Critique
As China prepares for its Olympic coming-out party, Michael Sorkin examines historic neighborhoods in Beijing and Shanghai. He also charts the influence of 20th-century styles and contemporary projects on the country’s cityscapes.

Building Type Study
Jianfu Palace Garden: Tsao & McKown and Pei Partnership collaborate on the interior architecture of a reconstructed portion of the Forbidden City.

Architectural Technology
This month’s technology section looks at the National Swimming Center in Beijing. We examine the innovative digital process that produced the building as well as its surprising—and highly integrated—envelope structure.

China Awards 2008
Business Week and Architectural Record recently announced the winners of their jointly presented China Awards, which recognize work that combines principals of good design and good business in categories including public, green, and preservation projects.

Photo © Didier Boy de la Tour

Gluckman Mayner Transforms a Weapons Factory Into an Art Gallery
New York’s Gluckman Mayner Architects is designing Pace Beijing, a major Chinese outpost for Manhattan’s PaceWildenstein gallery. It is the first major American gallery to put down roots in Beijing—a move intended to help PaceWildenstein become a prominent player in Asia’s booming art market.

Photo © Yu Long/courtesy PaceWildenstein

Fuksas Wins Shenzhen Airport Competition
Adding another mega-terminal to China’s aviation landscape, the Shenzhen Airport Authority announced it has selected Rome-based Fuksas Architects, run by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, to design the new Terminal 3 at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport.

Libeskind Accused of Hypocrisy for Hong Kong Project
Daniel Libeskind has famously urged architects to “take a more ethical stance” by avoiding work in China and other countries that have a poor record on human rights. But he was accused of going against his own principal when construction began on his 269,000-square-foot Creative Media Center at the City University of Hong Kong.

Image courtesy Studio Daniel Libeskind

Herzog & de Meuron Face Opposition in Hong Kong
Herzog & de Meuron’s plans transform the city’s old Central Police Station compound into an arts and culture complex met with opposition from preservationists, prompting the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects to host a charrette to review other viable designs.

Image courtesy Herzog & de Meuron