History of architecture Books

Book SynopsisIn Housing Atlas, beautifully drawn plans, sections and elevations illustrate nearly a hundred of the most important European housing schemes of the 20th century, a period when architects addressed the multiple challenges of modern urban living and responded with an array of innovative solutions. Today, architects are revisiting these designs as they seek answers to the current housing crisis. Chronologically ordered, this is an essential survey of these key housing projects, produced by a pan-European team of leading scholars. Complete with contextual essays, the studies each include a history and analysis of the projects and the drawings are presented in a way that makes them readily comparable.Table of ContentsForeword. Forays and Crossings in the European City: The Long History of the 'Short' Century:Tools for the Design of Contemporary Housing, by Orsina Simona Pierini. Tradition and Innovation in Twentieth-Century European Housing Design, by Dick van Gameren. Liminal Spaces in Twentieth-Century Residential Architecture: A Place In Which to Learn How to be a Citizen, by Carmen Espegel. The Fall and Rise of the Street in Twentieth-Century Housing, by Mark Swenarton. 87 Case Studies. Acknowledgements.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Front Room: Diaspora Migrant Aesthetics in the Home, originally published in 2009, has become a beloved and much-praised source, providing fascinating revelations into the post-war British experience of immigrants, the decoration of their living spaces and their position in society in relation to decolonisation. The 'front room' (emanating from the Victorian parlour) provides an outlet to respond to the feelings of displacement, exile and alienation and the rebuilding of a home in a strange land. Primarily concerned with Caribbean homes, The Front Room also looks at Moroccan, Surinamese, Antillean and Indonesian migrant groups in Holland—encompassing, through texts, archival documents and artistic photographs, the important cultural markers that are expressed through the domestic interiors of migrants. The author examines how this intimate space within the home raises issues of class, race, migration, aspiration, religion, family, gender, identity and alienation. He also looks at the transition from the colonial post-colonial modernity by placing the book in the context of his own family’s migrant experience. While this revised edition includes updates of the original essays from leading social commentators Stuart Hall, Denise Noble, Carol Tulloch and Dave Lewis, as well as poems by Khadijah Ibrahiim and Dorothea Smartt, and paintings by Sonia Boyce, Kimathi Donkor and Njideka Akunyili Crosby. It also examines the iteration of the 'front room' in post apartheid South Africa and discusses how sound system culture emerged from the front room, as well as adding to the rich oral histories from different generations reflecting on their personal experiences of the front room and discussing the artefacts and objects found in them in terms of their cultural significance. The Front Room documents how the 'Windrush' generation's settlement in Britain contributed to the making of multicultural society, and raises questions about our lived experience and notions of the ‘home’, as many more people globally look for a roof over their heads in the 21st century. The book is richly illustrated with intriguing photographs of installations based on front rooms of the time and the contemporary living room and their associated objects.Trade ReviewSelected as one of FAD Magazine's 'Top Art Books To Read This Summer', 2023: 'This is an interesting look at how the front room of a household of first generation immigrants reflects their values, culture and the history of colonialism – a fascinating topic. It’s largely focused on Caribbean households, but the display cabinets and doilies also reminded me of my own parent’s household.' – Tabish Khan, FAD MagazineTable of ContentsGrandad's Home Brew by Khadijah Ibrahiim; Diaspora Migrant Aesthetics in the Front Room; The 'West Indian' Front Room by Stuart Hall; The Arrivants; The Pardner Hand, Green Shield Stamps and Mr Sheen; The top ten things in the Front Room; Front Room Angel by Dorothea Smartt; Children ... in the Front Room!; Dressed by Women and Used by Men - 'A Room of her own' by Denise Noble; Familial Dress Relations and the West Indian Front Room by Carol Tulloch; Saturday Night, Sunday Morning; Rebellion, Revolts and Resistence; Van Huis Uit: The Living Room of Migrants in the Netherlands; the Front Room 'Inna Joburg'; Returnees and Remittances; A Time Has Passed.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book offers the first critical account of Studio Aalto’s religious modern architecture. Aalto’s ecclesiastical oeuvre is viewed as an evocative subgenre of the practice's portfolio, but its relationship to religion has eluded enquiry. Where previously discussed, the longstanding collaboration between Aalto and the Church has been put down to reciprocal expediency, and the buildings perceived as spatially and structurally stirring experiments, yet devoid of religious meanings or implications. The idiosyncratic plasticity of the Church of the Three Crosses (1955–58) in Imatra, Finland—the most famous and architecturally impressive of Aalto’s churches—is cited as ultimate evidence of Aalto’s exploitation of the religious brief for the creation of a 'sculptural irrationality'. This book challenges the assumed autonomy of Studio Aalto’s ecclesiastical oeuvre from religion. Analysing designs for churches, parish centres, funerary chapels and cemeteries in Finland, Denmark, Germany and Italy, the book shows that Aalto’s engagement with religion transcended artistic opportunism. The book addresses Aalto’s sacred oeuvre in its entirety, yet pays particular attention to the Church of the Three Crosses, broadly considered the apotheosis of Aalto’s sacred career. Through a detailed analysis of the religious actors and factors that shaped the design and construction of Aalto’s sacred works—from local parish building committees to bishops, and from liturgical reform movements to post-war debates on sacred art—this book shows that religious influences were neither extrinsic nor peripheral to Aalto’s modernism, but intrinsic and intimately related to it. The study of previously uncovered primary archival materials establishes that Aalto’s engagement with the Church was a consciously and productively symbiotic partnership which drew from shared interests and values, yet which also encompassed compromise and conflict. The resultant buildings neither glorify nor deny institutional religion — instead, this book argues, they challenge rigid dogmatism in religion as much as in modern architecture.Trade Review'While the book travels deep into specifically Finnish territory, the questions it raises have strongly universal dimensions for all modern architecture.' - Timothy Alouani-Roby, IndesignTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. Building Country and Community. 2. The City and the Sacred. 3. Making a Modern Church. 4. Resisting Reform. 5. Modernist Milieux of Religion. 6. Priestly Patronage. 7. The Gift of Doubt. 8. Conclusions

