rather then the written parts.
All projects are described in quite a superficial way, not allowing the reader to understand their quality or nature, reflecting how today's architecture is more and more dependent on it s outlook rather than real content.
The introduction to the cultural/economic frame of contemporary chinese architecture is poor to say the least, barely offering an outline of what makes China a very different ground to build on.
This lack of a proper introduction makes it difficult to rate or read the projects that will follow.
The choice of the selected buildings is however good: only I was expecting a more detailed publication.
As you'd expect from Taschen, yet another coffee table book. One for whoever doesn't wish to plunge too deep in the subject.