bricworks3 the watercube post-olympics ai weiwei - ARCHILEPSY ...

2012
VOLUME TWO
ISSUE FIVE
editor in chief
kevin frank chicago
associate editors
bryan finnegan chicago
dominick gallegos chicago
breeze glazer new york
alexi karavokiris los angeles
jenny pelc norwich
contributing editor
hannah ambrose new orleans
guest editor
ben dennis shanghai
want to contribute?
contact@archilepsymagazine.com
EDITORIAL
NEW BEGINNINGS
Adjust your black
rimmed specs and
back up a page.
2
SAVVY
DESIGNERS
ZAHA HADID
ARCHITECTS
Our BRICworks series
continues in China,
starting with the
sensuous Guangzhou
Opera House.
OMA
The Koolhaas crew
has created a pair of
modern icons in the
46
heart of Beijing.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
THE NATIONAL ARQUIRER 6
TOP 10 SIGNS THE RECESSION STILL ISN'T OVER 8
IN YOUR typeFACE! 20
BOOK REVIEW: STEVE JOBS BIOGRAPHY 22
GUEST EDITORIAL: BEN DENNIS 24
WANG SHU WINS PRITZKER PRIZE 28
THIS IS WHO WE ARE 116
this is what's inside
THERE'S MORE
TO LIFE THAN
BUILDINGS
TIE THE KNOT
From radical rings to nifty
neckwear, we showcase two
awesome collections: Frank
Gehry's signature line at
Tiffany & Co., and Detroit's
own CyberOptix Tie Lab.
30
RAD ARTIST
AI WEIWEI
Backed by the
international art
community, a
masterful Chinese
artist and outspoken
political activist sows
seeds of dissent.
88
106
WE BUILT THIS CITY
MODERN METROPOLITAN CHINA
Around the world in eighty
sentences...an overview of the
fastest growing cities on Earth.
IN PRACTICE
THE WATERCUBE
Broken glass, crumbling terrazzo,
mildewed water stains, ripped
plastic...the technological marvel
of the '08 Summer Olympics has
fallen from grace.
12
CLICK
on an
ARTICLE
TO FLIP
RIGHT
TO IT!
THE SHIT LIST
LIBESKIND'S SHARD
18

SHOCKING
OPTOMETRIST
CONFESSION
INFIDELITY
SCANDAL!
STEVEN HOLL: COLORBLIND!
NATIONAL
ARQUIRER
March 2012 WHERE TABLOID MEANS MORE THAN 11x17
HERZOG &
dE MEURON
SPLIT!
AMBITIOUS LOCAL MAYOR UNVEILS
PLANS FOR BURJ CRAWFORDSVILLE
TALLEST BUILDING IN TRI-COUNTY AREA
ALL THE
DETAILS
INSIDE
George W. Bush
HIRES 7 YEAR-OLD KID TO
DESIGN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
EXCLUSIVE
SOM CEO ROCKED BY
REVITGATE SCANDAL
Zaha Hadid
CHECKS INTO REHAB
FOR INTERN
ABUSE
ZUMTHOR
GIVES UP DESIGN
TO PURSUE
STAND-UP
CAREER!
BOOKS GIG
AT LOCAL
COMEDY
CLUB
BJARKIFER
Spotted together at West
Hollywood Night Spot
SENSELESS
JEANNE GANG
VIOLENCE
ON THE RISE!

TOP 10
You're actually
considering
art school.
Your paycheck
is still signed
by Ronald
McDonald.
The last time
you got a
bonus, you
were playing
Mega Man.
Fear still grips
your body
when you hear
the words "Can
I see you in my
office?"
Your office
space still has
more empty
desks than a
7am English
Lit class.
SIGNS THE RECESSION
STILL ISN'T OVER
You've stopped
applying to
Steven Holl,
and started
applying to
Steve Madden.
Due to massive
layoffs, your
company
softball team
has switched
to doubles
tennis.
Recent
graduates
are seriously
starting to
think this is
an episode of
Punk'd.
You've
memorized
the Daily
$3 Subway
Specials.
Mmmm...
Meatball
Tuesdays!
At least
twice a day,
you still feel
a distinct
and visceral
desire to
punch your
guidance
counselor in
the face.
9

there's more to life
than buildings
FRANK GEHRY & CO.
Return to Tiffany's? I don't think so!
The Frank Gehry signature jewelry collection is absolutely
exquisite. Featuring an array of torqued forms that are highly
reminiscent of Richard Serra's giant corten steel sculptures,
Gehry's sensuous pieces balance structural strength
with feminine beauty. Leave it to an architect
to make a bracelet made of
concrete look sexy.
Other unconventional
materials in the
collection include
ebony, brownbanded
agate,
and of course,
titanium.
($115-$5000+)
www.tiffany.com
11

Damask Scroll
Photo: Bethany Shorb
Model: Adrian Pittman
here's more to life than buildings
TIES THAT DON'T SUCK
After noticing a void in the creative yet
sophisticated neckwear market, Bethany
Shorb started Cyberoptix Tielab in
2005. A sculptor by training, this savvy
Detroiter designs and prints every
single tie and scarf she sells. Perfect for
hipsters, guitarists, baristas, gangstas,
and groomsmen. The robust collection
includes nature prints, schematic
drawings, weapons of all sizes, iconic
symbols, and vintage patterns.
Available in standard, narrow, and
skinny widths. Be sure to check out
the bow ties, pocket squares, and
pashmina scarves too. Proudly made
by skilled hands, not robots! ($30-$85)
www.cyberoptix.com
> Strangle > Bombs Away! > Hive > Black Widow > AK-47
> Black Tie
13

Apollo Cockpit
here's more to life than buildings
> Poppies
> Broken Stripe > Short Circuit
15

Chinese Dragon
here's more to life than buildings
> Medic
> Transformer > Tanked
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING
FOR?! HEAD ON OVER TO
WWW.CYBEROPTIX.COM
17

the shit list! Look,
HEY LIBESKIND!
we get it…you like sharp pointy things.
But the shards have got to stop man! Seriously,
someone’s gonna get hurt. It’s all fun and
games until someone loses an I-beam. (zing!)
Don’t just sit there, staring back at me through
those pretentious black specs. You’re not
some kind of intellectual samurai. You can’t
just keep throwing these jagged ninja-stars
into innocent buildings. For Christ’s sake man,
have you no decency?! So listen up Dannyboy…when
it comes to relevant
architectural expressions,
sharp just doesn’t
cut it anymore.
19

Column By:
Jeremy & Aimée Miller
COLOUR TRENDZ
We always look forward to Pantone's release of the Spring and Fall Color
Trends. Spring 2012 is about renewed energy, so bright colors will be
prominent. Throughout all of the allied design fields, you will definitely be
seeing these hues this spring:
More info on Spring 2012 colors:
http://www.pantone.com
in your
typeface!
Jeremy and Aimée are the graphic
dynamos behind JAM Creative, a
full service graphic design studio
based out of New Orleans. They
also run Shultzilla, a Nola inspired
clothing company that features rad
tees, hip bags, and cool accessories.
www.ThisIsOurJam.com
www.Shultzilla.com
TYPEFACE YOU MUST KNOW
We love the clean, airy feel of Novecento. This typeface is perfect for
headlines or brief blurbs of text. The type is very symmetrical, creating
a harmonious sense of balance. The font includes 470 OpenType
glyphs. When trying to achieve a modern perspective through type
treatment, Novecento is a great choice.
Check out Novecento:
http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/synthview/novecento/wide-light
21