Read more less

Book SynopsisHenry Flitcroft was first employed by the leading aristocratic architect of the time, Richard Boyle, Lord Burlington, who helped him to establish his long career. Flitcroft had about 50 clients over 40 years, working for many dynasties, including the royal family, the Bedfords, the Yorke/Hardwickes and the Malton/Rockinghams. Remarkably, he was employed regularly by the Duke of Montagu and his family from 1725 to 1765, and the Hoare family from 1728 to his death in 1769, and was responsible for some of the great country houses of the period including Wimpole, Woburn Abbey and Wentworth Woodhouse. This is the first book which details his life and examines his complete body of work. It sets Flitcroft within his social context, providing insights into those for whom he worked as well as his fellow architects. Flitcroft waged fierce battles to maintain his professional positions at Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s and the documents are revealed here for the first time. The book dissects the dramatic story of Flitcroft's insane son and the legal cases that ensued which link Flitcroft and G.E. Street, who inherited Flitcroft's own house in Hampstead. In addition, Flitcroft’s furniture designs are assessed and his notable churches and London buildings including Chatham House, Benjamin Franklin House and Pushkin House. Finally, his last great project at Stourhead is re-examined.Trade Review‘It is excellent that Lund Humphries has brought out a well-produced volume devoted to the oeuvre of Henry Flitcroft, arguably the most significant Georgian architect of whom most people have never heard. Carefully researched and conscientiously written, Gill Hedley’s new volume provides seemingly comprehensive coverage of every Flitcroft project, executed or not, that is currently known, so is most unlikely to be superseded.’ – Roger White, Country LifeTable of ContentsIntroduction by Sir Charles Saumarez-Smith. 1: Hampton Court, Apprencticeship and Lord Burlington. 2: Twickenham, Marriage and Bower House. 3: Amesbury, Montagu House and St Giles-in-the-Fields. 4: St Giles-in-the-Fields. 5: Wentworth Woodhouse and Ditchley. 6: St Olave’s, Savannah, Stoke Edith, Wimborne and Frognal. 7: Wimpole and Hampstead. 8: Shobdon, Windsor and Woburn. 9: Stourhead. 10: Stourhead, Redlynch and Kingston House. 11: Henry Flitcroft, Junior. 12: Reputation

Read more less

Book SynopsisSimms and his team's meticulous work are proof positive that well-built social housing can add immensely to the tone and style of a city. His work remains a touchstone and an inspiration.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFollowing on from 100 Buildings 100 Years and 100 Houses 100 Years, this book illustrates and describes 100 churches and chapels built in the UK since 1914, charting the development of buildings for worship. In this period concrete and steel gave a new freedom to construction, while new ideas about how congregations could participate in services changed assumptions about traditional layouts, bringing celebrants and people closer together. The century saw dynamic churches in dramatic shapes of all sizes thanks to ambitious engineering, and brilliant colour from new forms of stained glass, murals and sculpture. Architects whose work is included here range from Basil Spence and Edward Maufe, designers of major cathedrals, to the radical Gillespie, Kidd and Coia whose brutalist seminary lies abandoned near Dumbarton. The book provides biographies of major designers; articles on glass, fittings, and on the synagogues, mosques and temples that play an intrinsic and important part in worship in Britain today. Contributors include architectural historians Elain Harwood, Alan Powers and Clare Price. Beautiful photography throughout showcases the very best of British church design, whether it is the minimal symmetry of a timber-framed altar, or light streaming in through a multi-coloured stained glass panel.Trade Review'An entrancing book that deserves a wide readership' -- Martin Cherry, * AMS Journal *'An enlightening introduction to twentieth-century church architecture' * EASA Journal (The Journal of the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association) *'A [...] subtle and scholarly investigation into the history of British church building in the modern era... brings an eccentric cast of ecclesiastical architects to life.' * The Guardian *'A compulsive page turner' -- Marcus Binney * Country Life *'If you thought that all church architecture of note belongs to the distant past, here is a revelation.' * Best of British *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA celebration of Britain's diverse housing styles throughout the twentieth century and beyond. This illuminating book is a fascinating insight into Britain’s built heritage and the diverse housing styles of the twentieth century. Redesigned and updated in a brand-new edition, it showcases 100 houses, from throughout the 20th century and stretching into the 21st, that represent the range of architectural styles throughout the years and show how housing has adapted to suit urban life. Each house is accompanied by stunning photography and texts written by leading architectural critics and design historians, including Gavin Stamp, Elain Harwood, Barnabas Calder, Alan Powers and Gillian Darley. From specially commissioned architect-designed houses for private individuals to housing built for increased workforces, each of the 100 houses brings a different design style or historical story. There are houses built as part of garden cities, semi-detached suburban dwellings, housing estates, eco-houses, almshouses, converted factories and affordable post-war homes. Architectural styles encompass mock Tudor, modernist, Arts and Crafts and brutalism, and featured architects include Giles Gilbert Scott, Walter Gropius, Edwin Lutyens, Powell and Moya and David Chipperfield. The book also contains essays that explore the social and political aspects of housing design in Britain over the last 100 years, looking at the impact the world wars had on housing, exploring domestic technology and building materials and discovering how the modern house came about. This compelling book gives a glimpse into the wonderful housing Britain has to offer and is a must-have for all fans of design history and architecture.Trade Review‘100 20th Century Houses proves [a] point with a series of innovative and humane house types stretching from 1914 to 2015, accompanied by essays and texts from writers who know their stuff.’ Building Design Online Emma Dent Coad

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe design of multiple housing was a major new area of activity for architects at the beginning of the twentieth century, and one that continues into the twenty-first century. This book features 87 of the most influential modern housing designs of the last 100 years by some of the best-known architects in the field. Each project is explained with a concise text and photographs and specially created scale drawings, including floor plans and site plans, sections and elevations where appropriate. The projects are organized in six roughly chronological chapters tracing the history of both public and private housing around the world.The detailed drawings allow each project to be analyzed in depth, which, alongside the author's authoritative text, will make this an invaluable resource for architects and students.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBrick building came to the Midlands in the 15th century when its adoption reflected its prestige amongst the aristocracy and episcopacy. This study explores its wider acceptance and diffusion and describes the pattern and volume of a locally distinctive material. By 1780 its practical advantages saw its use in churches, chapels, gardens, estate buildings and early industrial factories. As 'hard' brick it was a significant factor in the development of industrial kilns. Based on documentary sources the text examines such factors as the technology of brickmaking, the price of bricks, building costs, the availability of other materials, the impact of fire and the social value attached to brick. It particularly emphasises the visual impact of brick on the landscape, for example in 1789 Lord Torrington recorded that 'At Grantham they leave of the stone and build with flaming red brick of which Newark is built and looks like a new town.'

