Architecture as Built Criticism

Contributions to the 2023 International Conference on Architectural Criticism in Shanghai

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.

• 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

  Autorentext

  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.

Zusammenfassung
Contributions to the 2023 International Conference on Architectural Criticism in Shanghai