Macau and the Casino Complex
A stunning visual representation of the urban transformation of China’s Macau into the world’s largest gambling center.
Reviews of Macau and the Casino Complex
“A great contribution to documenting Macau’s casino architecture and a narrative of living people, the contract-based unstable hotel employees, and Chinese locals.”
— Journal of Historical Geography
“Special Award of the Jury Winner,”
— Gourmand Awards 2019
"Macau has transformed in twenty years from a charming Portuguese enclave to the largest gambling enclave in the world. This anthology is an interdisciplinary introduction to this transformation and a beautifully illustrated guidebook to its recent architecture.”
—Brian McGrath, professor of urban design, Parsons School of Design, The New School
Synopsis of Macau and the Casino Complex
In a period of only a decade, Macau has overtaken Las Vegas as the world’s new gambling capital. Where previously a few gambling dens dotted the former Portuguese colony, now agglomerate the largest casino-hotels on earth. The liberalization of the casino industry has permanently transformed the Macau peninsula – its ocean reclaimed, its hillsides excavated, and glimmering towers tossed into the historic skyline.
This book understands the “casino complex” as both a distinct architectural typology, and a dominant industry that reshapes the city to its needs. It highlights the effects of this development in Macau, and raises questions about cultural identity, economic development, architecture and urban life. We can all learn from Macau as a frontier of capitalism and a model of urbanism that is as fascinating as its counterpart, Las Vegas.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Part I
Introduction: Macau and the Casino Complex, by Stefan Al
1. Petri-Dish Urbanism, by Cathryn H. Clayton
2. Uncommon Ground, by Thomas Daniell
3. Spectacular Architecture at the Frontiers of Global Capitalism, by Tim Simpson
4. Hotel Estoril, by HK Urbex
5. Notes on the Myth of the Chinese Gambler, by Kah-Wee Lee
6. May the Qi Be With You! Feng Shui in Macau’s Casinos, by Desmond Lam
7. Reassessing Economic Success More Than a Decade after Casino Liberation in Macau, by Miao He and Ricardo C. S. Siu
Part II
Catalog: Casinos in Macau
A. Macau Peninsula
Casino Lisboa
President
Grand Lapa
Holiday Inn
Golden Dragon
Casa Real
Grand Emperor
Rio
Grand Lisboa
Ponte 16
B. NAPE (Novos Aterros do Porto Exterior)
Sands
Wynn/Encore
Casino Babylon
Starworld
MGM Grand
L’Arc
C. Taipa
New Century
Taipa Square
Altira
D. Cotai
Broadway
Venetian
Plaza
City of Dreams
Galaxy
Sands Cotai Central
Studio City
Comparing Casino Motifs
Comparing Casino Elevators
Comparing Casino Outfits
Casino Façades
Casino Lobbies
Index
Macau and the Casino Complex
EDITED BY Stefan al. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: LEE KAH-WEE and NATALIA ECHEVERRI.
See here for a list of Stefan Al’s other books