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisJeff Lucas tells the story of each of the 45 bridges which span the waterways of Bristol between Avonmouth and St Anne's. The bridges form a 45km circular walk which is also the solution to a mathematical puzzle called the "Koenigsberg Bridge Problem". Thilo Gross contributes a chapter about the bridge problem and how he solved it for Bristol.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA celebration of some of Britain's most important and beloved buildings – its sheds. From the humble to the not so humble. ‘An eloquent exploration of the creative, reflective and innovative space of the shed via some of the UK’s most stunning landscapes.’ – Gardens Illustrated magazine The National Trust looks after many of Britain's most important and beloved buildings – its sheds. They lurk in the shadow of grand country houses; they brave the elements on the tops of cliffs; they have inspired famous writers and housed everything from beehives to birdwatchers. These beautiful and sometimes eccentric structures are as individual as their owners. A Victorian coastal shed in Cornwall is where the Reverend Hawker went to write verse, and smoke opium. It's also the smallest building cared for by the National Trust. George Bernard Shaw’s shed could be rotated throughout the day to make the most of the sun, while sculptor Barbara Hepworth used hers for napping in. Rather than a place in which to create, many of these sheds are the creation. Alongside the literary writing dens and horticultural hideaways there are also floating sheds, coastguards’ sheds, artists’ studios, summer houses, beach huts, camping pods, bothies, teahouses, follies and much more. ‘This illustrated book will bring on a serious case of wanderlust.’ – The English Garden magazine Trade Review'A perfect gift for lovers of quirky architecture and interior design' * The Bookseller *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA collection of letters discovered by chance in an old trunk, accompanied by cartoons and news clippings: the great historical interest of this collection gradually became apparent. The letters provide a vivid, first-hand account of life in the office of Sir Edwin Lutyens as told by those who worked there. The letters, comical and entertaining, were written by the young architects who had served in Lutyens' office as architectural assistants or apprentices. Some of these young men went on to have very distinguished careers of their own - Sir Basil Spence, for example. Others might be more obscure, but all share and describe the great sense of fun that was had working for the great architect. The letters are illustrated with cartoons of the period, making this book a unique and fascinating historical record, of great appeal to anyone interested in Lutyens.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe architect’s role is constantly adapting. Throughout history it has shifted significantly, shaped by social, cultural, technological and economic forces. The very definition of what an architect is and does has evolved over time from lead builder or master mason to principal designer. A collaborative and reactive profession, it is inextricably linked to the power of the patron, whether the client is an influential and affluent individual or a political, commercial, civic or religious organisation. From Ancient Egypt, where architects were members of the ruling class, tied into the running of the empire, to the 21st century when questions are being raised about the future of the profession, this book, with its engaging narrative, explores the constant threads that remain as the profession adapts. While architects are no longer deified, their ability to imagine a new impending reality in built form implies a visionary dimension to their work. By focusing on both the practicalities of the profession and the more intangible motivations behind design – humans’ need to make a mark upon their surroundings – this volume provides a critical overview of over 3000 years of practice and education. Looking at the key questions of where the architectural profession originated in the Western tradition, why it is, how it is today and where it might be going next, the authors postulate that architects’ ability to adapt and reinvent themselves in the past will stand them in good stead for the uncertainties of the future.Table of ContentsAbout the Authors Introduction Chapter 1 The Ancients Chapter 2 From the Medieval to the Modern Chapter 3 Formalising the British Profession Chapter 4 Democratisation and Commodification Chapter 5 Flawed Utopia Chapter 6 Recessions, Diversifications and Gradual Change Chapter 7 Global Practice Chapter 8 The Contemporary Architect: The Struggle To Convey Value Chapter 9 Educating Architects Chapter 10 Conclusions Image credits Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisGreat Britain has just left one Union, after years of bitter argument and divisive posturing. But what if the island's future lies in another Union altogether, with some of its former colonial “kith and kin” across the seas? Why be in a Union with your immediate neighbours, when you could instead be in a trans-oceanic super-state with our old friends in Canada, Australia and New Zealand? Welcome to the strange world of the 'CANZUK Union', the name for a quixotic but apparently serious plan to reunify the white-majority 'Dominions' of the British Empire under the flag of low taxes, strong borders and climate change denialism. Artificial Islands tests the idea that Britain's natural allies and closest relations are in these three countries in North America and the Antipodes, through a good look at the histories, townscapes and spaces of several cities across the settler zones of the British Empire. These are some of the most purely artificial and modern landscapes in the world, British-designed cities that were built with extreme rapidity in forcibly seized territories on the other side of the world from Britain. Were these places really no more than just a reproduction of British Values planted in unlikely corners of the globe? How are people in Auckland, Melbourne, Montreal, Ottawa and Wellington re-imagining their own history, or their countries' role in the British Empire and their complicity in its crimes? And do they have any interest in a union with us?Trade Review"A rich cliché-busting book, a model of how to think critically about empire and its contemporary relevance." - David Edgerton, author of The Rise and Fall of the British Nation "Hatherley carries the narrative with an opinionated and entertaining style." — Rob Greer, The Idler "Hatherley’s accounts of walking Dominion cities display the intuitive feel for place, epigrammatic flair and caustic impatience for cant which make him a successor to the great urban explorers." — The Critic

