This seminar discusses China's contemporary architecture giving a hybrid perspective that combines historical, critical, and curatorial perspectives.
Besides analyzing projects and case studies, we will narrate the architectural evolution by considering the cultural implications on theories and stylistic currents, going into the biography of several key figures, and investigating independent architects' roles in recent years with a specific highlight on women professionals. Several Chinese architects and scholars will be guests of the seminar; by dialoguing with them, a direct narration of their experience will highlight the multi-disciplinary complexity of practicing architecture in China nowadays.
Williams, A. & Zhang X. (2019). New Chinese Architecture. Twenty Women Building the Future. New York: Thames & Hudson.
Zhu, J. (2009). Architecture of Modern China: A Historical Critique. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge.