Rarely does an organisation of worldwide importance acquire a headquarters that matches its aspirations. Written by John Morris Dixon, FAIA, an internationally respected architectural journalist, this book explores the design and engineering ideas, large and small, that make the World Bank headquarters in Washington DC outstanding. The winning design for the redevelopment of the World Bank headquarters site, by Kohn Pedersen Fox with a slate of distinguished collaborators, accommodates a vast and varied programme of working spaces within a limited volume, while offering throughout a work environment of exceptional quality. It presents to the world an image that is distinguished, yet free of monumentality or material excess. In the design stage, the scheme was widely praised and won a coveted P/A Awards Citation. The completed building won the Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects - a rare dual achievement.

China Construction Design International (CCDI) is one of Asia’s premier architecture firms. It was ranked as the number one private architecture firm in China in 2004. In 2005 it became the first firm from China to receive an award from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). As a new Master Architect Series title, this book demonstrates that design in China is at a truly global standard, is highly influential, and is peaking just as China welcomes the Olympic Games in August 2008. Today, it is among a new breed of Chinese firms making a name on the world stage, with a rapidly growing practice in New York as well as in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. CCDI has been awarded more than 90 professional awards and is also the fastest growing design firm in China. Among CCDI’s completed projects featured in this book are office towers, sports arenas, residential complexes and cultural centres, as well as many large-scale planning projects. All projects are based