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe study of bronzes and other metals from the Athenian Acropolis traditionally has been overshadowed by the emphasis given to the famous monuments of architecture and sculpture, in part due to the incomplete publication of the metal small finds from the site following the major excavation campaigns in the 19th century. Without attempting to be a comprehensive synthesis on this topic, this volume positions itself against this tradition by resuscitating discussion on the Acropolis bronzes. The introduction reflects on the history of the relevant scholarship vis-à-vis the life of the Acropolis bronzes in various museums and collections in Greece and elsewhere. The six essays provide overviews, reinterpretations, and critical discussions as well as new methodological approaches to various aspects of the existing corpus. Diane Harris-Cline employs Actor-Network theory to showcase the intricate web of social relationships behind each gesture that resulted in the deposition of bronzes on the Acropolis. Andronike Makres and Adele Scafuro reflect on methodological quandaries and detail their efforts to produce a new critical edition of the corpus of inscriptions on dedicatory and other bronzes that takes into account the materiality of this epigraphic record. Amy Sowder Koch reviews the corpus of hydriai from the Acropolis, taking into account newly published examples, and situates them within the larger context of bronze hydriai, seeking to understand Athens' role in bronze hydria production. Germano Sarcone revisits technical and social aspects of the impressively monumental and technically complex tripod-cauldrons from the Acropolis from the eighth century BCE onwards. Nassos Papalexandrou discusses the corpus of griffin cauldrons arguing that their original lavishness added to the prestige of the sanctuary during a formative period of Athenian society. Elena Karakitsou publishes a fascinating inscribed phiale retrieved from the southwestern entablature of the Parthenon along with the remains of a rare ritual deposit.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: A Historiographic Essay Nassos Papalexandrou and Amy Sowder Koch The Social Life of Bronzes: Actor-Network Theory on the Entangled Acropolis Diane Harris Cline Archaic Inscribed Bronze Dedications on the Acropolis: Thoughts on a New Edition Andronike Makres and Adele C. Scafuro Hephaistos in Athens: Bronze Hydriai from the Akropolis and Beyond Amy Sowder Koch The Monumental Tripod-Cauldrons of the Acropolis of Athens between the Eighth and Seventh Centuries B.C.E. Germano Sarcone Monsters on the Athenian Acropolis: The Orientalizing Corpus of Griffin Cauldrons Nassos Papalexandrou A Bronze Vessel inside the Parthenon's West-Side Entablature Elena Karakitsou

