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

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
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