China is the new Dubai
May 9, 2010 5:22 AM Subscribe
China is the new Dubai (when it comes to architecture)
The Hills have eyelets.
posted by hermitosis at 5:54 AM on May 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by hermitosis at 5:54 AM on May 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
I really appreciate the designation of 'Fake Hills'. If they'd just called it Hills I might've confused the building with the TV show or, worse, actual hills. As it stands I can rest assured that these are not actual hills.
posted by carsonb at 6:30 AM on May 9, 2010
posted by carsonb at 6:30 AM on May 9, 2010
Looks more like a roller coaster than hills...
posted by jim in austin at 6:53 AM on May 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jim in austin at 6:53 AM on May 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
In a country where the state owns all land directly in urban areas and indirectly through the collectives in the countryside and also controls bank lending through policy directives, you can well imagine the deep mire of corruption that lies behind the Chinese property boom and current housing bubble. A regular feature of bribery scandals is some official taking money or other emoluments to assign land rights at a fraction of their market value to a well-connected developers.
You'll also not be surprised to learn that it's a sector with an appalling safety record and a history of failure to pay wages owed, the latter situation so serious that it's causing violent social breakdown in the rural communities where building labourers are sourced by gangers - the latter don't get paid so can't pay the neighbours and relatives they persuade to work for them and conflict naturally ensues, while the real culprits are well insulated behind labyrinthine multiple layers of subcontracting.
Even if they are paid their year's wages, the workers who build these monstrosities won't have enough to buy a single square metre of the average finished apartment block. Even if they could afford it, they'd have to navigate the household registration system that divides citizens between urban and rural before being able to legally reside in the shining new metropolises they have built.
Naturally, a regime that will tolerate the above also has few if any mechanisms in place to allow the ordinary residents who have to live in the shadow of these grandiose edifices any say in their form or siting.
posted by Abiezer at 6:56 AM on May 9, 2010 [6 favorites]
You'll also not be surprised to learn that it's a sector with an appalling safety record and a history of failure to pay wages owed, the latter situation so serious that it's causing violent social breakdown in the rural communities where building labourers are sourced by gangers - the latter don't get paid so can't pay the neighbours and relatives they persuade to work for them and conflict naturally ensues, while the real culprits are well insulated behind labyrinthine multiple layers of subcontracting.
Even if they are paid their year's wages, the workers who build these monstrosities won't have enough to buy a single square metre of the average finished apartment block. Even if they could afford it, they'd have to navigate the household registration system that divides citizens between urban and rural before being able to legally reside in the shining new metropolises they have built.
Naturally, a regime that will tolerate the above also has few if any mechanisms in place to allow the ordinary residents who have to live in the shadow of these grandiose edifices any say in their form or siting.
posted by Abiezer at 6:56 AM on May 9, 2010 [6 favorites]
A while back Charlie Rose interviewed hedge fund manager James Chanos about the current state of the Chinese property market. Chanos says, “[China] looks like 'Dubai times 1,000 — or worse'.”.
Here’s the link to Charlie Rose interview (30 minutes), and here’s the transcript.
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 7:20 AM on May 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
Here’s the link to Charlie Rose interview (30 minutes), and here’s the transcript.
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 7:20 AM on May 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
Looks more like a roller coaster than hills...
I hope someone corrects me if this is wildly wrong - but I think the profile of the amazing building is, maybe, meant to recall the iconic karst formation landscape that features on China's 20-yuan note?
When you take the popular Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo (north of the "Fake Hills" city of Beihai), you pass by hundreds of extravagantly pointed or lumpily-domed limestone peaks on both sides of the water - and there's a stretch that has become the emblematic image of uber-picturesque Chinese river scenery – it's been reproduced in scores of classical paintings and is the illustration for the 20-yuan (i.e. almost $3) bank note.
(This comment might be misleading rubbish - I was just struck by the - to me - obvious similarity!)
posted by Jody Tresidder at 8:02 AM on May 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
I hope someone corrects me if this is wildly wrong - but I think the profile of the amazing building is, maybe, meant to recall the iconic karst formation landscape that features on China's 20-yuan note?
When you take the popular Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo (north of the "Fake Hills" city of Beihai), you pass by hundreds of extravagantly pointed or lumpily-domed limestone peaks on both sides of the water - and there's a stretch that has become the emblematic image of uber-picturesque Chinese river scenery – it's been reproduced in scores of classical paintings and is the illustration for the 20-yuan (i.e. almost $3) bank note.
(This comment might be misleading rubbish - I was just struck by the - to me - obvious similarity!)
posted by Jody Tresidder at 8:02 AM on May 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
The hate makes me sad. I think they're cool-looking. I would have thought that a more nature-inspired, flowing form would be seen as more appealing than the usual brick dwelling-cubes. Shows what I know.
posted by Xezlec at 8:07 AM on May 9, 2010
posted by Xezlec at 8:07 AM on May 9, 2010
I was about to link to the Charlie Rose Interview, but Jasper beat me to it. You can see a Chanos longer presentation herethat goes into a lot more detail.
posted by delmoi at 8:29 AM on May 9, 2010
posted by delmoi at 8:29 AM on May 9, 2010
The hate makes me sad. I think they're cool-looking.
