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Architects: Shenzhen Huahui Design
- Area: 3400 m²
- Year: 2017
Cultural Center of Beicheng Central Park in Hefei / Shenzhen Huahui Design
DongZhuang Museum of Western Regions / Xinjiang Wind Architectural Design & Research Institute
10 Incredible Exposed Structures: Photos of the Week
Putting aside finishes, coatings, and cladding to work with exposed structural elements is not an easy task. Faced with this challenge, architects have demonstrated an eagerness to surpass ourselves and to design increasingly creative structures. In portraying this type of project, there are often opportunities for photographers to create incredible and innovative compositions: from geometric patterns, to the use of symmetry and rhythm, to the possibility of focusing on the textures and details of the materials. Here, we present a selection of photographs of impressive structures by renowned photographers such as Iwan Baan, Julien Lanoo and Yao Li, among others.
The Exhibition Hall of Crime Evidences in Harbin / Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT
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Architects: Architectural Design & Research Institute of Scut: Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT
- Year: 2015
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Professionals: Heilongjiang Construction And Installation Group Co.Ltd
Weinan Culture and Art Center / THAD
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Architects: THAD
The 10 Best Global* Architecture Projects of 2016 (*Asia, Africa and South America Not Excluded)
As the common phrase attests, “history is written by the victors.” We therefore know that the story of the West is that of Europe and the United States, while the other actors in world history are minimized or invisible: it happened to the Chinese and Japanese during World War II, to the Ottoman Empire in sixteenth-century Europe, and to racial majorities in the common reading of Latin American independence. The same thing happens in architecture.
The current boom of the Global South is based not only on new work, but rather on the recognition of an invisible architecture which was apparently not worthy of publication in the journals of the 1990s. The world stage has changed, with the emergence of a humanity that is decentralized yet local; globalized, yet heterogeneous; accelerated, yet unbalanced. There are no longer red and blue countries, but a wide variety of colors, exploding like a Pollock painting.
This serves as a preamble to consider the outstanding projects of 2016 according to the British critic Oliver Wainwright, whose map of the world appears to extend from New York in the West to Oslo in the East, with the exception of Birzeit in Palestine. The Global South represents more than 40% of the global economy and already includes most of the world’s megacities, yet has no architecture worthy of recognition? We wanted to highlight the following projects in order to expand the western-centric world view, enabling us to truly comprehend the extent of architectural innovation on a global scale.
Da Chang Muslim Cultural Center / Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT
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Architects: Architectural Design & Research Institute of Scut: Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT
- Area: 35000 m²
- Year: 2015
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Professionals: City group
Avant-Garde Ruralation Library / AZL Architects
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Architects: AZL Architects
- Area: 260 m²
- Year: 2015
Refurbishment of an Old Functional Replacement Building / UDG + SEU
Kindergarten in Xieli Garden / UDG + SEU
Hangzhou Phoenix Creative Building / gad
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Architects: gad
- Area: 97000 m²
- Year: 2014
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Professionals: Hangzhou Zhijiang Creative Park Development Co.Ltd, inner buildings
Yushu Administrative Centre / THAD
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Architects: THAD (Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University): THAD - Architectural Design & Research Institute of Tsinghua University
- Year: 2014
An Interview With Chen Yifeng, Deshaus
“We use two aspects to express architecture: Qing [emotion], Jing [pattern]. Jing is the architectural pattern that we apply, to certify the living and working style, to consider what our architecture can bring. Another thing is the relationship between architecture and the site, the city and nature. Ancient Chinese dwellings are usually enclosed by walls, creating an introverted space. This is the second aspect Qing, more related to traditional customs, aesthetics, and our attitude towards the environment and nature. The enclosed space originates from our interpretation of Qing. What we have captured about the ancient spirit of aesthetics is a kind of uncertainty, a kind of blurry and ambiguous feeling.”
- Chen Yifeng, Shanghai, 2013
10 Stunning Images of Sacred Spaces
In the spirit of Easter Sunday, we've rounded up a compilation of ten glorious sacred spaces from our Religious Architecture Pinterest board. Ranging from traditional, reverent congregation halls to unexpected ultra-modern chapels, these spectacular places of worship are bound to inspire. Get a dose of these divine works after the break...
An Interview with Zhang Lei, AZL Architects
“We have to try to work with scale and memory. I think in the last twenty years the main problem is that we lost the 归宿感 [sense of belonging]. The people here have been moving from house to house for a long time, the result is that we don’t have a feeling of home… even if you are staying in a nice house or villa you don’t consider it as an ideal or permanent home where you could stay. This might be considered the problem. More than ten years ago we used to have that feeling, the sense to belong to a specific space. We used to live in neighbourhoods where we had a social background, a community, now you don’t have any community, you don’t see the neighbors any more. Now Chinese people are becoming lonely, they are losing that feeling and becoming 'homeless'.” - Zhang Lei, Nanjing, 2013