STEVE JOBS
Biography
Walter Isaacson
Published in 2011 by Simon & Schuster
9.3x6.3 inches hardcover
656 pages, 53 b/w photographs
Walter Isaacson’s incredibly candid biography of Apple
founder Steve Jobs is as inspiring as it is revelatory.
Tracing the course of Jobs’ life from childhood to the
weeks before his death, Isaacson delivers compelling
and detailed insights into the legendary entrepreneur.
If one had to describe Jobs in one word, it would
be “uncompromising”. In business, it made him a
visionary. In his personal life, as Isaacson testifies, it
made him a complete asshole at times. His opinions
on product designs, people, and even food were
often polarized as either “the absolute best ever” or
“complete shit”. There was very little gray area in Jobs
mind, and the tangible result of this perfectionist
mentality is most likely sitting on your desk, in your
pocket or purse, or in your ears at this very moment.
Very few designers have affected as many people
in this world as Jobs. And make no mistake, Jobs
was indeed a designer. Though he was rarely able to
fully articulate his visions, he was extremely adept
at curating the expertise around him to produce
unparalleled products. He wanted to change the
world; and in many respects, he did just that.
The most impressive aspect of Issacson’s writing is
his ability to humanize the subject. Jobs could at
times seem larger than life…a well-documented
phenomenon referred to as Steve’s “reality distortion
field”. However, Jobs weaknesses, insecurities, and
the consequences of his mad-scientist lifestyle are on
full display throughout the biography. This glimpse of
the dark side of genius cultivates a genuine empathy
towards Jobs, which leaves the reader feeling less
intimidated by his accomplishments, and more
inspired by his uncompromising determination.
kevin frank [kevin@archilespymagazine.com]
23

PLAN C
The events that unraveled starting in September 2008 had a
bigger affect on my architecture career than I could have ever
imagined. A bleak outlook on the economy had left the architecture
profession in a ruinous state, and with graduation seven months
away...things were not looking so hot. While most were fumbling
through the final spring semester amped up on caffeine and strung
out with stress--all while trying to secure whatever interviews they
could muster--I had quite a different plan in mind. The “move
home and live with the parents option” didn’t settle too well with
me. However migrating to another city like San Francisco, LA, New
York, or Chicago to scramble for a job designing Starbucks did not
sit well either.
I did what many before me had done; I packed up and went to
the one place where jobs were a'plenty and where beautiful women
instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano: Shanghai. With
two friends already living there and a few connections to local
architecture firms from previous employers, I bought a ticket and
just showed up. After thinking I was getting familiarized with the
town, I quickly found myself lost in a sea of endless people, constant
construction, and a city that appears to stretch endlessly in every
direction.
My hunt for a job was in full swing, and I already had many
interviews and plenty of leads that I thought were going to turn
into an exciting new position. However, the constant flux of this
massive city, with its pulse of culture, partying, and travel was too
alluring for me. Shanghai has a spectacular standard of living and
caters immensely towards foreigners. The city embraces foreigners
like no place I have ever seen, fostering an incredibly rich and unique
culture for expats of all kinds. It is easy to find to find yourself
amidst a group of expats from Germany, France, Serbia, Australia,
Iraq, or perhaps even Bismarck, North Dakota.
What is so enthralling about this colossal metropolis is the constant
influx of new ideas and more importantly, the ability to execute them.
guest editorial
Ben Dennis
GUEST EDITOR > Shanghai
bendenarc@gmail.com
While some back home have ideas of starting a business, creating
custom furniture, or starting their own fashion line, in China these
ideas can easily become reality if you have the right knowledge and
tools in place. The possibilities of creating anything are so tangible
and endless it made me want to use my design skills for something
outside the architecture field.
Being based in the manufacturing capital of the world, I found
myself wanting to take advantage of this during my brief hiatus from
the architecture. I started making my own custom sport jackets and
button down collared shirts with the intention of starting my own
fashion line. Suddenly I was neck deep in the world of fashion,
meeting with textile manufacturers, creating a website, and defining
a brand.
Reality set in when my savings were drastically curtailed from a
lifestyle of partying, travel, and ill-conceived dreams of getting into
the fashion world. I dropped the clothing gig and started working
for a Chinese-American firm that was a mix of retail and furniture,
landscape, interior, product, and architecture design. The best part
about working for a firm in China is the incredible diversity of projects
with their great range of scale from the smallest interior to the biggest
master plan. During my time here I’ve worked on nightclubs that
were built in 3 months, a Wedding Hall, four master plans of all

Rolling like the locals on my new
three-wheeler
> Deliciously spicy mapo doufu gong bao ji
die qiezi rou, Chengu, Sichuan Province
> The spectacular Potola Palace
in the Sacred City of Lhasa
guest editorial
different scales, subway stations,
and several other drastically
different program types.
The other engaging aspect of
working in China is the ability
to be involved with projects
throughout many diverse areas
of Asia. This forces one to
consider local traditions and
customs, while designing for
the future direction of highly
dynamic cities whose occupants
are constantly redefining their
identity in a shifting urban
environment. This can seem
like a daunting task, but it often
reminds me of Rem Koolhaas’s
quote from SMLXL:
"Architects are confronted
with an arbitrary sequence of
demands, in countries they
hardly know, about issues
they are only dimly aware
of, expected to deal with
problems that have proved
intractable to brains vastly
superior to their own"
That quote never really struck
me until I started working on
projects in Taiwan, Vietnam, the
Philippines, and various areas
through out mainland China.
As a kid right out of college,
born and raised in the States, I
was completely oblivious to the demands that these projects carried.
I had to consider questions such as, “What is the morning routine
for the Vietnamese elderly versus a young adult”, “How can a 3000
square meter Villa relate to previous notions of Chinese domesticity”,
“What layers of Taiwan’s history should come to the forefront and
what layers should remain subdued”.
China of course is not a flawless country, nor an innocent rising
global power. Living out here I have witnessed first hand the vast
disparities in wealth and a government who caters to the powerful
and wealthy elite. While the country expands its global influence and
tweaks its form of socialist-capitalism, the dismal political freedoms
and putrid humanitarian record this country has will have to catch
up with its economic freedoms. Amidst the country’s increasing
prosperity and dominance as a world power, lies incredible domestic
issues that will have to be solved in the coming decades if not sooner.
While some can sit idly oblivious to the plight of the abused
and highly neglected in the lower rungs of Chinese society, others
have taken a stance to not work with autocracies with poor human
rights records. Daniel Libeskind, for instance, blasted architects
for flocking to a country with one of the most flagrantly “repressive
regimes”, calling for a “moral stance”. For others this developing
market can be a tantalizing offer too difficult to turn away from,
especially in a economic downturn that the US has faced the past
four years.
While I sit quietly working in my fluorescent-saturated office,
eyes aglow from hours lost in the tedium of AutoCAD, I keep my
mind on a swivel. I am both aware of China’s blatant atrocities and
neglect, but also open to the possibility of great political reforms and
appreciative of the unending opportunities this country has provided
for me. Living abroad may have its setbacks and difficulties, but
given the chance to do it all over again, I would not even think twice
about taking a different path.

