This month in Ordos, inner Mongolia, starts the construction of 100 villas, on 100 sites of 1000 square meters, by 100 international architects. The group of architects that will design this new “Weissenhof Siedlung” is chosen by Herzog & de Meuron, under supervision of chinese artist Ai Wei Wei (Beijing). The group contains 22 offices in the US, 14 from Switzerland (mostly in Basel, hometown of Herzog). The selection has caused discussions among national architectural organizations, especially in countries that are not so well-represented, for example in the UK (1 national representative). The idea is to build the houses in 100 days.
See also:
Ordos 100 official website
www.ordos100.com
Comments by Lebbeus Woods (US)
http://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/o-ordos/
Report by Moving Cities (China)
http://movingcities.org/embedded/ordos100/
Article by Building Design (UK)
www.bdonline.co.uk/…
