Modern architecture in China by Aedas, Zaha Hadid and other star firms: is it awesome or absurd?
- From Beijing’s Wangjing Soho to Macau’s Morpheus Hotel, a new book by Kris Provoost includes more than 100 photos of iconic buildings across China
- Most of the projects are by Western architects, but Provoost says many are actually designed by Chinese architects who don’t get the credit they deserve
Excitement about the speed of development in China is nothing new. Since the 1990s, China has built more shopping malls, hotels, office buildings, housing estates, golf courses and theme parks than any other country in the world. However, the jury is out on whether the structures that make up this architectural explosion actually look any good.
Architect and photographer Kris Provoost’s new book, Beautified China: The Architectural Revolution, is an interesting addition to the fevered debate about urbanisation and the quality of architecture in China.
Provoost has lived variously in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong in the past nine years and his book captures a series of iconic buildings from cities around China. The glossy photos are accompanied by five punchy essays written by architects, commentators and academics.
Following a recent review of its planning guidelines, China’s regulations on architectural education and urban design now seek to “prevent a biased focus on a building’s outer appearance”. One consequence has been that many Chinese local administrations have had to reassess what tangible qualities their cities possess and the value of the urban experience. What makes a city attractive? What makes its architecture noteworthy? What makes a place beautiful? It is to these fundamental questions that the images and think pieces in this book are addressed.
Martijn de Geus, co-founder of architecture firm Maison H in Beijing, says that this is not a “pompous pseudoscientific book” but reflects “how Kris sees China; rather than about what China is”.