From 'Experimental Architecture' to 'Critical Pragmatism': Contemporary Architecture in China

摘要

Today, the external environment for Chinese architects has been greatly improved over ten years ago. Even young architects are able to complete large-scale buildings with high construction quality. At the same time, the main challenge confronting them is how to choose among the ocean of styles, to hold their own positions and, and to keep the continuity of their formal identity and design strategy. Although the individual architects have contributed a large number of good-quality works over decades, they have not responded forcefully to the distinctive characteristics of the contemporary Chinese urbanism such as bigness, swiftness, cheapness, uncertainty, and so on. Therefore, as we rejoice for the good buildings springing up through Chinese individual architects' efforts, we have to be aware that the improvement of design and construction quality also relies on the independent critical consciousness. Reflecting the ethos of our, paying more attention to social connotation of architecture, and exploring the latent influence of new technological innovation might be the impetus for the Chinese individual architects to step further with greater expectations.