Architecture news: Letter from China
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Skyscrapers top out nearly every day in cities across China, making it increasingly difficult for architects to distinguish themselves on the skyline. Some aspiring types believe the antidote is in ever more bizarre designs. The contours of Beijing's new HQ for the People's Daily newspaper (opens in new tab), for instance, are alarmingly priapic; officials in Fushun commissioned a giant steel ring that appears to have no interior square footage at all.
See China's latest wave of development
Still, the past several months have brought their share of sensible, groundbreaking designs - from skilled practices both domestic and international. Not that they're less ambitious; some of these projects are astonishing to imagine and would likely be unfeasible anywhere else on earth but in China's vast and rapidly developing territory. And yet here they are as completed or near-completed works.
Seen together, they capture an image of a China on the move, not just economically, but culturally. Theatres, art museums and tourist hubs beckon for a population that, only a decade ago, had barely travelled for leisure. They're also putting regional China on the map for the rest of the world. That can only lead to a better understanding of this enigmatic country, its people and the forces behind its speedy transformation.
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Max Richter: ‘Visual art culture is wide open in a way that classical music, unfortunately, sort of isn't’
Hot on the heels of Max Richter’s new album, ‘Sleep: Tranquility Base’, and recently opened multi-arts haven in rural Oxfordshire, we speak to the acclaimed composer about creating a sonic antidote to complex times
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
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Discover all the Rolex watches released at Watches and Wonders 2023
Rolex unveils bold new additions to its iconic watch families
By Hannah Silver • Published
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Last chance to see: Brian Thoreen and Mario García Torres’ solo shows at Masa Gallery, Mexico City
Brian Thoreen and Mario García Torres’ solo shows (until 8 April 2023) inaugurate Masa Gallery’s permanent new home in the heart of Mexico City
By Hannah Silver • Published
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Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts extension by Neri & Hu draws on urban monuments
The Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts extension by Neri & Hu brings together culture and retail in a sculptural terracotta-coloured structure
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
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At home with Neri & Hu
Architectural super-pair Neri & Hu talk to us about what inspires them, what they are reading, and how they switch off
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
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Steven Holl Architects' Rubenstein Commons building is a seasonal delight
Rubenstein Commons building in Princeton by Steven Holl Architects is designed with the seasons and academic excellence in mind
By Martha Elliott • Last updated
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Architecture studio uses design to create immersive hearing test app
London architecture studio Kennedy Woods announces Hearing Birdsong, an immersive audio-focused app supported by Design Age Institute, which encourages people to get their ears tested
By Shawn Adams • Last updated
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Steven Holl expands the Museum of Fine Arts campus in Houston
A composition of irregularly shaped, white and translucent volumes, the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building at Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts, designed by Steven Holl Architects, throws open its doors in the US
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
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Neri & Hu reimagine traditional courtyard typology in Beijing
A chic composition of brick and aluminium-clad volumes set in the serene, leafy countryside that surrounds Beijing brings together clubhouse and sales suite courtesy of architects Neri & Hu
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
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RIBA International Awards 2020 jury is announced
By Harriet Thorpe • Last updated
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Hunters Point Library by Steven Holl opens in New York
By Luke Halls • Last updated