Imagine living behind those things, never getting to see the ocean. It wouldn't be as big of a problem with a bunch of towers.
Another problem, IMO, is the flatness of the whole thing. I think it looks kind of tacky.
posted by delmoi at 8:35 AM on May 9, 2010
Imagine living behind those things, never getting to see the ocean. It wouldn't be as big of a problem with a bunch of towers.
Another problem, IMO, is the flatness of the whole thing. I think it looks kind of tacky.
posted by delmoi at 8:35 AM on May 9, 2010
Holy shit, it's actually under construction.
MAD are one of China's trendiest architects and their highest profile projects tend to be sculptural, one-liners for luxury skyscrapers where there isn't that much opportunity to intervene architecturally except at the ground floor, the top floors and the skin, or the reception lobby, the penthouse and the facade. In these projects I think the architects have accepted that they are essentially skinning a series of more or less generic floor plates, open plan with a service/circulation core in the middle - it keeps developers happy and a sexy skin goes down well in the academy. That said they have a few interesting projects which seem more socially considered, due perhaps to the generosity of the brief. This art centre in Beijing for example mediates between the scale of traditional one family housing and larger, developer driven urban blocks of mono-use shopping malls and hotels, though its accessibility to the general public remains to be seen.
Against this background then the project in the original post sits somewhere in the middle, here again is the first part of MAD's blurb on fake hills:
Throughout China's ultra-rapid urbanization, attention has been focused on set-piece architecture: opera houses, museums, stadiums. However these would-be icons form the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of development in China's new cities takes the form of residential schemes, often standardized and cheap to guarantee developers a quick return. Is it possible to build high-density, economically viable housing which is also architecturally innovative?
In this context I think MAD's contribution is better than none. It's a cheap housing development that is saved from total repetition by a wobbly roof which has the potential for interesting landscaping. Now I'm not a fan of their work, or the circumstances of Chinese construction but I think architectural intervention has to be judged in the context of the construction industry and prevailing standards of development - an architect isn't going to be able to challenge these things - if you want political agency don't become an architect.
posted by doobiedoo at 10:37 AM on May 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
MAD are one of China's trendiest architects and their highest profile projects tend to be sculptural, one-liners for luxury skyscrapers where there isn't that much opportunity to intervene architecturally except at the ground floor, the top floors and the skin, or the reception lobby, the penthouse and the facade. In these projects I think the architects have accepted that they are essentially skinning a series of more or less generic floor plates, open plan with a service/circulation core in the middle - it keeps developers happy and a sexy skin goes down well in the academy. That said they have a few interesting projects which seem more socially considered, due perhaps to the generosity of the brief. This art centre in Beijing for example mediates between the scale of traditional one family housing and larger, developer driven urban blocks of mono-use shopping malls and hotels, though its accessibility to the general public remains to be seen.
Against this background then the project in the original post sits somewhere in the middle, here again is the first part of MAD's blurb on fake hills:
Throughout China's ultra-rapid urbanization, attention has been focused on set-piece architecture: opera houses, museums, stadiums. However these would-be icons form the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of development in China's new cities takes the form of residential schemes, often standardized and cheap to guarantee developers a quick return. Is it possible to build high-density, economically viable housing which is also architecturally innovative?
In this context I think MAD's contribution is better than none. It's a cheap housing development that is saved from total repetition by a wobbly roof which has the potential for interesting landscaping. Now I'm not a fan of their work, or the circumstances of Chinese construction but I think architectural intervention has to be judged in the context of the construction industry and prevailing standards of development - an architect isn't going to be able to challenge these things - if you want political agency don't become an architect.
posted by doobiedoo at 10:37 AM on May 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Imagine living behind those things, never getting to see the ocean.
In a country with over a billion people, not everyone is going to get an ocean view, regardless. Even with the usual kinds of structures, you'd have this problem. Notice the arches and eyelets in the fake hill to let people through if they want to see the scenery.
Another problem, IMO, is the flatness of the whole thing. I think it looks kind of tacky.
Doesn't all innovative architecture look that way at first? That's exactly what they said about the Eiffel Tower. Besides, many of the usual places I wouldn't call gorgeous either.
posted by Xezlec at 1:23 PM on May 9, 2010
In a country with over a billion people, not everyone is going to get an ocean view, regardless. Even with the usual kinds of structures, you'd have this problem. Notice the arches and eyelets in the fake hill to let people through if they want to see the scenery.
Another problem, IMO, is the flatness of the whole thing. I think it looks kind of tacky.
Doesn't all innovative architecture look that way at first? That's exactly what they said about the Eiffel Tower. Besides, many of the usual places I wouldn't call gorgeous either.
posted by Xezlec at 1:23 PM on May 9, 2010
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posted by cromagnon at 5:34 AM on May 9, 2010