WANG shU
wins the 2012 pritzker prize
> Ningbo History Museum
Ningbo, China
Coincidentally, the 2012 Pritzker Architecture
Prize was recently awarded to 48 year old Chinese
architect Wang Shu. Along with his wife Lu Wenyu
(who was egregiously omitted from the recognition),
Shu founded Amateur Architecture Studio in
Hangzhou in 1997, after working with craftsmen for
over a decade to gain building experience.
Despite catching many in the architectural
community off-guard, the Pritzker jury's selection
of Shu comes on the heels of his recent
French Gold Medal from the Academy
of Architecture, the German Schelling
Architecture Prize, and his participation in
the Venice Biennale.
Interestingly enough, the jury's comments
made it clear that the merits of Shu's work
were considered within the context of
China's rapid development:
> Ceramic House
Jinhua, China
> The Architect
this
just in
> Five Scattered Houses
Ningbo, China
"The recent process of urbanization
in China invites debate as to whether
architecture should be anchored in tradition
or should look only toward the future. As
with any great architecture, Wang Shu's
work is able to transcend that debate,
producing an architecture that is timeless,
deeply rooted in its context and yet
universal."
29

enemy
state
inPractice
of
the
a closer look at CHINESE
artist / POLITICAL ACTIVIST
AI WEIWEI
Article By:
Dominick Gallegos
Photographs:
Illegally Downloaded
(we can make political statements too)
rad artist
spotlight
31

Whether it is through the curatorial lens
of the many museums and galleries
that dot our cities or through the street
artists who wait for the brief pauses in life’s rhythm
to lay their anonymous mark, we often take for
granted the abundant opportunities for freedom
of expression that the Western world affords us.
In China, these opportunities can be very limited.
In his work as a contemporary artist and political
activist, Ai Weiwei reveals to us a cultural tension
between art, the free expression of individuals, and
the heavy hand of state censorship.
Ai Weiwei, born the son of Chinese poet Ai
Quing in 1957, was brought into this world during
a tumultuous time in Chinese political history. The
Chinese Revolution, led by Mao Zedong, saw the
proliferation of communist principles on the Chinese
people and the dissolve of a class society. Anyone in
opposition to the movement was quickly suppressed
by Mao and sent away. In 1956 Ai Quing, once an
ally of the Communist Party, wrote the Gardener’s
Dream, a poem about a rose gardener who realizes
that he has been discriminating against other
flowers. Interpreted as a counter-revolutionary
piece, Ai Quing was sent into exile in a labor camp.
Ai Weiwei was just one year old.
In labor camps, the people had to learn to build
much of their environment from scratch. This is
where, from a very early age, Ai Weiwei was able to
learn many skills in craft and making, from molding
and firing bricks to building handmade furniture.
In many ways this allowed Ai to develop a close
relationship with materials and building, honing
skills that would later manifest in his art.
rad artist spotlight
> Table With Three Legs
33

The death of Mao Zedong in 1976 lead to economic reform and
other cultural changes that allowed Ai Quing and his family to return
to Beijing. Upon their return, Ai Weiwei decided to leave to New York
City with no intention to return to China. It was in New York, that Ai
would take a particular interest in art as well as the political freedoms
so commonplace in the United States.
Some of Ai Weiwei’s earliest influences in art were the likes of Andy
Warhol and Marcel Duchamp, artists whose work had close relationships
to everyday objects. With a meticulous attention to detail, Ai’s interest
in these very same objects can be seen in his work today.
rad artist spotlight
> The Tate Modern Calls for
Ai Weiwei's Release
Ai would eventually return to China to see his father whom had
become ill. It was at a time shortly after the tragic events in Tiananman
Square, an event that inspired Ai with a new-found responsibility to
the political freedom of those in China.
Upon his return, Ai would release a series of underground books,
black book, white book, and grey book. The books displayed the work
of many experimental Chinese artists at a time when the art scene as a
whole was virtually nonexistant. Because the government controls the
press, the books were illegal and were designed with blank covers as not
to draw attention.
35

Two Joined Square Tables
rad artist spotlight
Ai eventually opened up a studio after his father’s death. It was here
that he would begin a series of works in which he would deconstruct
Chinese antiques and reconstruct them in new ways. After years of
studying craft, he would take a series of tables and begin to take them
apart. Through careful attention to craft, he would then reassemble
them in new ways, using methods consistent with the traditional ways
that were used to build the original piece. The newly assembled tables
would appear warped and deconstructed, taking full advantage of both
floor and wall and the legs of the tables would be turned in a multitude
of directions.
Juxtaposed with his work of objects and craft, are a series of pieces
tied more closely to social and political critique. One of these works,
for example, was ‘Remembering’, an exhibit for the Haus Der Kunst in
Munich. The piece consisted of 9000 children’s backpacks blanketing
the facade of the museum. Through the use of different colors, the
arrangement of backpacks on the wall would display a series of Chinese
characters that read ““she lived happily in this world for seven years.”
It was a quote from the mother of one of victims of the 2008 Sichuan
earthquake. Ai Weiwei used this installation as an opportunity to
criticise the government which had build schools that were poorly
engineered, resulting in the deaths of thousand of children when the
faulty structures collapsed during the earthquake.
37

Politically critical exhibits like ‘Remembering’ have been met with
strong opposition from the Chinese government. In 2009 he was beaten
by police and days later would require brain surgery while in Germany.
The surgery was to relieve brain hemorrhaging caused by the police
striking him in his head. Outside his studio, the government keeps
surveillance cameras. This is in addition to regularly tapping Ai’s phone
and monitoring his bank accounts. Just last year he was detained by
the government for alleged tax evasion. In an effort to bail him out ,
supporters began to raise money but the Chinese government declared it
illegal fund-raising. In addition to these hardships, he also lost his new
Shanghai studio after it was demolished by the government, claiming
he had failed to follow planning and building procedures. What makes
this incident odd, is that Ai was invited by Shanghai government
officials to build a studio in what is meant to be a new cultural district.
'sunflower seeds'
rad artist spotlight
> 100,000000 Porcelain Sunflower Seeds fill
the Turbine room at the Tate Modern
39

Each Porcelain Sunflower Seed is
hand painted by Chinese artisans
The Tate modern exhibit, Sunflower Seeds, is one of the
more extraordinary works to come to fruition under the
watchful eye of Ai Weiwei. Consisting of one hundred million
porcelain ‘seeds’, there sheer scale of the work makes it difficult
to believe that each sunflower seed is part of a porcelain mold
and that each has been formed and individually hand painted
in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen. Overall, the project took
two and a half years, employing over 1600 people.
It is not difficult to perceive this project as a critique on
western consumerism. There is an undeniable connection
between the mass production of goods in China and the
consumerist economies of the West. On a daily basis, we
purchase items made in China with no understanding of the
history behind them, the towns they were manufactured in,
the conditions in which the laborers work in, their wages, etc.
What is interesting about this exhibit is its paradoxical
relationship between production and consumption. Typically
mass consumerism is met through mass production methods.
This exhibit, on the other hand, supplied mass consumers
with individually produced seeds. At this scale it is quite an
extraordinary feat.
rad artist spotlight
> Let's not get too comfortable
there ol' chap...
41

