China’s State Council and Communist Party Central Committee have forbidden "over-sized, xenocentric, or weird" architecture.
The order states that public buildings should "suitable, economic, green and pleasing to the eye." The directive also bans gated communities.
Analysts said the stricter design standards mean a tighter focus on functionality in public buildings, rather than unique, iconic structures devised primarily by foreign architects. The guidelines come two months after a high-level meeting to address some of the problems that have arisen because of China’s rapid urbanization in which city dwellers rose from 18% of the population in 1978 to 56% today.
The new guidelines also encourage construction techniques that use fewer resources, like prefabricated elements, according to The New York Times. Prefabricated structures could help China reach its goals of simplified designs, while ensuring quality and reducing costs.
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Gartner Auditorium, Cleveland Museum of Art
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The Watch Factory, Waltham, Mass.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards — Gold Award. When the Boston Watch Company opened its factory in 1854 on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham, Mass., the area was far enough away from the dust, dirt, and grime of Boston to safely assemble delicate watch parts.
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Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, Cleveland, Ohio
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. The Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was dedicated on the Fourth of July, 1894, to honor the memory of the more than 9,000 Cuyahoga County veterans of the Civil War.
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Building 13 Naval Station, Great Lakes, Ill.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. Designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt and constructed in 1903, Building 13 is one of 39 structures within the Great Lakes Historic District at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill.
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From ‘Plain Box’ to Community Asset
The Mid-Ohio Foodbank helps provide 55,000 meals a day to the hungry. Who would guess that it was once a nondescript mattress factory?
| Sep 22, 2010
Michael Van Valkenburg Assoc. wins St. Louis Gateway Arch design competition
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| Sep 13, 2010
Second Time Around
A Building Team preserves the historic facade of a Broadway theater en route to creating the first green playhouse on the Great White Way.
