We Want World Wonders
Fascinations Of The Man-Made
With this book, The Why Factory dares to wonder. At the beginning of the 21st century, most celebrated examples of architecture are unavoidably spectacular. Unthinkable cantilevers, rotating towers, gigantic cupolas and exuberant shapes are features without which the contemporary building will hardly be registered in the skyline or the media. Unequivocally, the buildings getting attention are the iconic ones. Never before has architecture tried so hard to amaze. But are these icons true celebrations of human achievements?
Taking a critical stance towards the global production of the spectacular, The Why Factory investigates the future of amazement in architecture. What constitutes a ‘world wonder’ today? How can we provoke wonder and what can we wonder about, now that almost nothing is impossible in architecture? This book contemplates the wonders of the ancient and modern world, and innocently explores new questions and their fantastications.
We Want World Wonders is the seventh book in The Why Factory’s Future Cities series, after The Why Factor(y) and The Future City, Visionary Cities, Green Dream, Vertical Village, Hong Kong Fantasies and City Shock.
This book has been produced in collaboration with the New7Wonders Foundation.