'forever bicycles'
rad artist spotlight
43

Forever Bicycles is an installation piece consisting of thousands of
bicycles welded together. Many of the frames are stacked in parallel, side
by side, creating a dynamic visual depth, as if the bicycles are fading in
and out ad infinitum. Visually, the varying depths and multiple bicycle
orientations from floor to ceiling blur the perceptions of a beginning
and end, a start and stop. It is like you are visualizing one still moment
in time of a piece which, perceptually, has been and will continue to
move a grow once time moves again.
The work represents a commentary on the many rapid cultural shifts
occurring in China as its economic growth proliferates and it adapts
to a global market based on Western rules. With a growing middle
class and increasing car ownership, the bicycle, once a major form of
transportation, is giving way to the automobile. From 2002-2008 China
saw it’s car ownership levels more than double to 37 vehicles per 1000
people. By 2030, that level could see an increase seven fold to 237 cars
per 1000 people.
Dominick Gallegos [dominick@archilepsymagazine.com]
> Forever Bicycles
rad artist spotlight
May we have a moment
of your time?
1% to be exact.
theonepercent.org
a program of publicarchitecture.org

BRIC
works
A Four-Part
Series on the
Emerging
Design World
CHINA
Population:
1.4 billion
Capital:
Beijing
Area:
3.7 million sq mi
O ur BRICworks
series continues
with an in-depth look at
the most populous country
in the world. In describing
China, the list of appropriate
superlatives seems to be outpaced
only by its GDP. A collision of
ancient traditionalism and cuttingedge
modernity, there is perhaps not a
more fruitful, dynamic, or speculative
platform for contemporary
architecture in the world today.
Herzog & de Meuron, Steven Holl,
Zaha Hadid, and OMA have all
rolled the dice, with varying levels
of success. In the following
pages, we examine groundbreaking
projects by the
latter two offices.
47

guangzhou
sideshow
Zaha Hadid's Opera House
designers
Article By:
Kevin Frank
Architectural Photography By:
Hufton + Crow Photographers
savvy
49

GUANGZHOU OPERA HOUSE > Guangzhou, China
Perhaps the most mature
realization of Zaha Hadid’s
signature style to date, the
Guangzhou Opera House is a marvel
of dynamic fluid forms and otherworldly
spatial experiences. Positioned
as twin boulders in an otherwise bleak
urban landscape, this latest edition
to Guangzhou’s developing cultural
repertoire imparts a vigorous tension
to the city, serving as a terrestrial
counterpoint to the deluge of highrise
towers blossoming nearby.
The general composition of spaces
and forms does not stray far from
previous high-profile auditoriums
such as Rafael Moneo’s Kursaal in
San Sebastian, Spain. An expansive
plinth serves as a clean slate,
supporting both a grand auditorium
and a secondary performance hall,
which counterbalance each other in a
choreographed standoff. The negative
savvy designers
> Lower level access from the park
space between these opposing forces is
fraught with tension, made even more
dramatic by the exaggerated cants
and cantilevers on either side. The
sectional manipulation of the plinth
creates a well-orchestrated pedestrian
progression through project, providing
access to the adjacent riverside and
dock.
Over 75,000 pieces of granite clad
the irregular building forms, with
dark grey panels distinguishing the
primary concert hall from the lightergrey
annex building. Triangulated in
a complex hyper-logical arrangement
over the building’s faceted skin, these
rain-screen panels serve as both wall
and roof, while protecting the building
from solar heat gain. Inscribed
onto this skin like giant abstracted
lesions, erratic swaths of curtain wall
illuminate the surface. These massive,
scale-defying window apertures
> A sleek horizontal niche consolidates site lighting
51

Illuminated volumes appear as jagged melting icebergs
savvy designers
53

Vertigo-inducing path between volumes
savvy designers
are also triangulated, revealing the
extraordinary structural grid within.
Detailed to rest flush with the granite
panels, the curtain wall conforms
precisely to the folded surfaces,
resulting in several convex and concave
ridges of radiused-glass.
Like many grand opera halls, the
main concert building is conceived as a
double shell. The interstitial concourses
between the inner and outer shells
the Guangzhou Opera House are
characterized by the novel crisscrossing
structural system that was
pioneered specifically for the project
(for those of you taking notes, it’s
called a spatial folded plate triangular
lattice structure). This imposing mesh
of welded steel box beams appears as
an abstracted metallic endoskeleton,
not far removed from Herzog & de
Meuron’s iconic Bird’s Nest 1300
> Triangular grid overlaps
at multiple scales
miles away. The structural engineer
explained the challenges of designing
to ZHA’s exacting standards: “During
the process of structural design,
the architect set strict aesthetic
requirements to the structure system,
requiring the structure to coincide
with the architectural appearance
strictly, and the structure members to
FOR THOSE OF YOU TAKING
NOTES, IT’S CALLED A SPATIAL
FOLDED PLATE TRIANGULAR
LATTICE STRUCTURE
be arranged with certain orderliness
and rhythm, and having uniform
cross-section. After denying the
radial portal frame system and the
double-layer lattice shell for aesthetic
reasons, a brand new type of structure
55

Floor Plans
savvy designers
57

Building Sections
system, called spatial folded plate
triangular lattice structure, is brought
up spontaneously.” With no columns
in sight, this lattice supports the
superficially mounted curtain wall
panels and whitewashed acoustic infill
panels that correspond to the solid
granite walls. Remarkably, even the
mechanical shafts are camouflaged as
sinuous low-profile white tubes that
leech onto the structural ribs like some
kind of symbiotic parasite.
The shell casing of the interior
concert hall mass is classic Zaha.
Sensuous forms are sculpted in seamless
white plaster, as the ubiquitous vector is
celebrated at every turn. Cantilevered
balconies thrust out over the space
aggressively, accented by continuous
glass railings and integrated linear
savvy designers
diffuser coves. Monolithic staircases
descend from the upper floors, detailed
so that the flooring material continues
as both tread and riser while the siderails
are sheathed in the same fluid
white plaster as the soffit above. The
handrail exists as a gracefully extruded
slot, mimicking the unbroken linear
light coves in the ceiling above.
Inside the grand concert hall, the
monochromatic palette gives way to an
explosion of color, as nearly every square
meter of the fluid surface is painted
a brilliant gold. The asymmetrically
arranged seats ground the cavernous
space in a sea of bright red-orange
upholstery. Constructed from
custom glass fiber reinforced concrete
(GFRC) panels, the amorphous
ceiling and wall surfaces appear as a
> Like an albino stick insect, the HVAC
ducts blend in with the structure
59

Concept models
> Amorphous walls
help to dissipate
sound waves
savvy designers
> Pin lights create a night sky effect
when the house lights dim
61

Custom GFRC panels ensure
that no line is straight
savvy designers
> Advanced scripts mapped out a pattern
of sound attenuating perforations
63

