这些文章从理论和实践的各个角度对当代建筑界进行了探讨。其中包括引起该领域的重要辩论的具有开创性的文章，例如展览目录《庞大建筑》的序言，以及对圣地亚哥，贝鲁特和北京等世界各地的建筑物和建筑公司的评论。争论性的挑衅和解释性的见解共同构成了自20世纪90年代以来处于快速转型期的全球建筑格局的重要全景。

"The essays consider the contemporary architectural scene from a variety of perspectives in theory and practice. They include seminal pieces that framed important debates in the field, such as the introduction to the exhibition catalogue Monolithic Architecture, as well as observations on buildings and practices from around the world, from Santiago, to Beirut and Beijing. Together, the polemical provocations and interpretive insights construct a critical panorama of a global architectural landscape in rapid transformation since the 1990s.

* The book is divided into three parts. ""Polemics"" addresses broad issues and trends with essays that claim a position in current debates. ""Agents"" examines the oeuvres of particular architects, with pieces that situate their work in relation to such debates.

""Artifacts"" takes on single buildings, instances where ideas are sedimented into form to situate current architectural discussions in concrete objects.

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