Read more less

Book SynopsisRustic Architecture in America 1887-1940 is a history of a series of misunderstood masterpieces, the log-based architecture that emerged in the Adirondacks and the National Parks between 1890 and 1935. It is a history of how both form and technology of construction were determined by the tourist industry and the railroads who built the buildings and the social and environmental damage caused by the larger process of which they were a part. Many of these buildings were constructional shams driven by romantic pretenses, but there is also in the best of this architecture something truly original. It is also a history of how the rustic aesthetic transcended glib, mythic romanticism to produce a truly original architecture, how the unique conditions of the West merged craft with the industrial, of how its designers drew on the landscape of the West in combination with the European traditions of the rustic to create an original architecture and a unique way of building. Forty buildings are examined in detail. The text and the numerous original drawings unfold the story how the work was actually constructed in relation to its many enduring myths.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe book shows how architecture in Norway has been shaped by resource availability, changing social conditions and architectural style impulses through the centuries. The book is thoroughly illustrated with photos, ground plan drawings and isometric drawings. This outline of Norwegian architectural history provides the first comprehensive presentation of architecture in Norway, from tents and housing constructions in the Stone Age until contemporary architecture as the iconic, contemporary Opera House in Oslo. The book shows how Norwegian vernacular architecture has been shaped by natural conditions and resources, changing cultural situations and building traditions through the ages. By implementing a view on how the cultivated and built landscapes of Norway have been affected by human hands and creativity, the authors give a contextual and interdisciplinary presentation of Norwegian architecture history. The authors show how the technological basis of Iron Age and Medieval architecture was developed long before the construction of stave churches. In the first part of the book, recent research on building construction both in prehistoric times and during the middle ages are presented. After an updated review of the architecture of early post-medieval centuries the authors show how the repartition of land, industrialization and urbanization transforms the landscape of the late 19th century. Major changes take place into the 1900s during the breakthrough of modernism, with huge building activity for a new independent nation. The book also presents new research on the most recent architecture in Norway, in particular the architecture of the 1980s, -90s and 2000s. The relations between vernacular architecture and contemporary architecture of different periods are dealt with through continuing discussions among the authors.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIt is understood that Mies van der Rohe is one of the most important architects of the Modern movement. But how do Mies’ ideas on architecture and on the logic of construction relate to his built – and sometimes unbuilt – oeuvre? This book investigates this question based on 14 projects, with a focus on the choice of detail and material. Specially produced three-dimensional drawings provide an easy-to-understand analysis of Mies’ construction concepts. The projects include Lange and Esters Houses (1927–30), Tugendhat House (1928-30), the Barcelona Pavilion (1928-29), Farnsworth House (1946-51), Lake Shore Drive (1948-51) and the New National Gallery (1962-68). The investigation covers several decades of Mies’ work, and hence his German and American creative periods.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen architects visit a building, and want to record or identify what they see, they take out a bundle of folded sheets in search of a blank piece of paper. These sheets may be ground plans, diagrams, sketches and ordnance maps. In one way or another, all are survey drawings, operating as both documentation and analysis, enabling an architect to examine certain conditions of the built environment, whether geometric, relational, material or technical. This book explores the history of the survey and its multiple forms in order to understand how the methods of recording what already exists can also be used to imagine what might be. Lavishly illustrated, with works from the collection of Drawing Matter and beyond, it addresses the multiple forms of the survey through focused studies – on John Soane (1753–1837), Charles Robert Cockerell (1788–1863), and Detmar Blow (1867–1939); French architects Louis-Hippolyte Lebas (1782–1867), Henri Labrouste (1801–1875), and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814–1879); and Swiss-based Peter Märkli (born 1953) – and an extensive section of plates with commentaries by contemporary architects. In doing so, it maintains that while all surveys begin with the site, the outcomes are as idiosyncratic as their authors – and their methods have much to offer as tools in design practice. The book is the first in the Architecture Iconographies series, published in collaboration with Drawing Matter, an organisation based in Wincanton, Somerset, that explores the role of drawing in architectural thought and practice. They consider the image-making of architecture through its typologies and unique approaches to drawing. Exploring their resonance in the history of the profession, as well as their relationship to the architects themselves, the series aims to open up further possibilities for their use in both practice and teaching.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisStarting with the Renaissance, this accessible and lively survey takes readers around the world and through history, from Filippo Brunelleschi through Antoni Gaudi to Frank Gehry. Double-page spreads feature full-color illustrations, informative sidebars, and a timeline. A concise and accessible architectural history, this book is a fascinating look at the enormous variety of ways architects have helped define their eras.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe fifty buildings presented here in chronological order represent the most compelling, intriguing, and awe-inspiring structures from all over the world. Readers will learn about masterpieces such as the Hagia Sophia in Turkey, Cambodia’s Temple Complex at Angkor Wat, the Potala Palace in Lhasa, and the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Each entry features full color photographs of the structure along with informative text presented in a dynamic format. Readers will find basic information about each building’s artistic relevance, style, and contextual history as well as additional notes about architectural periods and techniques. From ancient Jordan and Guatemala to modern-day Manhattan and Munich, this world tour of great edifices offers a mini-course in architecture that will satisfy even the most passionate student’s lust for learning about the world’s greatest buildings.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisNot so very long ago, some might have considered wood a material of the past, long since replaced by more modern components such as concrete and steel. The truth is radically different. Bolstered by new manufacturing techniques and ecological benefits, wood has seen a fabulous resurgence in contemporary construction. This book explores how architects around the world have created and invented with this elementary material. Featuring follies, very large buildings, and ambitious urban renewal schemes, it celebrates the diverse deployment of wood by architects around the world. We see how wood can at once transform urban spaces, as in the Metropol Parasol in Seville by Jürgen Mayer H., and allow for sensitive interventions in natural environments, such as at the Termas Geométricas Hot Springs Complex in Pucón, Chile, by Germán del Sol. True to all TASCHEN architecture titles, the book pays tribute to many emerging international talents as well as to such renowned figures as Tadao Ando and Renzo Piano. It celebrates each architect’s vision and innovation, as well as investigating the techniques, trends, and principles that have informed their work with wood. It examines the computer-guided milling that has allowed for novel new forms, the responsible harvesting that allows wood to align with our environmental concerns, and, above all, wood’s enduring appeal to our senses and psyche, comforting hectic modern lives with a sense of Arcadian simplicity.Trade Review“From a functional tree house to inspired restaurants, this collection instructs on the ecology of wooden construction, with plenty of eye candy for architecture enthusiasts.” * TIME *

Read more less

Book SynopsisOffering an unrivaled record of architecture and design, the “living diary” of domus was founded by Gio Ponti in 1928. Through the years and decades that followed, the journal charted the major themes and movements of industrial, interior, product, and structural design with an eye for creative excellence as much as editorial rigor. This fresh reprint features domus’ coverage from the transformative years between 1928 and 1939. It is an era famed for the emergence of the International Style when the likes of Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, Alvar Aalto, and Richard Neutra channeled modernist ideals into rectilinear forms, restrained surfaces, and open, luminous interiors. The domus coverage of this decisive decade spanned the details and the grand designs. From soaring steel skyscrapers to tubular furniture, its coverage is a definitive record of how light, form, and pared-down aesthetics combined in the pursuit of an honest and utilitarian form for the modern and rapidly industrializing age. domus distilled Seven volumes spanning 1928 to 1999 Over 4,000 pages featuring influential projects by the most important designers and architects Original layouts and all covers, with captions providing navigation and context Introductory essays by renowned architects and designers Each edition comes with an appendix featuring texts translated into English, many of which were previously only available in Italian A comprehensive index in each volume listing both designers’ and manufacturers’ names Trade Review“Beautifully designed and comprehensively documented, page after page this series presents some of the most compelling design and architecture projects from around the world.” * DESIGNwatcher *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first man on the moon, this book for the first time ever looks at the artefacts left behind on the moon from the perspective of architecture. The book looks at every single mission – manned and unmanned – that has actually landed on the moon. It covers the time of the beginning of the Soviet and American space race with the landing of Luna 2 in 1959, to the present with China’s Chang’e 3 moon rover. This architectural guide differentiates itself from other scientific and edu­cational books through its abstract approach to the topic of architecture on the moon. The content does not feature science fiction, but rather the question of what exists and what implications these bizarre structures hold for the future of architecture on other planets – as these topics are quite pertinent in today’s world of the commercialization of spaceflight, with SpaceX and ­NASA planning to take humans to Mars in the next 15 years. The guide brings together authors both from the East and the West. Contributors on the ­Russian side include Galina ­Balashova, the famous archi­tect of the Soviet space program, and the expert Alexander Glushko, son of the deceased chief engineer of the ­Soviet space ­program, Valentin Glushko. Further contributions by Evangelos Kotsioris (MoMA), Brian Harvey (China), Gurbir Singh (India), and Olga Bannova (University of Houston).