savvy designers
> Warped portal serves as entry point
> Structural lines distort perspective
viscous liquid that was frozen in place
as it flowed over the various balconies
and lighting coves. From the stage,
performers must feel as if they are
being swallowed by a colossal gilded
whale shark. The ceiling is punctuated
by hundreds of randomly distributed
pin lights, which recreate a clear night
sky when the house lights are dimmed.
Near the stage, sections of the wall
are perforated with organic patterns
of acoustic baffles, which dissipate
unwanted sound reflections. It
remains to be seen how the continuous
surfaces hold up to the humidity and
natural flexing of the building, but
upon completion the total effect of the
space is truly mesmerizing.
Stylistically, the Guangzhou Opera
House is a refined evolution of her
patented radius-edged vector-forms.
Though the official press release and
subsequent media coverage have
suggested that the initial concept for
the building was envisioned as two
stones in the Pearl River which have
been honed by flowing water, this
whimsical narrative is likely a harmless
exercise in client-friendly postjustification.
The multi-angular forms
were assuredly derived from iterative
experimentation with computational
geometries, facilitated (or even
generated) by advanced parametric
and scripting software. An ardent
champion for “Parametricism” Patrick
Schumacher served as the Project
Director for the Guangzhou Opera
House (along with Woody K.T. Yao).
In 2008, Schumacher presented his
Parametricist Manifesto at the Venice
Biennale, and has published numerous
articles on this design philosophy
since. In 2009, Architectural Design
published Parametricism- A New
Global Style for Architecture and
Urban Design, which at times reads like
a brazen love-letter for Schumacher’s
own practice within ZHA. He states:
“There is a global convergence in
recent avant-garde architecture that
justifies the enunciation of a new style:
Parametricism. The style is rooted in
digital animation techniques. Its latest
refinements are based on advanced
parametric design systems and
scripting techniques. This style has
been developed over the last 15 years
and is now claiming hegemony within
avant-garde architecture. It succeeds
modernism as a new long wave of
systematic innovation. The style
finally closes the transitional period
of uncertainty that was engendered
by the crisis of modernism and that
was marked by a series of short lived
episodes including Postmodernism,
Deconstructivism, and Minimalism.
Parametricism is the great new style
after modernism.”
With that ambitious—albeit, rather
dismissive—thesis, Schumacher leaves
very little room for a generative concept
as simplistic as “two stones in a river”.
However, as many designers who have
practiced in China know all too well,
clients there can be wary of complicated
design ideologies, favoring simple,
65

marketable, catch-phrase explanations
instead. So what one person sees as
“a pair of polished river rocks,” another
can pursue as “the only credible
candidate to become the epochal
style of post-Fordist society.” Despite
Schumacher’s absolute insistence that
ZHA’s brand of Parametricism is the
sole and rightful heir to Modernism,
there is still much to debate about a
style that was admittedly derived
from computer
animation techniques.
Presumably, many
architects (including a
certain masterful Swiss
hermit) might find the
prospect of jumping
on that particular
digital bandwagon
akin to starting a new
religion based on a 1950’s sciencefiction
author (we're looking at you
Tom Cruise).
Regardless of the conceptual
origins of the project, the tangible
result is a stunning and progressive
work of architecture that, in many
ways, exemplifies the cultural growing
pains of a rapidly developing country.
For one, the Guangzhou Opera House
currently has no resident company.
The iconic Sydney Opera House, for
example, is home to four resident
companies, including the Sydney
Theater Company, The Australian
Ballet, the Sydney Symphony
Orchestra, and Opera Australia. An
exercise in hysteron proteron, this is a
telling indicator of China’s eagerness
"DO WE NEED ALL THESE
LUXURIOUS THEATERS
BECAUSE THERE ARE SO
MANY SHOWS?
OBVIOUSLY NOT.
MOST OF THESE THEATERS
STAND EMPTY MOST OF
THE TIME."
savvy designers
to create cultural landmarks before
developing the culture itself. Like
shooting an arrow into a tree and then
painting a target around it, major cities
across the China have raced to build all
the amenities of a modern metropolis,
including exorbitant concert halls
in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing,
Wuhan, Hangzhou, Ningbo, and
Dongguan. Pu Cunxin, a veteran
actor from the Beijing People’s Art
Theater, recently stated
his views to southcn.
com: “Do we need
all these luxurious
theaters because there
are so many shows?
Obviously not. Most
of these theaters stand
empty most of the
time.”
The more pressing consequences
of China’s accelerated modernization
have begun to show, quite literally,
as cracks in the wall. Construction
problems have plagued the entire
building industry, tarnishing the
luster of many high-profile projects
within weeks of completion. As
could be expected for such a complex
building, The Guangzhou Opera
House has not been immune from this
epidemic. In a surprisingly common
incident, a substantial fire struck the
construction site in May of 2009,
sending billows of dark smoke into the
city. Fortunately, no one was injured
in the blaze, and the structure of the
building remained completely intact.
Additionally, separate reports from
> Building Elevations
> What I would give to design stair with no handrails
> Transparency is maximized inside
67

The Telegraph (a very reputable UK
newspaper), Building Design Online
(a UK professional magazine), and
ARTINFO have described various
instances of deterioration throughout
the building. Specific claims have
included cracked plaster on the interior
of the building, instances of leaking,
glass panels falling out of the curtain
wall frame, and dozens of granite
panels being replaced on the exterior
savvy designers
façade.
The local government has been
quick to blame these issues on the
humid Guangzhou climate, which
features a lengthy monsoon season
and abnormally high heat index.
However, the contractor for the
project provided more specific insight:
"The problems with the quality of
the building are not because of the
design of the building but because
we did not take the complexity of the
design into consideration before we
started work.” His statement alludes
to an increasingly common sentiment
among Western architects working in
China: that the mostly migrant labor
force is not yet adept at executing
sophisticated construction details.
Despite massive efforts by the Chinese
government to provide advanced
training for hundreds of thousands
> A low-lying counterpoint
to adjacent high-rises
of rural construction workers, a 2009
report by Hong Kong-based SACOM
(Students and Scholars Against
Corporate Misbehavior) concluded
that 95% of migrant workers perform
their duties with no training. As a
result, countless news outlets such
as Time Magazine and CNN have
reported ad nausea on the substandard
quality of construction that seems to
be rampant throughout the country.
69

Another hugely important factor to
consider is the contractual framework
that Western architects must abide
by when working in China. Since
China’s accession to the World Trade
Organization in 2001, the Ministry
of Construction has issued several
decrees which effectively require all
foreign businesses to partner with a
Local Design Institute (LDI) for any
projects on Chinese soil. Ultimately,
the LDI is responsible for producing
the final stamped construction
documents that are used to execute
all projects. The coordination and
collaboration between an LDI and a
foreign design firm can become a hotbed
of frustrating language/culture
barriers, as well as a volatile breeding
"YES, THERE'S STILL A LOT OF
SNAGGING TO BE DONE.
WE'VE DEMANDED A
HIGH STANDARD OF WORK
FROM WHAT IS OFTEN
SEASONAL LABOR, BUT THE
FLAWS ARE SUPERFICIAL."
ground for miscommunication and
mutual distrust. Of course, any foreign
firm working in China who wants to
continue working in China must not
be critical of the process, for fear of
offending potential clients or partners.
For their part, Zaha Hadid
Architects is maintaining a gracious
and politically-correct stance on
the issue, as indicated by their
official response: “Our client and
savvy designers
our contractor for the project were
very supportive. As architects, it is
important to have enthusiastic clients
with great civic pride, a willingness
to innovate and passion for artistic
quality. These are vital characteristics
that allow all architects around the
world to design extraordinary projects.
As with any new building, there were
several superficial elements which
needed adjustment post opening. The
reports (referenced earlier) date from
2010 when these issues were still
being addressed. To our knowledge,
the correspondent had neither made
any recent visits in 2011, nor consulted
relevant project members to validate
the research, as these issues had been
resolved.”
ZHA Project Architect Simon Yu
offered a more candid rebuttal: "I've
just been to inspect the building. It's
typhoon season and it’s been pouring
with rain, but rain isn't ‘seeping
relentlessly into the building’ as has
been reported. Glass panels haven't
fallen from windows and no large
cracks have appeared. I'm not sure
what all this is about. Yes, there's still
a lot of snagging to be done. We've
demanded a high standard of work
from what is often seasonal labor, but
the flaws are superficial."
While recent photographs depict
evidence of water damage inside the
main concourse and a few instances
of haphazard craftsmanship on the
exterior granite curtain wall, Yu’s
assessment of the flaws seems to be
accurate. Considering the magnificent
scope of the undertaking, and the
undeniable structural and spatial
innovation involved in its design and
construction, a handful of reparable
flaws should be considered a major
accomplishment. In many cases,
perhaps the building community has
been too quick to “blame the architect”
without taking into account the
innumerable factors that are wholly
beyond a foreign designer’s control
when working in China.
Regardless, the Guangzhou
Opera House is quickly becoming
a significant milestone in both the
urban development of China, and
the persisting legacy of Zaha Hadid
Architects. With a proposal for a
new opera house in the works for
Baghdad—Hadid’s birth city—and
a host of ongoing projects in Italy,
the US, and abroad, the 62 year old
architect shows no signs of slowing
down. Likewise, with half a dozen
skyscrapers over 100 stories tall slated
for completion in the next 4 years,
neither does China.
Kevin Frank [kevin@archilepsymagazine.com]
> Haphazard joinery
> Water damage
> Deteriorating plaster surfaces
71

