Chinese Brutalism Today: Concrete and Avant-Garde Architecture

by Alberto Bologna (ORO Editions)

As China has rapidly developed its infrastructure and built environment over the past two decades, it’s become the world’s leading producer and user of concrete. Architect and academic Alberto Bologna, who’s taught about the use of exposed concrete in architectural design as a visiting scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing, has produced a rare critical reading and contextualisation of recent Chinese buildings.

Bologna chooses to cover a small selection thoroughly. Beginning from the surface, he works through the construction process to uncover deeper meanings and motivations. Chapters cover the design process, the search for identity through surfaces and ornament, and the emerging spatial conceptions enabled by new construction and fabrication techniques. Each chapter comprises multiple essays and is thoroughly referenced in keeping with the critical, scholarly approach. Residential, public and private buildings range from what we expect of the term Brutalism (whose meaning is itself discussed) to forms that draw a surprising amount from tradition. Imagery is carefully chosen, and in addition to finished buildings, includes construction and fabrication, plans and sections, and often expressionistic initial drawings. An extended foreword by Pierre-Alain Croset adds context.