Progressive Architecture in China

The New Yorker magazine's architect critic, Paul Goldberg describes two of China's new structures built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the most innovative on the planet.

"At least two of the buildings on the Olympic Green—the National Stadium, by the Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, and the National Aquatics Center, by the Australian firm PTW Architects—are as innovative as any architecture on the planet, marvels of imagination and engineering that few countries would have the nerve or the money to attempt. The Chinese, right now, have plenty of both. These buildings, some of the most advanced in the world, are made possible partly by the presence of huge numbers of low-paid migrant workers."

Audio Review by Paul Goldberger

NYTimes Article

New Yorker Review

Slide Show

Structure and Images of the National Swimming Center

NPR Article/Audio

The ArchitectIntreviewed