Courtesy of YNL Design

The Lost Wall project by YNL Design is not meant to be a physical revival of what’s lost, but rather an ideological intervention through the use of controversial architectural intrusion. It redefines the project site by sharply contrasting with the surrounding environment, an allegory of modern China and its destructive treatment of Beijing’s historic buildings in the past century. The goal is to reinforce the importance of historic preservation by facilitating a cultural discussion. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

© Studio Ramoprimo

Architects: Studio Ramoprimo
Location: Beijing, China
Design team: Marcella Campa, Stefano Avesani, Pietro Peyron
Completion: 2011
Area: 360 sqm
Client: Damon Sun- Life Less Ordinary Group Ltd.
General contractor: Guoye Decorative – Dean Group, China
Photographs: Studio Ramoprimo

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Courtesy of EASTERN design office + KAWAGUCHI & ENGINEERS

EASTERN design office + KAWAGUCHI & ENGINEERS shared with us their project, Light Thread, China Agricultural University’s Gymnasium / Wrestling Arena for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. During the Olympic Games, the wrestling arena has a 10,000-person capacity. After the Olympic Games, 4,000 temporary seats can be taken out and the interior can be refitted with three arenas, a pool, and 6000 seats to transform the space into a gymnasium complex. Since this building will come into the possession of the Chinese Agriculture University, they sought to create a condition that allows the special requirements of the Olympic Wrestling Arena and the functional features of a building for the Chinese Agriculture University to both be fulfilled in a single construction. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

1000 dwellings for the 'Ant Tribe'

The project ‘housing with a mission’, featured at the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Biennale on architecture and urbanism, is designed as a co-production by five Chinese and five Dutch architectural offices and aims at building 1000 dwellings for the ‘Ant Tribe’ in Beijing. This is the Chinese name for the generation of millions of young graduates who live in cramped conditions in the outskirts of cities and work in low-paid jobs.

The Chinese offices include Standard Architecture, Urbanus, O-Office, Node and CAFA. The Dutch firms include aronsgelauff, Next, KCAP, NL architects and Barcode. More images and project description after the break. read more »

© dEEP, ZERO GC

Architects: dEEP Architects
Location: Beijing,China.
Principal Architect: Li, Dao de
Floor area: 2300sqm
Client: eegoo Culture
Photographs: DEEP, ZERO GC

   
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via Wikipedia

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was selected as one of the runner-up candidates for TIMES 2011 Person of the Year Award. Ai Weiwei is known in the architecture world for his collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron, serving as the artistic consultant for the Beijing National Stadium, otherwise known as the Bird’s Nest stadium.

Ai Weiwei is well-known for his political activism, being openly critical of the Chinese government’s stance on democracy and human rights. Following his arrest in Beijing earlier this year, Weiwei was detained and interrogated for over two months without any official charges. He was then fined $2.4 million for back taxes and penalties, which he believes to have been politically motivated.

When TIME journalists Hannah Beech and Austin Ramzy asked Weiwei about what motivated him to merge the Internet with political activism, he credited his involvement with architecture.

“I got involved with architecture. To work in architecture you are so much involved with society, with politics, with bureaucrats. It’s a very complicated process to do large projects. You start to see the society, how it functions, how it works. Then you have a lot of criticism about how it works.”

Read the entire TIME article and full interview with Ai Weiwei here.

Courtesy of Maxthreads Architectural Design

The urban concept strategy by Maxthreads Architectural Design for the NW Beijing technology and research center pursues the maximization of open public space on the ground level of the site, including a canal walk area, open spaces and car park area. The mass of the new building is therefore raised into the first floor level. This open space is important to activate the site and the new research center. It is also important as an appropriate take off point or point of termination) for the overall site area sustainable mechanics. They are proposing a generous, diagonal underpass that emerges from the site environment and grand connective gesture. More images and project description after the break. read more »

© GU Yunduan

Architects: Interval Architects
Location: Beijing, China
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 1200 sqm
Photographs: GU Yunduan

