Linked Hybrid by Stephen Holl
This is a whole chunk of the city housing 2500 people in over 700 apartments. It is incredibly ambitious in its notions about public space in residential environments. The complex is essentially a gated community with its back to the surrounding city and its focus on a central…
National Grand Theatre by Paul Andreu
A stone's throw from Tiananmen Square, this huge abstract intervention seems to have landed awkwardly in the middle of a bustling city. It defies interaction either with neighboring buildings or pedestrians passing by. The building sets the arts housed inside clearly apart from…
Opposite House by Kengo Kuma
The bright green exterior of Opposite House actually seems right at home in the tree-lined Beijing neighborhood where it is located. The jaw-dropping part of the building is the interior which has dramatic spaces, dazzling light and rich, tactile materials
CCTV–Incredible Shape Shifter
CCTV's daring shape definitely grabs attention from anywhere nearby. But the best quality of its shape is the way it morphs and changes as you move around it in the city. In that regard, it reminds me of the Pennzoil Building in Houston by Philip Johnson when it was first…
Bird’s Nest and Water Cube
Beijing's Olympic Green was an amazing accomplishment for which the people of the city still feel a great deal of pride. Especially at night in the summer, the place is mobbed with locals just walking around with their families, taking photos, flying kites and watching little…
The Commune by the Great Wall
Nestled in the valleys of a beautiful site on the outskirts of Beijing is a group of contemporary houses and a clubhouse designed by 12 outstanding Asian architects. Each house is an individualistic object and they bear little relationship to each other. Although there are…
