Architecture as Built Criticism

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. AUTHORS: Li Xiangning is an architect and a member of the International Committee of Architectural Critics' (CICA) board of directors. He is a 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 Changjiang Distinguished Scholar and a professor at Tongji University's College of Architecture and Urban Planning in Shanghai. SELLING POINTS: . An anthology of essays by leading independent international authors on the topic of architecture as built criticism . Offers paradigmatic case studies for the next generation of architectural critics . Concise and well-structured analyses demonstrate various ways in which buildings can manifest critical attitudes . With three consecutive editions, the International Conference on Architectural Criticism is established as a global forum for competent and independent architectural criticism 140 colour, 60 b/w illustrations