Globbing up the city. Architectural and urban transformation of Beijing

The following research paper develops two lines of thought, both aimed to describe Beijing's obstacle race to become a city at the avant-garde of town-planning. The first line of thought focuses in the reorganisation of Beijing's North-South axis, entrusted to Albert Speer & Partners. This project links the city's past and its future; the historic city-centre with Beijing's new developments in the North, built to host the Olimpic Games in 2008. On the other hand, the article considers the impact of a number of singular projects by architects renowned internationally, including Rem Koolhaas (1944-) and Paul Andreu (1938-). And finally, the paper concludes with a number of considerations on how Chinese architects view these projects.