Architecture as Built Criticism

Xiangning Li

ISBN 10: 3038604232 / ISBN 13: 9783038604235

Published by Park Books, CH, 2025

About this Item

Can buildings themselves express criticism? Wasn't modernist housing a collective criticism of unsustainable living conditions? Can a state's embassy convey differentiated, critical messages to the home and host country? Can architects express explicit criticism with their buildings? And if so, how can they do so? The essays collected in this volume present a wide range of effective built criticisms. Their authors' concise analyses broaden our view of an insufficiently explored field of knowledge.The 2023 International Conference on Architectural Criticism at Shanghai's Tongji University introduced the critical positions of leading international architects and architecture firms. The debate between tradition and modernity gave rise to varied approaches, such as opposition against unstoppable progress or against autocratic family ideals.

Seller Inventory # LU-9783038604235

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Architecture as Built Criticism
• Publisher: Park Books, CH
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3038604232
• ISBN 13: 9783038604235
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 1056 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Explores architecture’s capacity to express cultural criticism.

Can architects express explicit criticism through their buildings? Is modernist housing, for example, a collective criticism of unsustainable living conditions? Can a state’s embassy convey critical messages to the home and host country? The essays collected in this volume present a wide range of built criticisms. Their authors’ concise analyses broaden our view of an insufficiently explored field of knowledge.

The 2023 International Conference on Architectural Criticism at Shanghai’s Tongji University introduced the critical positions of leading international architects and architecture firms. The debate between tradition and modernity gave rise to varied approaches, such as opposition against unstoppable progress or against autocratic family ideals.

About the Authors

Li Xiangning is an architect and member of the board of directors of the International Committee of Architectural Critics. He is professor of architectural theory and director of the Department of Planning and Academic Development at Tongji University’s College of Architecture and Urban Planning in Shanghai.

Wilfried Wang is a Berlin-based architect and president of the International Committee of Architectural Critics (CICA). He is also a Changjiang Distinguished Scholar and a professor at Tongji University’s College of Architecture and Urban Planning in Shanghai.