Zaha Hadid
savvy designers
Zaha Hadid's rise to prominence
was far from meteoric. Despite
establishing her own studio
in 1980, her first major work wasn't
completed until 1994. The fluid vectorforms
of the Vitra Fire Station in Weil
am Rhein, Germany, introduced the
entire architectural community to her
VITAL STATISTICS
Location >
London, England, United Kingdom
Education >
Architectural Association (1977)
Recognition >
Pritzker Architecture Prize (2004)
‘Praemium Imperiale’, Japan Art Association (2009)
RIBA Stirling Prize, (2010, 2011)
Academic Involvement >
Professor at the Architectural Academy
Kenzo Tange Professor at Harvard GSD
Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor at Yale School of Architecture
Professor at University of Applied Arts, Vienna
www.zaha-hadid.com
> London, England
signature style. Since then, Hadid has
climbed her way onto the Forbes list of
the "The World's 100 Most Influential
Women", earning nearly every
imaginable award and accolade along
the way, including the prestigious
Pritzker Prize in 2004, and back-toback
Stirling Prizes in 2010 and 2011.
UK
london
73

CLOSED
circuit
television
savvy
designers
Office of Metropolitan
Architecture
Article By:
Kevin Frank
Architectural Photography By:
Philippe Ruault
75

CCTV HEADQUARTERS > Beijing : China
> Foreign street presence
There is an all-too-common
axiom of architectural
design that resignedly states:
“everything has been done before.”
Rem Koolhaas must have had his
iPod cranked up when that insipid
declaration was muttered. Ascending
from the relentless mid-rise sprawl
of Beijing’s 3rd Ring Road Central
Business District, a remarkably novel
form bears testament to OMA’s
pioneering culture of invention. When
other architects were plundering the
Chinese building boom by pursuing
an inexorable obsession with “taller,
higher, phallic-ier”, Koolhaas and
Partner-in-Charge Ole Scheeren were
busy designing an iconic and genuinely
unique symbol of China’s warp-speed
modernization.
Ineloquently dubbed “Big Shorts”
by locals, the 54-storey headquarters
for China Central Television forms
a gigantic angular loop in the sky,
savvy designers
culminating in a dramatic gravitydefying
75 meter cantilever. Like
so many of OMA's script-flipping
designs, the monumental loop was
originally conceived as an innovative
interpretation of the program. In their
own words: "CCTV consolidates
all its operations in a continuous
flow, allowing each worker to be
permanently aware of her colleagues
– a chain of interdependence that
promotes solidarity rather than
isolation, collaboration instead of
opposition."
Although the project was awarded
to OMA over a decade ago (which is
practically a century ago in Chinese-
"IT COMES ACROSS SOMETIMES
AS BIG AND SOMETIMES AS
SMALL, AND FROM SOME
ANGLES IT IS STRONG AND
FROM OTHERS WEAK"
" I had the fantasy that the façade would
disappear against the gray sky and you
would be left with only the black grid"
-Ole Scheeren
> Complex structural bracing
creates patterned facade.
77

Circular windows in the
observation deck floor
provide harrowing views of
the courtyard below..
savvy designers
79

The oblong void symbolically
embraces the city.
development-years), it remains a
singular icon in the emerging Beijing
skyline today, in large part due to
its manifestly foreign presence in
an otherwise non-descript and
relatively uninspiring urban context.
As Scheeren states, “It comes across
sometimes as big and sometimes
as small, and from some angles it is
strong and from others weak.” This
multiplicitous identity is decidedly
progressive, and will likely serve as a
savvy designers
constant reminder of how “normal” the
surrounding skyscrapers are for years
to come.
If the figural strangeness wasn’t
enough, the CCTV building also
wears its heart on its sleeve, structurally
speaking. OMA collaborated with
Arup on the structural engineering,
which is characterized by a complex
irregular grid of cross-bracing on
the façade. The elaborate lattice of
diagonal black beams varies in density
across the facade in direct response to
the structural stresses within. Against
this filigree, a precisely detailed greyblue
glass curtain wall reflects the sky
(or smog) and surrounding skyline.
Scheeren states: “I had the fantasy that
the façade would disappear against the
gray sky and you would be left with
only the black grid.”
> Nearing completion in 2009
Without question, OMA’s
TVCC building represents
the clearest and grandest
expression of the oft-repeated “wrap”
motif ever to be executed. At 34 stories
(159m) the China Central Television
Cultural Centre rises from the ground
in a single angular thrust, then slashes
diagonally across the sky to the form
the roof, and finally kinks back to
earth on the other side in a continuous
cascading stroke. From 100 meters, the
building appears as a built diagram, its
simplistic form disrupted only by a few
protruding volumes at ground level.
The 580,000 square meter mixeduse
building houses theaters, recording
studios, news rooms, and restaurants in
its base, while the tower is home to the
five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel. In
collaboration with Arup, Koolhaas and
Scheeren designed the tower structure
as a reinforced concrete frame with
sheer walls with steel mega-braces.
The exterior “wrap” is sheathed in a
TVCC CULTURAL CENTER > Beijing : China
Architectural
Photography By:
Iwan Baan
corrugated titanium-zinc rain screen
system, which protects the east and
west faces of the building from glare
and solar gain. The north façade of
the tower is articulated as a smooth
seamless tinted curtain wall, while the
south façade features an expressive
pixelated curtain wall that accentuates
the individual hotel rooms. Inside the
tower, like many other grand highrise
hotels in China, the guest rooms
are arranged around an expansive 100
meter high atrium.
Truthfully, this building would
be considered a masterpiece in any
American city. Were it not for its
proximity to the show-stopping
CCTV building, and the unfortunate
events surrounding its construction
(see page 85), the iconic TVCC tower
would be a celebrated achievement
in high-rise design, making most
contemporary US skyscrapers seem
clumsy and mundane in context.
81

