Three of the greatest buildings of the year 2008, Herzog and de Meuron’s extraordinary Olympic Stadium, the stunning steel latticework structure widely known as the Bird’s Nest; and Norman Foster’s Beijing Airport, a project that was not only bigger than any other airport in the world, but more beautiful, more logically laid out, and more quickly built. And the headquarters of CCTV, the Chinese television network, by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture—a building which I had thought was going to be a pretentious piece of structural exhibitionism—turned out to be a compelling and exciting piece of structural exhibitionism.
Source: The New Yorker
Website:www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/tny/2008/12/paul-goldberger-architectures.html
2009年1月20日星期二
北京新十大建筑 Top Ten Beijing Ultra-Modern Buildings
1) 国家大剧院National Center for the Performing Arts, aka The Egg
评点：举世瞩目的国家大剧院是中国政府面向21 世纪投资兴建的大型现代化文化设施。国务院于1998年4月正式批准立项建设。 国家大剧院是我国新时代的标志性建筑，是国家最高艺术表演中心，是具有世界一流水平的大型艺术殿堂。
2)鸟巢 Beijing National Stadium, aka Bird's Nest
评点：“鸟巢”是2008年北京奥运会 主体育场。由2001年普利茨克奖获得者赫尔佐格、德梅隆与中国建筑师合作完成的巨型体育场设计，形态如同孕育生命的“巢”，它更像一个摇篮， 寄托着人类对未来的希望。设计者们对这个国家体育场没有做任何多余的处理，只是坦率地把结构暴露在外，因而自然形成了建筑的外观。
3)水立方 National Aquatics Centre, aka the Water Cube
评点：作为一个摹写水的建筑，水立方纷繁自由的结构形式，源自对规划体系巧妙而简单的变异，简洁纯净的体形谦虚地与宏伟的主场对话，不同气质的对比使各自的灵性得到趣味盎然的共生。椰树、沙滩、人造海浪……将奥林匹克的竞技场升华为世人心目中永远的水上乐园。
4)国贸三期 China World Trade Center Tower III
评点：国贸三期由国际贸易中心和香格里拉集团联合投资，2008年中建成，届时将与国贸一期、二期一起构成110万平方米的建筑群，成为全球最大的国际贸易中心，也将是北京CBD的标志性建筑，其330米的高度将超过目前北京的最高楼--京广中心。
5)新中央电视台 (央视新大楼) New CCTV Building
评点：这是一个不卑不亢的方案，既有鲜明的个性，又无排他性。作为一个优美、有力的雕塑形象，它既能代表新北京的形象，又可以用建筑的语言表达电视媒体的重要性和文化性。其结构方案新颖、可实施，会推动中国高层建筑的结构体系、结构思想的创造。
6)长城脚下公社凯宾斯基饭店 The Commune at the Great Wall
评点：位于离北京城40英里的水关山区，长城脚下的公社凯宾斯基饭店由12名亚洲杰出建筑师共同设计完成，公社不仅仅是一座具有相当规模的高档特色酒店，更以其富有艺术感的房屋设计站到了亚洲当代建筑艺术标杆的风潮上。42栋豪华别墅错落有致地建在陡峭安静的山谷里，从每一栋别墅都可以看到未经修复的古老长城，并可以从公社的小径通往长城。在这里，所有的建筑都表达了同一个理念：是周围自然环境的简单补充，与自然成为一个和谐的整体。
这里的别墅名字大多古怪，初听之下让人摸不着头脑，待见得真身却又恍然大悟。“家具屋”宛如一间现代四合院，位于中央的露天庭院带来坐拥群山之感，“飞机场”则拥有犹如机场跑道般宽阔通透的14米走廊，3个会客室好比不同方向的登机通道，还有一个半地下的私密空间将多边风格发挥到极致。最值得一荐的竹屋，则借地势之利，因势利导，与赖特的名作“流水别墅”有暗通款曲之妙。被群山包围，建在一个山沟之上的竹屋，给人的感觉很像一位隐于闹市的居士，具有某种中国传统式的高洁、谦恭。设计师利用起伏地势巧妙地将功能齐备的各个区域统一在了这个狭长的建筑内，整个房屋宛如自然的一部分。既名为竹屋，竹子便必然是建筑的主角。别墅的外墙以竹围合，阳光透过竹子的缝隙洒进屋内，给人以轻柔的温暖感。而步入竹屋，所到之处必定会有竹子的踪影———隔断、吊顶、支柱、门窗……甚至洗手盆都采用了竹子的元素。用纤纤细竹搭建而成的水上“茶室”堪称竹屋的亮点。茶室四面皆竹，悬于水上，颇有几分禅意。透过竹隙，隐约可见长城的烽火台，在这里冥想、喝茶，气定神闲，宛若仙境。 长城脚下的公社另一大亮点便是完美结合了传统的中草药疗法及东方神秘芳疗按摩手法的Anantara Spa。Anantara的梵文意思是“无边无际的水境”，为亚洲最佳酒店SPA之一Mandara旗下的品牌。
位置与交通
位于北京八达岭高速路水关长城出口。紧靠古长城而建，除了周边环境的古朴清幽外，更蕴涵了某种历史深意。交通自然不比北京市内的豪华酒店便捷，但好在也还算方便。距北京市中心50分钟车程，距北京首都国际机场1小时车程，距八达岭机场15分钟车程，后者为私人直升机及小型飞机提供升降服务。
电话：86-10-81181888
别墅12500—24883元/晚
标间1950—2430元/晚
美食
酒店最近推出六套中国经典美食———极品鱼翅、养生燕窝、麻辣四川、本色海鲜、素食主义、北京烤鸭，每道菜均有精选葡萄酒相配。
庭院餐厅
以中餐为主。餐厅有一个酒吧和四个以季节为主题的私人包间。
