Navigating the Nexus of Global Design Practices and Local Construction Realities. An Exploration into the Collaborative Architectural Endeavors within the Framework of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

This paper explores the tension between global design practices and local construction challenges in transnational architectural projects, with a focus on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) developments in selected countries. Over the past two decades, research on "nomadic expertise" and "global experts" has expanded contemporary architectural theory, emphasizing the growing separation of architectural design from its construction due to industrializa-tion and globalization. In this context, managing the design and construc-tion process throughout collaborative practices poses multifaceted challenges. Limited transferability of skills, especially in resource-limited envi-ronments, arises from the scale and complexity of contemporary construc-tion projects and the non-site-specific nature of global supply chains. In addressing this complexity, the study employs in-depth case studies inves-tigation of construction projects within the frame of the BRI. It investigates how the global circulation of technologies, expertise, and standards, along-side the evaluation of local conditions, influences design choices in col-laborative practices between Chinese architectural and construction firms and their foreign counterparts. In this manner, the study challenges discus-sions on technological universalism, offering insights into how design firms can navigate the construction of the built environment with pragmatic design and construction practices in complex transnational projects.