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© Aitor Ortiz

Architects: ACXT Arquitectos / Iñaki Garai
Location: Beijing, China
Collaborating Architects: Jose Cavallero (IDOM – ACXT), Inés López (IDOM – ACXT)
Collaborating Chinese Architects: Li Dongmei (IPPR), Chen Xuesong (IPPR), Li Huaisheng (Tsinghua Gongmei), Lin Junda (Tsinghua Gongmei) y Guo Wei (Tsinghua Gongmei)
Client: CEIBS
Project Year: 2010
Project Area: 18,000 sqm
Photographs: Aitor Ortiz

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Courtesy of Synarchitects

Challenged with a highly innovative plant, combining scientific research and modern production of concrete on an international standard, Synarchitects have been asking themselves to not only provide all tasks, but to add something special that makes the Xinao Concrete Research Plant shine out the typical factories. More images and architects‘ description after the break. read more »

Courtesy of Thanlab Office

Architects: Thanlab Office / Han Tao, Guo Xi, Ma Lina, Zim He, Wang Mohan, Johnny Huang
Location: Beijing, China
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 1,107 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of Thanlab Office

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Guo Jinlong, the Mayor of Beijing, China and Thomas J. Pritzker, Chairman of the Hyatt, revealed the location of the 34th Pritzker Prize Ceremony. The prestigious event will be held in Beijing, China on May 25th, 2012.

The specific building to be used for the ceremony is still under consideration. Past locations included buildings of historical significance. In 2011, Washington D.C. hosted the event at the classic Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. In 2010, the ceremony took place on the historic Ellis Island in New York. And in 2009, Argentina’s historic Palacio San Martin hosted the event in Buenos Aires.

Courtesy of gmp architekten

Architects: gmp architekten
Location: Beijing, China
Client: Tianjin Ministry of Railway
Design: Meinhard von Gerkan and Stephan Schütz with Stephan Rewolle
Project Leader: Jiang Lin Lin
Structural Engineers: schlaich bergermann und partner
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 179,000 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of gmp architekten

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Courtesy of Tao Lei Architect Studio

Architect: Tao Lei Architect Studio
Location: North Street of East Imperial City of Beijing, China
Project Area: 600 sqm
Project Year: 2006
Photographs: Courtesy of Tao Lei Architect Studio

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Courtesy of Atelier 11

Architects: Atelier 11
Location: Beijing, China
Design Director: Xu Lei
Design Team: Ding Liqun, Gao Qinglei, Liu Heng, An Peng
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 51,199 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of Atelier 11

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© Brininstool, Kerwin, & Lynch

Designed by Brininstool, Kerwin, and Lynch, the Beijing Core Area Master Plan is a massive civic proposal of over 27 million square feet of building area and an additional 1.5 million square feet of public space design for the Central Business District of Beijing, China.  More images and architect’s description after the break. read more »

Courtesy of Design Crew for Architecture (DCA)

Yizhuang is a new city in the south-east of Beijing. At the moment, the area is only fields on which the infrastructures’ works have already started. There is a main street that will go throughout the city from north to south. This main street will be crossed by 3 main knots defining 3 main districts: an administrative district, a cultural district and an offices district. The Beijing Yizhuang Mix, designed by Design Crew for Architecture, is located in the offices district and will be the first to be built. A train station stops right in front of the plot and the line will be linking downtown Beijing to the upcoming Yizhuang city. More images and architects’ description after the break. read more »

Photo by low.lighting - http://www.flickr.com/photos/low-lighting/

The emergence of China on the global economic stage has been discussed at nauseum in myriad publications. But this emergence has had an impact on the world of architecture, providing a testing ground where architects can experiment with new ideas about sustainability and urban growth. These new ideas have been realized in recently completed structures, and more are just beginning construction or have been proposed for the future. More on these new buildings after the break.

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Courtesy of Mochen Architects & Engineers

Architect: Mochen Architects & Engineers
Location: Beijing, China
Structural/Mechanical/Electrical/Civil Engineer: Mochen Architects & Engineers
Client： Mochen Architects & Engineers
Project Year: 2005
Project Area: 3396 sqm
Photographs: Shu He, Lin Mingshu

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Courtesy of BIAD UFo

Architects: BIAD UFo
Location: Beijing, China
Client: Phoenix Satellite Television
Project Year: 2009-2012
Project Area: 64973 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of BIAD UFo

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