All hail "The Wrap"
savvy designers
83

CCTV CULTURAL CENTER FIRE > Beijing : China
savvy designers
> Despite the apparent
devastation, the structural
integrity of the building was
not compromised
> Zinc panels on the facade
provided fuel for the flames.
On the evening of February 9th,
2009, the nearly completed
CCTV Television Cultural
Center caught fire in a ravenous
blaze that could be seen from miles
away. The fire was reportedly ignited
by an illegal fireworks display as part
of the Lunar New Year festivities,
the most important traditional
holiday on the Chinese calendar. In
a culture that places great emphasis
on superstitions and omens, the
speculative implications of the inferno
did not go unnoticed. That didn’t keep
the Chinese Government from trying
to mute the public reaction, however.
Within hours of the blaze, a formal
notice was distributed to all of the
major news outlets in China, ordering
them to cease all reporting on the
CCTV fire. The notice specifically
banned photos, videos, and any indepth
reporting of the fire, and allowed
only the Xinhua (the official press
agency of the government) report to
be broadcast.
This tragically ironic situation only
intensified the already simmering
public resentment towards China
Central Television. Many citizens
expressed outright elation that the fire
had marred such a distinctive symbol
of government propaganda and
censorship. In the following weeks,
smaller blogs and online forums
were populated with photoshopped
parodies and memes of the fire, which
were quickly removed in many cases.
Fortunately, the major structural
systems of the building remained
intact, despite nearly $24 million in
damages. Over the past 3 years, a
massive renovation project has been
underway, though it is unclear when
the building plans to reopen. The
impending investigation into the
fire has resulted in charges against
21 people, including the head of
CCTV’s building department, who
was sentenced to 7 years in prison
for authorizing the illegal fireworks
display.
85

Hong Kong, China
> Beijing, China
German born Ole Scheeren
is living the dream. Like so
many members of the OMA
fraternity before him, Scheeren has
used the Koolhaas catapult to launch
a solo-career. BÜro OS was formed in
2010, on the heels of CCTV's critical
success. With offices in Hong Kong and
Beijing, the Architectural Association
alumnus is currently working on major
VITAL STATISTICS
Location >
Hong Kong & Beijing, China
Education >
Architectural Association
Academic Involvement >
Visiting Professor at Hong Kong University
www.buro-os.com
savvy designers
projects in Kuala Lumpur, Beijing,
Singapore, and Chongqing.
And as if running your own awardwinning
international practice wasn't
enough, Scheeren has frequently
appeared on the pages of international
fashion magazines, and on the red
carpet hand-in-hand with Chinese
movie stars and fashion designers.
Well done good sir. Well done.
CHINA
beijing
hong kong
> Ole Scheeren
87

AROUND
THE woRLD
IN EIGHTY
SENTENCES
chongqing
guangzhou
beijing
tianjin
shenzhen
hong kong
shanghai
taipei
we built
this city
89

SHANGHAI > Shanghai Municipality : China
Metro Population: 23 million
Shanghai is the New York City of China. As the largest
city proper (an urban locality without its suburbs) in the
world, it’s the financial capital of China, acting as a global
hub for everything from fashion to finance. The city is
split by the Huangpu River, which divides the Puxi (River
West) area from the rapidly developing Pudong (River
East) district, which is a veritable petri dish for skyscrapers.
The Underground Market at the Science and Technology
Museum (AKA the SciTech Fake Market) is a must-see
labyrinth of knock-off designer watches, sunglass, luggage,
shoes, and electronics. In January 2012, the
Brookings Institution ranked Shanghai as
the fastest growing city in the world.
we built this city
91

BEIJING > Beijing Municipality : China
Metro Population: 20 million
Beijing is the crowning cultural heart of this 5,000-year-old civilization, with
its ancient temples and more recently booming art scene. Although Beijing
is the capital of the People’s Republic of China, it’s considerably decentralized
from an urban perspective. Characterized by a relative lack of density and the
omnipresent ring-roads, the city radiates from the infamous Forbidden City and
adjacent Tiananmen Square. Smog levels there can reach immeasurable levels,
prompting city officials to advise residents to
stay indoors. As host city for the
2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing
experienced a huge economic boom
as they built 31 new sports venues,
including Herzog & deMeuron’s
iconic Beijing National Stadium.
we built this city
93

HONG KONG > Special Administrative Region : China
Metro Population: 7 million
As one of the most dense
urban areas in the world, Hong
Kong is actually a cluster of
islands and peninsulas on China’s
south coast. Until 1997, Hong
Kong existed as a colony of the British
Empire, and still operates with a Western flare and a
high degree of autonomy from mainland China as a Special
Administrative Region. Widely heralded as having the most
magnificent skyline in the world, Hong Kong’s distinctively lit
skyscrapers put on a (slightly underwhelming) orchestrated light
show every evening at 8pm. Nestled between mountainous terrain
on one side and Victoria Harbour on the other, this city is truly one of
the most spectacular places on earth.
we built this city
95

GUANGZHOU > Guangdong Province : China
Metro Population: 13 million
Guangzhou is the third most populous city
in China. As a port city on the Pearl River
Delta, it’s one of the
main commercial and
manufacturing regions in
the country. The skyline
includes the iconic
Canton Tower (Canton
is the traditional
European name of
the city) which briefly
held the title of “tallest
tower in the world”
before being surpassed
by the Tokyo Sky Tree.
we built this city
97

SHENZHEN > Guangdong Province : China
Metro Population: 10 million
As China’s first Special Economic Zone, Shenzhen’s freemarket
oriented economy has benefited from over $30
billion in foreign investments over the past 30 years,
making it one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
Case in point: the Pingan International Finance Center
by KPF (currently under construction) will become the
second tallest building in the world when it tops out at
116 stories in 2015 (at least until the Shanghai Tower is
completed shortly thereafter). Home to the Shenzhen
Stock Exchange, the city serves as a home base for
many of China’s most successful tech companies.
we built this city
99

CHONGQING > Chongqing Municipality : China
Metro Population: 29 million
Located in central China, Chongqing is a beast of a city, burly in size
and quite spicy (and numb) in flavor. It is home to the famous Sichuan
Hot Pot, whose tiny peppers burn like wildfire and numb like novacane
at the same time. While the urbanized area is said to have only 6 or
7 million, the municipality controls a massive zone with one of the
largest populations in the world.
we built this city
101

TIANJIN > Tianjin Municipality : China
Metro Population: 7 million
Tianjin is separated into the old city and the Binhai New Area. As
the little brother to nearby Beijing, "TJ" has a long way to go in terms
of cosmopolitan development. Despite massive construction and
infrastructure projects, Tianjin still exemplifies the realities of modern
day China, with shiny new commercial buildings erected alongside
derelict lots filled with livestock. However, with the current pace of
development, expect this city to be unrecognizable within 20 years.
we built this city
103

TAIPEI > Taiwan : Republic of China
Metro Population: 3 million
Taipei is the Capital of Taiwan (AKA The
Republic of China, not to be confused with
the People's Republic of China...for more info
Google "Cross Strait Relations"). Known for
it's night markets, robust recycling programs,
and the pagoda-inspired Taipei 101 (the
former tallest building in the world), Taipei is
a global city with a per capita GDP that ranks
among the highest in Asia.
we built this city
105

Article and Photographs By:
Kevin Frank
in
practice
history of
neglect
The Water Cube After the Olympics:
A Photo Essay
107

Consumerism at two different scales. Hardly a landmark in China is more
than a stone's throw from a McDonald's or KFC. The Beijing National
Aquatics Center is no different. In fact, they share a parking lot.
These buildings appear close to each other, until you take into account
the enormous scale of each one. They're separated by the never-ending
Olympic Green, which is quite the misnomer in the middle of January.
savvy in practice designers
Upon entering the building, you immediately get the sense that the Water
Cube has been serving as a giant smog lung for the last several years, and
now has some kind of late-stage acute respiratory disease.
There are signs of restoration tucked into a few corners throughout the
interior, but each staging area is covered with more dust and mildew than
the rest of the building. It's as if the entire construction crew just vanished.

