2024-04-30T21:11:44-04:00 https://archinect.com/features/article/150002511/never-meant-to-copy-only-to-surpass-plagiarism-versus-innovation-in-architectural-imitation Hannah Wood 2017-04-13T12:15:00-04:00 >2019-03-04T12:32:00-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/7b/7bccebhombipbezv.gif" border="0" /><p>Wangjing SOHO, a three tower complex in Beijing penned by <a href="http://archinect.com/zaha-hadid" target="_blank">Zaha Hadid</a>, became a worldwide sensation when it was revealed that the scheme was being <a href="http://archinect.com/news/tag/86159/plagiarism" target="_blank">allegedly plagiarized</a> by a construction team in Chongqing, southern China. Despite the subsequent outcry from the professional design world, Hadid responded that if the &lsquo;copy-cat&rsquo; designs displayed innovative mutations, &ldquo;that would be exciting&rdquo;. While many architectural icons are commissioned precisely for their artistic originality, the design response is often non-site specific, which raises interesting questions when such icons are reproduced around the globe. What does it mean for architectural originality and innovation, when a &lsquo;copy-paste&rsquo; strategy is normalized?</p>