A Dialogue Between Architecture and Landscape

Chinese architect Pu Miao has long explored the development of modern Chinese architecture from a localized perspective. As he has learned from his practice, the integration of architecture and landscape promises to be one of the main directions for localization.

This volume selects 15 architectural designs from Miao’s practice since the 1990s; 12 of them have been constructed and written about in international and Chinese professional journals and books. The building types include restaurant, retail, exhibition, worship, residence, education, and public facilities. The projects illustrate four modes of integrating buildings and landscape: using outdoor spaces as alternatives for indoor activities; architecture and landscape each playing a unique role in a functional pair; architecture partially taking the form of landscape; and gardens as urban public spaces in a building.

Through detailed analyses of design concepts, many building photos and drawings (including wall sections for some projects), this book acts not only as a virtual tour of these places, but also provides meticulous design documentation. Today, it is very rare for an architect to practice by him/herself. Pu Miao has proved that such a traditional craftsman’s mode of practice is still possible; more than that, he inspires us to see that the modes of architectural practice need not be as uniform as many believe. There are actually many possibilities, as long as you dare to imagine and to try. Perhaps Pu Miao’s initial objective was to control the building detailing as much as possible, which he has accomplished, but meanwhile he has also become a special banner of independent practice in China.