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<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br>Drawn from keen observation of the rapidly changing social economic landscape of China, and using OPEN Architecture's projects as case studies, Towards Openness is a symphony of seven built projects and six idea chapters which are interestingly interwoven to offer an in-depth examination of OPEN's unique practice and the critical thinking underlying their work. OPEN's understandings of architecture were summed up in six relatively clear points which, together with their corresponding manifestos, constitute the fundamental attitude and starting point of OPEN's practice. The seven built projects, threaded together by the six ideas, can be seen as OPEN's reaction to the broad issues that they encounter through practice, as well as the actions they take to actively engage in the rapid transformation of the society, with unwavering hope for a better future. The book offers a unique angle in understanding the transformational power of architecture. It presents a humanistic approach to architecture in relation to nature that touches upon our fundamental sensitivity as human beings and goes far beyond the boundary of nations. This book challenges the preconceived and often prejudice notion of what Chinese architecture ought to be. It provides a fresh perspective on contemporary architectural practice in China through the innovative work of OPEN.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>"At a time when libraries and schools are increasingly becoming places for public interaction, a trend as prevalent in China as anywhere else, the formulation of a new type of school capable of compensating for the alienation of the universal megalopolis is an event of considerable consequence. Such is the Garden School, completed in 2014, in the Fangshan district of Beijing, to the designs of OPEN, led by the architects Li Hu and Huang Wenjing." --Kenneth Frampton<br><br>"Indeed, one of the key characteristics of Li Hu and Huang Wenjing's oeuvre is its ability to address the future in a multiplicity of ways. Or we could say that their ability to address their horizon, in nearly all of their projects, is the future in a very concrete way." --Yehuda Safran<br><br>"OPEN's projections under the rubric of distance are provocative in their suggestion that modern Chinese architecture should neither be borrowed from the urban sceneries of the Western city nor derived from some distant pagoda or a Beijing hutong, but emerge from the very landscape in which urbanization takes place. Mimicry has served its purpose. It is time for Earth to step forward." --Lars Lerup<br><br>"The work of OPEN carries the energy, optimism, and spirit of new urban architecture that we both aim for." --Steven Holl<br>

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