Genuine Construction: Zhang Pengju’s New Regionalism in Inner Mongolia

Zhang Pengju’s buildings explore the intersection of architecture and landscape as topographical art. His architectural practice is deeply rooted in the terrain and local history of China’s Inner Mongolia region. Pengju’s New Regionalism is thoroughly informed by the vernacular and at the same time embodies contemporary architecture at its best. He engages in defining and cultivating topographical order and demonstrates how creative thinking can transform the fragments of our living conditions and our lives into images of a unified world. The 17 realised designs featured in Genuine Construction are exemplary for the architect’s approach. Each project is introduced by a concise text and presented through colour photographs, plans, drawings, and sketches showing the use of natural materials, smooth lines, and humble models that skillfully blend these buildings into their surroundings. A foreword by David Leatherbarrow, professor emeritus at University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and essays by Chem Zhao, professor at Nanjing University’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Yonggao Shin, associate professor at Southeast University’s School of Architecture in Nanjing, round out this monograph. Genuine Construction showcases outstanding designs that are also manifestations of a new and noteworthy trend in contemporary architecture worldwide.