山景餐厅
以西餐为主。露台上有独具特色的木制桌椅。
山村咖啡
全天供应大陆式早餐、小食品以及饮料和下午茶。
俱乐部
拥有能满足客人不同需求的多个俱乐部。儿童公社是其一大特色。
公社俱乐部
刚开业的1000平方米水疗馆AnantaraSpa是公社里的另一绝妙去处。
儿童公社
专为2岁至11岁儿童设计，开展从爬山、园艺到游泳、观星等活动。
7)北京当代万国城(当代MOMA) Beijing Linked Hybrid
评点：最大的地热建筑综合体.690套住宅、健身房、电影院、游泳池、酒吧、干洗店等共同构成了占地22万平方米的北京当代MOMA。 然而，这一大型建筑综合体却没有空调、没有锅炉，660眼地热井彻底满足了它温度控制的需要。这些地热井深入地下100米深处的岩床，水流在这里被加热或 冷却到60摄氏度，然后被抽回到混凝土地面下的热管对环境温度进行调节。这套系统在夏天能减少30％的能源消耗，在冬天节省的能源更是高达40％。
8)新保利大厦 New Poly Plaza
评点：这座本着“中国精神、国际视野、世界水准”的建筑，不仅在设计上突破创新，在施工技术上也开创了国内先河，采用的超高强度、超范围、超标准建筑材料在世界范围内为首次应用，新保利大厦拥有世界最高的垂直玻璃幕墙已成为东二环内的标志性建筑。
9)金融街中心广场 Financial Street Plaza
评点：作为金融街地区的主要配套工程，该中心广场将湿地系统、广场植物、雕塑和水景组成优美的自然景观，广场周围聚集了商务办公、酒店、购物中心、餐饮 街和国际会议中心等各具特色的建筑群。丽思卡尔顿酒店(Ritz-Carlton,Financial Street)、威斯汀酒店(Westin Beijing, Financial Street)、洲际酒店、金融街购物中心(Seasons Place)、金树街酒吧街、国际金融会议中心、金融家俱乐部等环聚周 边。展示出了它的魅力与奢华。
10)北京首都国际机场T3航站楼 Beijing_Capital_Airport_Terminal_Three
评点：2004年，北京首都国际机场取代东京国际机场 (羽田)成为亚洲飞机起降最为繁忙的机场。按客运量算，2004年，首都机场是亚洲四大机场(位列羽田、曼谷、香港之后)之一以及全球第二十大机场。 2005年, 北京首都国际机场已成为亚洲第二大机场(仅次于羽田机场)，全球排名第十五位。
2008年12月1日星期一
China AIDS Day ceremonies target stigma
With colorful kites, art exhibits and inspirational performances across Beijing from the Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium to the chic 798 Art District, Chinese and U.N. organizers marked World AIDS Day with a commitment to wage battle against the epidemic threatening the world's most populous nation.
The display of broad unity, with the attendance of some AIDS activists that have been targets of China's sporadic crackdowns in the past, was a touching tribute to this year's the
me of "One Goal, One Dream – of a
World without Stigma."
"Stigma and discrimination are major obstacles in an effective response to AIDS," said Health Minister Chen Zhu at the launch of the campaign at the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium. "We need to engage all sectors of society in China to combat these issues and work to stop the disease."
The gravity of public misconceptions, persistent prejudice against AIDS victims, and new evidence showing that HIV/AIDS is quickly spreading from traditionally high-risk groups to the mainstream population are some of the forces compelling China to reassess how it deals with the epidemic.
In particular, the steady rise of unprotected intercourse with sex workers as a primary source of HIV/AIDS transmission is rekindling bold calls for the legalization of China's booming, but underground, commercial sex industry.
Same stigma, increasing numbers
China has an estimated 700,000 people who are HIV-positive, with about 85,000 people suffering from full-blown AIDS, according to estimates released by the Chinese government and U.N. health organizations. In comparison, just over 1.1 million Americans are estimated to be infected with HIV.
