Well, it’s all about taste. Some people don’t like modern architecture, and some people love it. I think it’s far too personal of an opinion to be able to categorize it generally. Yes, I admire the CCT building more for its industry and it’s oddity than I do for its architectural design. But, that’s what I think, perhaps other think it’s the greatest building since the Pantheon…!

Jon.

The grid structure and square monolithic shape suggest a handmade strength. But the meandering lines of the grid also suggests nature or natural elements. Those same lines however strong they really may be, suggest weakness and the protruding top on an uneven grid makes the stomach feel as queasy as looking up at Pisa’s leaning tower. It definitely provokes thought and is not something to overlook.

As far as representing China, I can’t say since my opinion is solely based on other people’s experiences or lack thereof in the country.

As far as representing the direction of architecture as a whole, I would have to guess that was probably not the goal of the project. Although it might in so far as architecture today seems to be more focused on meeting the needs of it’s specific client, upsetting traditional hierarchy of work environments, and letting computational algorithms drive design, especially in it’s facade or “skin”.

[one example http://www.morphosis.net/ ]

I think it’s a really cool design. I’d like to see some more pictures, but they all seem to be from the same angle.

Even if you don’t like it, I think one must remember that one building does not a direction make. I think it’s important for all kind of designers to explore “design space”, and even if not every experiment is a success, we learn something from it. We make progress and establish direction from an aggregation of previous designs, and in every generation, there have to be some things that turn out to be bad ideas and some that remain good in retrospect.

“I think that it is easily one of the most aesthetically horrific structures I have ever seen.”

That’s a very common reaction to most modern architecture from any era. People hated the Eiffel tower, the St. Louis Arch, etc. I’m sure there was a group of Romans arguing about the Acropolis when it was being built.

Iconic architecture is just as much art as it is design and art, at times, is meant to cause a reaction more than anything. You spoke of FLW and his Guggenheim was hated by many folks at the time as well.

> I’m sure there was a group of Romans arguing about the Acropolis when it was being built.

Perhaps the Romans were grumbling while the Acropolis was being built. But when the Athenians were busy building the Acropolis in Athens, the Romans only had control of their still rather small city on their seven hills (and maybe just a tad of the area surrounding it). They were hundreds of years away from conquering Greece. ;-)