Archinect - China Architecture Blog

Developing 3rd tier cities: Changsha gets contemporary with a brand new bridge

2014-01-26T21:54:15-05:00

By: Stefania Danieli

Last November, NEXT Architects (Netherland) won the competition for a new bridge to be built in Changsha in 2014. The 150 meter-long and 24 meter-high pedestrian bridge will be located in the Meixi Lake area, in the west side of Changsha.

The bridge intends to be not only a connection, but a key project for the development of the whole Meixi Lake district, as well as an icon for the surrounding touristic and recreational zone.

The construction is characterized by smoothness and fluidity, with three intersecting footpaths which link different areas on various heights. Someone noticed a certain resemblance to the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, but whether the architects were inspired or not, the result looks lighter, with a much more rounded shape, evoking perfectly the typical hills and mountains covering the 80% of the Hunan province.

Changsha is one of the fastest growing cities of the country and attracts more and more nationa...

China in RED: how the city landscape changes to welcome the Lunar New Year

2014-01-24T02:18:00-05:00

Today’s article has been inspired by the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival, the biggest event of the year for the Chinese, as well as for people from many other East-Asian countries. The country is going to take a long, relaxing break from work, resting for at least one week or even more. This is a holiday for celebration and family gatherings; in other words, it’s Christmas for the Chinese.

During the holidays, most activities include eating, conversing and playing games, but how can you forget about visiting the temples! There are many traditional venues filling the streets of China with their games, activities, folk dances and many more. Despite the Chinese lack of religion belief before the Maoist period, many Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism traditions are still around and are well-respected.

Like Christmas lights and decorations embellish the cities’ landscape in the West, in the same way for several days before the festivities, every Chinese city gradually changes and prepare...

China's Forgotten Maoist Architecture

2013-06-18T13:04:00-04:00

A tour of China’s last remaining enclave of old-school social governance and architecture: Nanjiecun Village, Henan

By: Paul Stephen

In China, the existential conflict between “old” and “new” in architecture, development, and general society is almost always seen as being a juxtaposition of modern ideas and designs with a vague, ancient Chinese identity—the neo-modernist office parks built atop the ruins of Beijing’s beloved hutong alleyway neighborhoods. Rows of brand-new, uniformly rectangular apartment blocks built atop old farms and villages across the countryside. A Starbucks in the Forbidden City. What is often left out of the conversation, intentionally or not, are the architectural and artistic relics of the Cold War/Mao Zedong Era. While the old socialist-realist architecture of the former Soviet Union has garnered something of a cult following, the Chinese equivalent has gone wholly unloved—and perhaps understandably so. In a country where entire new cities rise ...

Working in China: A Chat with Barry

2013-06-03T11:24:00-04:00

Want to know what it's really like to work in China? We sat down for a chat with Barry Witherspoon, a landscape architect and contributing author for our blog. Barry has been living and working as an architect in China, at a Chinese design company called “Leedscape”, for nearly two years, he discusses some of the professional obstacles and opportunities he has faced while working in China.

As far as what you have noticed, what are the differences between the American and Chinese design processes? And what can both learn from one another?

The usual American design process is based on an analysis process that identifies opportunities and constraints. This helps to define relationships, forms, and guides the conceptual design. Once we have an idea of a space and what needs to go in it we start to look for images that fit the space. This is much like the Chinese process but the imaging or “branding” comes much earlier in China.

Considering the scale of many of the projects in Ch...

Welcome!

2013-05-03T02:51:52-04:00

Welcome to the China Architecture Blog, dedicated to discussing the latest news, opinions, and advice about architecture and landscape design in China, and its related industries.

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