Tag China

13-06-2012

TAO: riverside club house in Yancheng (China)

There are some interesting similarities and differences between Mies van der Rohe’s important Farnsworth House project and the clubhouse recently built by Chinese architect Hua Li. If we look at the design and the choice of structural and cladding materials, we can see how the contemporary project stands out from the masterpiece of the past to which it pays homage.

28-03-2012

TAO: new elementary school in Xiaoquan

Nine hundred children can attend the new elementary school in Xiaoquan, completed to plans by architect Hua Li thanks to private financial contributions for rebuilding the school after the 2008 earthquake. Local materials and building techniques are used in a work that fits into its surroundings, avoiding the international “post-seismic” style in favour of a form of architecture demonstrating respect for local history.

22-02-2012

TAO: Museum of Handcraft Paper

To design the Museum of Handcraft Paper, a building preserving the memories of the artisan community in the village of Xinzhuang in southwest China, architect Hua Li of Trace Architecture Office (TAO) studied not only local building techniques but the traditional way of working with paper, and used both in a work symbolising the culture it showcases.

05-12-2011

Li Xiaodong: library in the woods

In contrast with China’s image as world conqueror packed with new city districts erected in record-breaking time, smaller projects demonstrating an awareness of sustainability are now appearing on the scene, in which architecture is used to enhance the natural landscape. One such example is Li Xiaodong’s library for a village just outside the capital.