Thesis
Contemporary regionalism in Chinese architecture: A perspective inspired by K. Frampton's critical regionalism (from 1980 to the present)
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2004
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/264
Abstract
Rapid urban development in China threatens the urban fabric of Chinese cities. Development has attempted to balance strong Western influences with traditional Chinese forms and has met mixed results. Although there already exists a new current of Chinese regionalism in architecture, this trend could be improved by careful applications of the principles of ‘Critical Regionalism’ as described by Kenneth Frampton. This thesis presents six case studies of current Chinese regionalist architecture taken from two distinct urban settings—Beijing and Shanghai—and examine them through the lens of Frampton’s critical regionalism. Each case study is examined in each of the basic dimensions used by Frampton to define critical regionalism. These case studies are then used as the foundation for specific recommendations for future development of contemporary Chinese architectural regionalism, in particular focusing on ways to integrate traditional or vernacular techniques, devices and forms with modern needs, modern technologies, and foreign influences in order to enhance the regional culture and built environment. Distinction is made between Beijing as a historic city emphasizing Chinese government, while Shanghai is more of a “pluralist” city emphasizing international business. Both of these traditional lines of development lead to legitimate--- but---expressions of what critical regionalism can mean for China.
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Details
- Title
- Contemporary regionalism in Chinese architecture
- Creators
- Xulin Hu
- Contributors
- David Wang (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Design and Construction, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Identifiers
- 99900524805301842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis