China, the Playground of Bad Design
October 27, 2011
The Indian Pavilion and Saudi Arabia Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010, image via Meiguoxing.
A few days ago, China Daily editor Liu Yujie brought attention to the budding sentiments of the Chinese against the use of their country as a “playground for international architects.” In a piece entitled “Bad boy architects & China’s new face,” Liu criticized some of the most publicized new buildings to transform China’s cityscapes. Offending culprits include Rem Koolhaas’ CCTV Headquarters, the asymmetrical steel “underpants” that many now view as a humiliating blemish in Beijing’s central business district, and Raimund Abraham’s Jingya Restaurant, an imprudent tribute to the “awesome power of the ocean” that shamelessly clashes with the nearby Forbidden City. Click to read more.
The facade of Raimund Abraham’s Jingya Restaurant, image via super.heavy’s flickr.