Broken floor tiles were left just as they shattered. It stands to reason that
many of these cracks and crumbles were accompanied by an unexpected
slip and subsequent splash into the surrounding water.
In a tragically poetic accident, the porous blanket of mildew on the glass
ceilings acts as a delicate filigree, creating subtly filtered light effects on the
white marble floor below.
savvy in practice designers
Yes, the irony is thick and inescapable: an aquatics center that has been
besieged by unwanted water. Nearly every surface in the once-celebrated
interstitial space has been tattooed by water stains.
Many of the ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) bubbles lay flaccid in
their frames. Once the elegant illusion of "surface" is gone, the awkward
patchwork of tube steel behind the bubble emerges.
111

Chances are, the structural engineer didn't specify shattered glass as a
reinforcing bracket. Fortunately, this particular doorway was cordoned off.
from the public with yellow caution tape.
In another serendipitous moment, large panes of shattered glass reiterate
the bubble pattern of the facade at a smaller scale. The effect would be
more delightful were it not for the smeared frame of silicon sealant.
savvy in practice designers
In a detail that was intended to discretely conceal the glass mounting
brackets, the concrete has chipped away, leaving a violent collision of
scarred materials and paint flakes.
Adding insult to injury, many of the punctured ETFE bubbles have been
haphazardly "repaired" with what appeared to be clear off-the-shelf
packing tape. In a shocking turn of events, this too failed.

Anything can be fixed with the proper branding, right? The main concourse
features bright blue column wraps, creating a processional path between
the two main swimming areas. One of the large pool is open to the public.
As soon as the Olympics were over, a massive water park was installed.
Taking up roughly half of the first floor, the attraction is a commendable
way to activate the building. However, it too is already falling into disrepair.
savvy in practice designers
The main pool looked much like it did when Michael Phelps was on his
way to eight Gold Medals. Colorful super-graphics and a deep blue pool
keep eyes from wandering upward to the water stained ceiling.
Of course. Exit through the gift shop. This particular stretch of the building
was immaculately maintained. Items for sale included Water Cube branded
mobile phone covers, key chains, wallets, jewelry, and t-shirts.

this is who we are
Kevin Frank
EDITOR IN CHIEF > Chicago, IL
I've been blessed/cursed with an entrepreneurial spirit. When I find
something I'm passionate about, I dive in head first. Love music? Start a
rock band. Fascinated by architecture? Earn a Masters Degree. In love
with cities? Move to New Orleans, Boston, New York, then Chicago.
ARCHILEPSY is the latest of these enterprising endeavours, and it's
been an exciting and enlightening adventure so far.
Dominick Gallegos
ASSOCIATE EDITOR > Chicago, IL
I am a designer with a particular fascination with the design
process itself. I've been exploring how we generate great ideas,
engage others in the process, and then effectively communicate
and execute those ideas. The questions are often more compelling
than the answers. I also enjoy craft brews and meandering
Chicago on my Surly single speed bicycle (all black of course).
Bryan Finnegan
ASSOCIATE EDITOR > Chicago, IL
Logical and rational, a gadget freak and avid outdoorsman. For me,
architecture is the perfect union of art, design, and technical quality. I
believe that few things have the posterity of architecture and even fewer
have the power to improve our everyday surroundings and invoke an
emotional response in the public realm. With ARCHILEPSY, I hope
to expose the unique and promote the best within the design realm.
Jenny Pelc
ASSOCIATE EDITOR > Norwich, UK
As life takes its many turns, that “second life” I’ve been leading within fiber arts has
earned itself a leading role. In the (almost) four years since I was first introduced
to weaving, I've gone from "just wanting to learn the process" to owning 6 looms, 3
wheels, and numerous other textile related. With the emergence of a tremendous
opportunity to immerse myself in a vibrant textile and craft community, I have
packed my bags... complete with a loom (or two)... and a spinning wheel and will
be very shortly heading across the pond to Norwich, UK. Keep tuned for updates
to how the worlds of architecture and textiles collide.
Alexi Karavokiris
ASSOCIATE EDITOR > Los Angeles, CA
Every time I put pen to paper I get lost in my own thoughts, immersed in my
own world. I can't help but to live hard, play hard, work hard, and party hard.
And within this ever spinning web I find inspiration. I believe in the female
form. I think there's a reason we describe beautiful things in feminine terms.
I explore femininity and sensuality in all my work because with that kind of
beauty and strength as your inspiration, how can you go wrong?!
Breeze Glazer
ASSOCIATE EDITOR > New York, NY
I'm passionate about redefining the role and impacts of the built
environment on human and ecological health. I take an active role in
industry-based leadership and regularly share my expertise through
speaking engagements, publications – and to the occasional bored
stranger at happy hour…
alexi drinks in NorCal's big sur.
Bryan and kevin rubbing elbows
at the chicago innovation
awards banquet. vip baby!!!
BRYAN and alexi pretend
to be scientists at uc
berkeley's wind tunnel.
Dom and kevin gettin they saint
patty's day on. nice hat dom.
dominick at an la gallery with
artist/pirate liz grube. argh!
JENNy prepares for
transatlanticism.
breeze plus
microphone
equals
knowledge
droppin'
117

oll credits
PHOTO CREDITS:
Guangzhou Opera House photos > Hufton + Crow, www.huftonandcrow.com
Guangzhou Opera House drawings and illustrations > Zaha Hadid Architects
CCTV Headquarters photos > Phillipe Ruault, philippe.ruault@numericable.fr
TVCC Tower photos > Iwan Baan, www.iwan.com
TVCC Fire photos > WiNG
Zaha Hadid portrait > Steve Double
Ole Scheeren portrait > Katharina Hesse
K. Frank editorial photo > Liz Grube, www.lyzdesign.blogspot.com
Frank Gehry Tiffany & Co collection photos > Tiffany & Co., www.tiffany.com
Cyberoptix Tie Lab photos > Bethany Shorb, www.cyberoptix.com
Guest Editorial photos > Ben Dennis, bendenarc@gmail.com
Wang Shu photos > Associated Press
Ai Weiwei photos > Illegally downloaded from multiple undisclosed sources
We Built This City photos > public domain
Water Cube photos > Kevin Frank
in your typeface image > Jeremy Miller and Aimée Shultz, www.thisisourjam.com
thank you
Ben Dennis
Ai Weiwei
Zaha Hadid
Patrik Schumacher
Roger Howie
Rem Koolhaas
Livia Breccia
Ole Scheeren
Bethany Schorb
Hufton + Crow
Iwan Baan
Philippe Ruault
Daniel Libeskind
(please don't sue us)
INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING?
Just send your resume and a few work
samples to editor@archilepsymagazine.com
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colophon
COVER
The Guangzhou Opera House served as our CoverGirl for this quarter's issue. Her
monochromatic skin tones defy scale and spatial clarity, inviting you to trace the lines of
her unapologetic bone structure with your eyes.
TYPEFACES
The ARCHILEPSY masthead and logo uses a custom designed font by Kevin Frank. Our
standard serif paragraph text is Adobe Caslon Pro. We use Myriad Pro (made famous
by Apple) for typical san-serif paragraph text. ITC Avante Garde Gothic is our go-to
headline font. All other fonts are used with permission. We respect and

ARCHILEPSY
March 2012
Volume Two, Issue Five
Suggested Retail Price: Free (until we sell out)
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Who even prints anymore? Keep this mag digital, for serious.