Read more less

Book SynopsisOrganized chronologically, this volume analyzes the dynamics, convergences, and ideological clashes that have given life to the most significant movements of the twentieth century and today to the season of recent phantasmagoric buildings of the so-called Star System. Illuminating and insightful, the volume is a much needed guide for students, educators, or anyone interested in architecture. Written as if it were a novel, in clear and compelling way, The History of Architecture from 1900 until Today examines the main buildings that were designed in more than 120 years of history, those famous and appreciated unanimously by critics, and those that, although of great value, were neglected for ideological reasons. Read in its contradictions, architecture becomes a fresco that tells us about our complicated history, our multiple tensions, our filled and unfulfilled desires.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat is required to renew and articulate public spaces? The need for, and demands of, public spaces are highly specific to the local spatial and social conditions under which people live. Action at neighborhood level is crucial, and must involve interacting and co-creating with residents to discover their needs. At the start of the pandemic, superwien was commissioned to develop innovative designs for urban public spaces in three different cities: Dhaka (Bangladesh), Maputo (Mozambique), and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). The main objective of this applied research was to strengthen the capacity of local governments to undertake participatory urban design processes. This book calls upon architects and urbanists to develop place-based solutions in challenging circumstances.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA lavishly illustrated guide to Baroque Prague. Lushly illustrated with more than two hundred color plates, including both historical images and contemporary photographs of architectural exteriors, Baroque Prague is an excursion through Prague from the defeat of Czech Protestants at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 to the philosophical era of Enlightenment in the eighteenth century. Art historian Vít Vlnas explores both the material and spiritual transformations the city went through during this boisterous period, treating the Baroque epoch as a cultural phenomenon vital to the current genius loci of the great Central European capital. He guides readers through both the city itself and equally important Baroque monuments outside of the historical city center. A highly readable introductory study, as well as a work for experienced scholars of the history of Bohemia, Baroque Prague is an exciting homage to Europe’s great “city of a hundred spires,” and shows how a place’s storied past informs its present soul.Trade Review“Unquestionably, a concise, refined, and exceptionally readable introductory study that—with its well-selected catalog of architectural and artistic monuments—not only illuminates the historical and philosophical background of Prague’s baroque but also serves as a reliable guide to the sites of a city that owes much of its development to this remarkable age.” -- Lubomír Slavícek, head of the Centre for Visual Studies, Masaryk University

Read more less

Book SynopsisA lavishly illustrated exploration of forward-looking Czech art around the turn of the twentieth century. Though it’s less widely heralded than Berlin and Vienna, 1890s Prague was every bit as much a fin-de-siècle cultural center as its Mittel European peers. At the end of the nineteenth century, the city found itself home to a fervent coterie of young visual artists all deliberately pushing against—indeed, seeking to secede from—the traditional artistic structures of the day. ​ This book traces Czech Secessionist art from the turn of the twentieth century by following its three main stylistic schools: naturalistic-impressionistic, symbolist, and ornamental-decorative. Though these styles developed separately, their symbiotic relationship gives the art a deeper significance and disrupts the traditional understanding of Art Nouveau and Secessionist art as an eclectic decorative style that faded away at the beginning of the twentieth century. Illustrated with more than three hundred color plates, Czech Secession is a fittingly lush tribute to one city’s underappreciated and forward-looking artistic blossoming. Table of ContentsSecessionSignalsThe End of the CenturyGo to the PeopleInto the Wider WorldDefianceSpringFairy TalesSensesEpochSynthesisExpressionGeometrisationThe Second SecessionLegacy