In the 1990s, drug use accounted for 60-70 percent of reported infections in China, followed by unsanitary blood transfusions.
But in September, the Chinese Ministry of Health announced that sexual transmission had overtaken intravenous drug use as the main cause of HIV infections in China.
In Beijing, in particular, sexual transmissions have accounted for 55 percent of cases so far this year. And from 2004 to 2007, the percentage of sex-related transmissions has risen steadily, from 24.9 percent in 2004 to 41.5 percent in 2007, according to a recent city survey.
The increased number of heterosexual transmissions has put a spotlight on the stigma attached to the virus, as well as the lack of awareness about safe sex methods.
According to the latest nationwide survey conducted by UNAIDS, more than 48 percent of Chinese thought they could contract HIV from a mosquito bite, while 18 percent thought they could get infected if an
HIV-positive person sneezed or coughed on them.
Two- thirds of respondents to 
the UNAIDS survey said they would not want to live with an HIV-positive person, while nearly 48 percent would be unwilling to have meals with the infected person. In a further hint of stigma, about 41 percent said they would be unwilling to work or share tools with the person who was HIV-positive, and 12 percent would not even touch a family member or relative with the
infection.
But, at the same time, only 19 percent of the survey respondents said they would use a condom with a new sex partner, while 30 percent did not know how to use a condom correctly.
And in a separate report by Beijing's health director, more than half of the city’s prostitutes said they still shun the use of condoms despite the growing threat of HIV/AIDS transmission. The most recent survey of the city's prostitution industry shows that the nation's capital has some 90,000 commercial sex workers, of whom only 46.5 percent used condoms.
Legalizing commercial sex?
For Dr. Wan Yanhai, an outspoken AIDS campaigner, one way to avert the risk of a national health disaster is to involve the estimated millions of China's sex workers in the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS.
"But we must first legalize their profession," he said," so that we can regulate them and stop them from hiding, running from the police, or falling into the control of criminal syndicates."
Wan, formerly with China's Health Ministry, is the founding director of China's pioneering non-profit AIDS-awareness organization – the Beijing-based Aizhixing Institute of Health Education – which also
established China's first HIV/AIDS hotline in 1994.
His frequent run-ins with authorities on gay rights and AIDS-related issues have landed him in detention three times in the past 12 years. In 2002, he was accused of leaking to the world a government report
about the blood-buying scandal that caused large numbers of hapless poor farmers in central China to be infected with HIV/AIDS.
"We have to recognize the human rights of sex workers," he said as he explained his latest plan to hold a seminar to study the legalization issue. "We must establish their legal rights, before we can effectively organize them and conduct sex education and health education among them."
Other Chinese scholars have joined the calls for amending the government's laws and regulations in favor of a more "inter- disciplinary" approach. Among them is Academy of Social Sciences Professor Qiu Renzhong who told the Chinese magazine Caijing that "de- criminalizing" prostitution is needed to promote the use of condoms among sex workers and their clients.
Attempts to seek comment from Beijing's public security bureau on the issue were not successful, but it is public knowledge that the bureau has not joined other government bodies in endorsing the campaign to
distribute more condoms in likely venues of prostitution in the past.
“世界艾滋病日”：巨型红丝带亮相鸟巢
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2008年12月1日 为纪念12月1日“世界艾滋病日”，联合国艾滋病规划署及合作伙伴上周日在中国北京奥林匹克公园举行了一场主题为“同一个梦想 ——没有歧视的世界”的大型纪念活动。五个巨型红丝带当天在标志性建筑、有“鸟巢”之称的国家体育场上悬挂亮相。
当天的活动由联合国艾滋病规划署、红十字与红新月国际联合会和中国红十字会共同举办，并得到了中国国务院防治艾滋病工作委员会办公室和其他机构的支持。
活动的目的是提高公众对中国艾滋病现状的认识，推动多部门决策者支持防治艾滋病工作，提高媒体对艾滋病的关注，消除与艾滋病相关的歧视。
来自政府部门、公民社会、私营部门、感染者组织、红十字会和联合国系统的代表、演艺明星以及广大民众共同参与了这个活动。
歧视不但影响到艾滋病感染者的生活；同时歧视也使人们对艾滋病采取避而不谈的态度，这使人们可能面临着感染艾滋病的更大风险，人们也不愿主动去接受检测，因此也无法获得目前所提供的治疗。
研 究显示，在中国的公众中，依然存在对艾滋病的严重误解和歧视。在调查涉及的6个大城市中，超过48%的受访者认为蚊子叮咬能够传播艾滋病毒；18%以上的 受访者会因为艾滋病毒感染者向他们咳嗽或打喷嚏而恐慌；约有83%的受访者从来没有主动搜索过关于艾滋病的信息；将近65%的人不愿意与感染者同住在一个 房间；48%的受访者不愿意和感染者共同吃饭。
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