Ludwig Mies, one of the pioneers of modern architecture, once said architecture was the will of an epoch translated into space. Amongst the numerous challenges China faces today, one of them lies in plain sight in the urban skyline, as the country gropes elusively for a balance between their rich history and a newfound modernity. With major architectural projects going to foreign architects, skepticism and incomprehension have left many pondering why the hands molding the country’s new face are not Chinese.

The CCTV Headquarters in Beijing

For the sake of brevity, this piece will not retrace nor depict the historical evolution of Chinese architecture; be it feng shui, religious symbology, or structural design. Of importance, however, is one key distinction between Western and Chinese construction planning: height and width. Whereas the latter has progressively been driven towards an emphasis on height and depth, Chinese architecture has always placed greater stress on the visually striking effect of horizontal structures, which accounts for the fact most traditional buildings in China are no higher than three floors. Development in China has therefore logically led to a shedding of the traditional (and the low-surfaced) in favour of the heights of futuristic skyscrapers.

A playground for foreign architects?

On to our problem then. Picture some of the country’s most iconic urban architectural symbols dating from the recent past. Here are a few of them, with the nationality of their respective architects: The CCTV tower (Dutch), the National Centre for the Performing Arts (French), the Beijing National Stadium (aka Bird’s Nest – Swiss), and finally the three ‘supertalls’ of Shanghai – the Shanghai Tower, the Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai World Trade Center – all designed by American architects. The Oriental Pearl Tower of Shanghai stands as a lonely representative of modern Chinese architectural design.

The National Centre for the Performing Arts (a.k.a the Egg)

The large international firms are not the only ones to profit from the opportunities in China. A recent article from the New York Times exemplified this sweeping trend as they followed the orders flowing to a small Seattle firm, for high-end custom homes in Shanghai, with astronomical price tags ranging from 50 to 100 million RMB. More intriguing is the fact that Chinese developers turned to foreigners for these ambitious, costly projects, admitting openly they did not know whether local architects were capable of producing identical works, and thus not wanting to take the chance (and the risk) on them.

Concept for Shanghai villas (source: nytimes.com)

In turn, this has led to a certain degree of controversy from a portion of the Chinese population, which has expressed its anger at the country serving as a ‘lab’ for foreign architects to experiment on.

Two years ago, MAD Ltd. revealed plans for the construction of an “Urban Nature” project in Huaxi. The futuristic designs immediately sparked debate and outrage amongst netizens, who claimed foreign architects were oblivious to the history and surroundings in which they were erecting their decidedly alien architectural creations; promoting the shock of art over other considerations. More importantly, it served as a reminder that once more Chinese architects had been trumped in favour of foreign candidates.

Reasons for hiring foreigners over Chinese

Initial design for the “Huaxi Urban Nature” (source: china.org.cn)

One argument accounting for this generalised preference for foreign architects lies in the young, relatively inexperienced market in China. When investing millions, developers have a natural tendency to putting the money in the most ‘risk-free’ hands. In that respect, reputation plays a big role. A second argument put forth, stereotypical in the extreme, returns to the concept of the Chinese lacking innovation; an essential trait in this line of business. Tentative, if not unconvincing at best, the truth remains that perceptions have the power of being deciding factors in such decisions.

Regardless of the reason, one thing is clear: despite the demographic situation in China, combined with habitability, energy efficiency and the economic realities of today, Chinese developers have added to that list an extra dimension of meaning; meaning that can only be spurred by an innovative spirit.

The three ‘supertalls’ of Shanghai

The debate stands, then: should it matter where innovation comes from? Is modern architecture essential in defining culture, particularly in a country like China, which prides itself on its past, or is the epoch of modernity blind to nationality?

And next time you go out and you notice an unusual structure, made of smooth curves or twisted shapes, ask yourself: “Does this seem out of place, or is this just how I envision China?”
 

Related links
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Keywords: foreign architects china architecture in china done by foreigners major buildings foreign architects china architecture projects foreign china