Should architectural criticism be enlightening? Should it help in the creation of a better built environment? Is there a factual basis to it? Does it have a duty to present evidence in the evaluation of a building? Or should it take on what architects say about their designs? In the context of a flat internet, should architectural criticism be able to define best practices? Does it wield the power over who is in and who is out? Architectural criticism, like all human endeavours, is at a crucial juncture. While serious architecture struggles for recognition, much so-called architectural criticism is merely a poorly paid, decorative legitimation for hyperbolic practice. Incisive architectural criticism is rare, while the definition of criticism itself has become opaque. The 2021 International Conference on Architecture Criticism has gathered exceptional papers that define the purposes and methods of architectural criticism: What should be the ethical basis of architectural criticism? Can it be objective in the context of paid content? Should it outline ideal practices? Or what else should it do? All contributions in this book address either the duty or the power of architectural criticism. In both cases, the authors offer the outline of one analysis of an existing building.

How should a diverse metropolitan region such as the German capital Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg reinvent itself, while preserving its character, nurturing its attributes, and simultaneously preparing for climate change? 21BB-Model Region Berlin-Brandenburg offers an analysis of these important strategic questions, along with constructive solutions. As a comprehensive survey of the entire Berlin-Brandenburg region, this book presents essays; striking visualisations, maps and graphics; and projects in a large-format atlas. Its findings are based on extensive research at University of Texas at Austin's School of Architecture (UTSOA) into complex subjects such as the circular economy, social equity, mobility, energy and water management, environment, population growth and density, inclusion, and urban culture. Wide-ranging essays are supplemented with proposals developed by UTSOA's students. The book also features a radical urban and regional design submitted to an international competition for Berlin-Brandenburg's long-term development by Berlin-based firm Hoidn Wang Partner. Given the urgent need for a public debate about the future of Germany's capital region, this volume offers a solid factual basis and offers new approaches, projects, and ideas.

This is the revised edition of the first volume on the highly regarded practice Eric Parry Architects, covering their work from the 1980s to the present. Projects featured in Volume 1 include uniquely sensitive university buildings at Cambridge and Sussex; the Damai Suria housing complex in Kuala Lumpur; the romantic and picturesque Chateau de Paulin, France; and the infamous Ministry of Sound night-club in London. Wilfried Wang, recently Director of the Frankfurt Architecture Museum, and currently a visiting critic at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard, considers EPA's importance within architectural discourse, examining their concerns with materiality, attention to detail, craftsmanship and compositional structures. The book is prefaced by the internationally renowned architectural theoretician Dalibor Vesely.