This book will be the first to offer an analysis of a city through its upper zone and the distinctive architectural features that make up this zone, at once a mode of human experience and a unit of the environment which exceeds single buildings, and so to deploy specially developed concepts (previously used in performance theory and ritual analysis and applied to the image) to further the analysis of the urban scene. What will be described will be a ‘felt environment’ allied to a rhetoric of architecture based upon an entirely original way of dividing up, or conceptualizing, urban space.. This book will offer an insightful yet playful decoding of our experience of the built environment applied to Beijing as an exciting, largely newly-built world-city, whose buildings stand in need of a commentary – especially the official ones and, by no means least, the ‘big name’ ones (CCTV and the Olympic/National stadium or ‘Bird’s Nest’).
Table of Contents
Introduction: ‘Looking up’.
PART ONE: The Persistence of Tradition.
(Chapter 1) The Lure of Inherited Forms.
Interlude. Architectural Debates: The Space/Place Problem.
(Chapter 2) Chinese Whispers.
Episode: Architecture and Desire.
PART TWO: The Shock of the New. The 20th Century.
(Chapter 3) Building the Tower of Babel. The Skyscraper Tradition.
Interlude. Architectural Debates: Illusionism & Ideology.
(Chapter 4) City of Glass. Modernism & Beyond.
PART THREE: A Unitary Vision? Cityscapes, Old & New.
(Chapter 5) Reading Architecture! Points of Orientation.
i/ Whose stand-point? Horizon v Stand-alones
ii/ Points of view. Pointed Roof v Flat Roof Traditions
Afterword: Evolution of the Eye.
Objectives and Themes
This work explores the transformation of Beijing’s skyline, analyzing how recent architectural developments integrate historical traditions with modern design through the concept of the "Solar"—the topmost segment of buildings. It investigates how these architectural features reflect collective cultural values, the psychological impact of the urban environment, and the evolving relationship between the city’s inhabitants and their horizon.
- The symbolic and functional importance of "Solar" architecture in modern urban design.
- The persistence of traditional Chinese architectural forms (such as the cornice, arch, and courtyard) in contemporary skyscrapers.
- The role of architecture as a "visual rhetoric" that shapes urban identity and reflects societal desires.
- The dichotomy between "traditional" architecture and the "modernist cube," and the emergence of "unitary" or "one-part" landmark buildings in Beijing.
Excerpt from the Book
The Phenomenology of Openings: The Feng Shui of the Modern Building
The Experience of Openings. Essentially a combination of three forms of opening up a building to the outside, the new sense of openings, of the opening up of a modern building, is made-up of elements taken from the Entrance (the Arch), the Window and the Courtyard (the space that results within). Such spaces are fronted by tall openings from the side and often supplemented with openings from above. Our view through the window or opening as onto a space lit as if from above (even if that light is that which enters from above ourselves as we make an entrance or just gaze in from the outside).
In many ways what we experience here is the three dimensional equivalent of the intervening white space that is such a feature of Eastern art (the spacing between the grounds of the traditional shuimo 水墨 or ink-wash landscape). These are the absences that signal the infinite and eternal realms of religious, artistic and cultural tradition (the ‘quietism’ of the Dao, or the enlightening ‘absence’ that is the aim of the Chan/Zen school of Buddhism). A symptom of a non-monotheistic ‘empty centre’, or the ‘non-representable’ (in western philosophical terms).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: ‘Looking up’. This section introduces the focus on Beijing's evolving skyline and the concept of the "Solar" as a defining feature of the city's architectural transformation.
PART ONE: The Persistence of Tradition. This part explores how ancient architectural traditions and forms common to East and West continue to influence modern design language.
(Chapter 1) The Lure of Inherited Forms. Discusses how traditional elements like the cornice, arch, and courtyard are appropriated and adapted into modern architectural rhetoric.
Interlude. Architectural Debates: The Space/Place Problem. Addresses the philosophical distinction between "space" and "place" and how societal perceptions of these define our interaction with the built environment.
(Chapter 2) Chinese Whispers. Examines indigenous Chinese architectural traditions and how their forms—such as roofs and support beams—evolve into contemporary designs.
Episode: Architecture and Desire. Analyzes the psychological motivations behind urban architecture, framing the built environment as a reflection of collective identity, sexual desire, and religious/eternal longing.
PART TWO: The Shock of the New. The 20th Century. Focuses on the architectural heritage of the 20th century, specifically the rise of the skyscraper and the dominance of Modernism.
(Chapter 3) Building the Tower of Babel. The Skyscraper Tradition. Explores the history of tall buildings, emphasizing the influence of the "Palazzo" style and historicist decorative traditions.
Interlude. Architectural Debates: Illusionism & Ideology. Debates the authenticity of architectural form versus decoration and how buildings convey messages to the public.
(Chapter 4) City of Glass. Modernism & Beyond. Discusses the prevalence of the modernist glass cube and how architects have sought to revitalize this form through new interventions.
PART THREE: A Unitary Vision? Cityscapes, Old & New. Analyzes the city as a whole, looking at how different architectural zones interact within the collective urban experience.
(Chapter 5) Reading Architecture! Points of Orientation. Explores the dualities of "horizon versus stand-alone" buildings and the "pointed roof versus flat roof" traditions as keys to understanding the built landscape.
Afterword: Evolution of the Eye. Summarizes the symbiotic relationship between the self and the architecture we create, proposing that the built environment is an exteriorization of our internal states.
Keywords
Beijing, Architecture, Solar, Skyline, Tradition, Modernism, Skyscraper, Ornamentation, Urbanism, Feng Shui, Identity, Symbolism, Historicism, Space, Place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this book?
The book provides a visual anthropology of Beijing’s modern architecture, focusing specifically on the topmost parts of buildings—termed the "Solar"—and how these features relate to the sky and traditional cultural heritage.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The central themes include the persistence of historical traditions in modern design, the symbolic "rhetoric" of buildings, the psychological impact of urban environments, and the evolution of the city's skyline as a collective narrative.
What is the "Solar" concept mentioned in the text?
The "Solar" refers to the uppermost level of a building. The author uses this term, borrowed from medieval usage, to describe the crown or finishing element that establishes the building’s relationship with the sky and reflects the values of its society.
What scientific or analytical approach does the author use?
The author employs a visual and phenomenological approach, analyzing buildings as "arguments in stone" that communicate meaning through their forms, ornamentation, and context, rather than just their functional utility.
What is covered in the main body chapters?
The chapters trace the evolution from traditional, historically-inspired designs through the dominance of 20th-century Modernism, concluding with an analysis of contemporary landmark architecture in Beijing.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Key terms include Beijing, Solar, Skyline, Modernism, Skyscraper, Tradition, Urbanism, and Architectural Symbolism.
How does the author interpret the CCTV headquarters in Beijing?
The author views the CCTV building as a modern, symbolic "Arch" that functions not as a traditional entrance, but as a monumental display of power and media influence within the cityscape.
What is the "Space/Place" debate discussed in the interludes?
The debate distinguishes between "space" as a quantitative measure and "place" as a space imbued with human feeling, rootedness, and social meaning, arguing that societies interact differently with these concepts.
How are "stand-alone" buildings distinct from the collective horizon?
Stand-alone buildings act as discrete objects we stand "before" to view, whereas the "collective horizon" is an experience we find ourselves "in," contributing to the continuous, horizontal urban experience of the city.
- Citation du texte
- Peter Nesteruk (Auteur), 2012, Bejing Solarscape: A Visual Anthropology, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/190197
