2024-11-14T13:00:22-05:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/114120516/archinect-s-lexicon-duplitecture Amelia Taylor-Hochberg 2014-11-21T14:28:00-05:00 >2014-12-04T19:22:06-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/3d/3d989npru4kv8u2q.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p><strong>duplitecture</strong>&nbsp;[d(y)o&#862;opl&#601;tek(t)SH&#601;r],&nbsp;noun: an intentional, functioning copy of a pre-existing, and often familiar, piece of architecture. For example, "Hangzhou's replication of Venice takes duplitecture to the city-level." This definition is Archinect's own wording.</p><p>A few examples in China, the site of the term's inspiration, include an Eiffel Tower in Hangzhou and Shanghai's "Thames Town" (images <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/02/duplitectural-marvels-exploring-chinas-replica-western-cities/273366/?single_page=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>). Ranging from single structures to entire communities, duplitecture is distinguished from mere models or miniatures (as are common in theme parks or historical institutions) by its use &ndash; duplitecture is not decorative or merely artistic.</p><p>The term was coined by Bianca Bosker in her 2013 book, <em><a href="http://biancabosker.com/OriginalCopies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Original Copies: Architectural Mimicry in Contemporary China</a>. </em>She points out that while China is&nbsp;notorious for knocking off intellectual property (in the case of consumer technology and fashion as well as duplitecture), copying isn't considered bad in and of itself. In Chinese aesthetic tradition,...</p>