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisExplore over 500 masterpieces of modern architecture in this celebration of the most iconic buildings in the world. Written by acclaimed architecture expert Jonathan Glancey, Modern Architecture is a beautifully illustrated guide to the key styles, architects and movements that have defined our skylines since the dawn of the twentieth century. From the dizzying heights of the Shard to the exquisite curves of the Sydney Opera House, and from Frank Lloyd Wright to Sir David Adjaye, this is the essential handbook to the creative discipline that shapes our world.'His comments are always informative, unashamedly partisan and often enjoyably tart' – Sunday Telegraph'One of the finest architectural writers in contemporary Britain' – Scotland on SundayTrade Review'His comments are always informative, unashamedly partisan and often enjoyably tart' * Sunday Telegraph *'One of the finest architectural writers in contemporary Britain' * Scotland on Sunday *Table of ContentsForeword • Arts & Crafts • Classicism • Organic • Modernism • Postmodernism • Robotic • Cities • Futures • Iconic • Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSome architectural transformations are modest, some are revolutionary. Shining a light on the hidden side of the accepted narrative of the history of architecture, this book explores works which transform existing buildings to build a way forward, through adaptations, additions and visual shifts. Examining 30 buildings across Europe, North America and South America, spanning from the early Middle Ages to the end of the 20th century, it demonstrates the creative possibilities of working with existing buildings. The book reveals how formal inventions can shape architecture and our environment over time in a built world constantly in a state of becoming. As we face a climate emergency, it taps into our deep cultural knowledge about the inventive use and re-use of buildings. Generously illustrated with architectural plans and over 300 colour images, it provides an alternative to the dominant view which sees conservation and preservation of historic buildings as a 20th century creation.Table of ContentsForeword by Robert Bruegmann Introduction Chapter 1: 6th to 15th Century: Roman Ruins as Shelter 1.1 Lucca, Nimes, Arles & Florence Chapter 2: 15th to 18th Century: Continuity and Change 2.1 Stylistic Overlays 2.1.1. Tempio Malatestiano, Rimini, Italy 2.1.2. Completion of the façade of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy 2.1.3. Château de Bussy-Rabutin and Château de Châteaudun, France 2.2. Two Urban Renewal Projects in the 1550s 2.2.1. Palazzo Della Ragione, Vicenza, Italy 2.2.2. The Uffizi and the Vasari Corridor, Florence, Italy 2.3. Roman Ruins as Palazzo, Shops and Housing 2.3.1. Palazzo Savelli-Orsini: Re-use of the Theatre of Marcellus, Rome, Italy 2.4. Change and Stylistic Constancy 2.4.1. Audley End, Essex, UK Chapter 3: 19th to Early 20th Century: Change in the Historic City 3.1. New Urban Forms 3.1.1. Covered Passages, France, UK & USA 3.1.2. Regent’s Park and Regent Street, London, UK 3.1.3. Haussmann’s Paris, France 3.2. Early Preservation Projects in the USA 3.2.1. First National Bank of the United States Addition, New York, USA Chapter 4: Early to Mid 20th Century: Modern Architects’ Attitudes to the Built World 4.1. German Pavilion at the Barcelona Universal Exhibition, Barcelona, Spain 4.2. La Maison du Docteur Dalsace (the Maison de Verre), Paris, France 4.3. Addition to the Law Courts, Göteborg, Sweden Chapter 5: Mid 20th Century: New Perspectives, Reclamation of Urban Fragments Post-WWII 5.1. Robert Motherwell House & Studio, East Hampton, USA 5.2. Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany 5.3. Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA 5.4. Castelvecchio Renovation, Verona, Italy 5.5. The Invention of the Loft Apartment, New York, USA Chapter 6: Late 20th Century: History as the Subject of Design 6.1. SESC Pompeia Leisure Center, Sao Paulo, Brazil 6.2. Lehman Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA 6.3. Temporary Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA 6.4. Addition to the Former Pepsi Cola Headquarters, New York, USA 6.5. Royal Academy of Arts Painting Gallery, London, UK 6.6. The Harvey Theater Restoration, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York, USA 6.7. Jewish Museum Expansion, New York, USA 6.8. 172 Duane Street, New York, USA Appendix: Insertions, Parasites, Wraps, Juxtapositions, Weavings: Typological Building List Bibliography References Index Image Credits

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis''[A] page-turning story'' - Lauris Maguire, Times Literary Supplement ''A terrific addition to the Shakespeare library ... eye-opening.'' - Michael Billington, Country LifeNow available in paperback, Richard''s Schoch''s compelling history of Shakespeare''s birthplace reveals the value we place on the building and on the man himself.In the wide realm of Shakespeare worship, the house in Stratford-upon-Avon where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 known colloquially as the Birthplace' remains the chief shrine. It's not as romantic as Anne Hathaway's thatched cottage, it's not where he wrote any of his plays, and there's nothing inside the house that once belonged to Shakespeare himself. So why, for centuries, have people kept turning up on the doorstep? Richard Schoch answers that question by examining the history of the Birthplace and by exploring how its changing fortunes over four centuries perfectly mirror th

Read more less