Book Description

Evanescent. Restrained. Ethereal. These are some of the words used to describe the architecture of Kengo Kuma, one of the most heralded of a new generation of Japanese architects. A recent article in Architecture writes of Kuma that "he strives to give his buildings the qualities of a rainbow, composed of shimmering particles, more illusion than object, that change as you look at them."Increasingly the focus of international renown, Kuma's work is characterized by a delicate simplicity and minimalism, incorporating a wide range of ephemeral transparencies. Their ineffable vibrancy is achieved largely by the extensive and skillful use of screens: metal, wooden, bamboo, and even stone louvers or slates, as well as paper, plastic, and glass surfaces or membranes. His use of new, sophisticated, and efficient technologies, his sensitivity to site, and his attention to the ecological and prevailing social context of his work are all explored in Kengo Kuma: Selected Works, the first full-length monograph on the work of this enormous talent. Included are all of Kuma's most recent projects, including the Museum of Ando Hiroshige, the Stone Museum, the Horai Onsen Bath House in Atami, Louis Vuitton Tokyo Headquarters, and the Nagasaki Prefectural Museum. Kengo Kuma: Selected Works is an essential addition to the library of anyone interested in the best contemporary architecture. ... Read more

Book Description

Sublime landscapes, rich cultures, ancient traditions, and startling modernity: Hip Hotels Orient promises to be Herbert Ypma's most exciting book to date.

The Orient has held sway over the Western imagination since the days of Marco Polo and Genghis Khan. And that remains true in the twenty-first century, even if the world to the east of the Mediterranean is today a very different place, where potent symbols of age-old cultures—minarets, bazaars, Buddhist monks in saffron robes—exist alongside bold expressions of modernity and futuristic style.

These are some of the most extraordinary Hip Hotels yet. Live like a maharaja—with a maharaja—in the Umed Bhawan Palace in Rajasthan, a splendid art deco fantasy designed between 1929 and 1932. This enormous palace, bigger than Washington's Capitol Building, is still home to the former Crown Prince and his family. Or stay in a guest villa of King Sihanouk, now the setting for Cambodia's sophisticated new Aman hotel, which is the perfect place to unwind after days spent exploring the incredible temples of nearby Angkor. In the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the hotly anticipated hilltop hotel by the team behind London's Metropolitan promises a fusion of sleek contemporary style with the vivid detailing of one of the last pristine mountain cultures on the planet.

One of the most remarkable projects here is the Commune by the Great Wall, a highly innovative development by an all-star cast of Asian design talent in a stunning location beside China's most famous ancient monument. Or visit Benesse House on the remote Japanese island of Naoshima, a Zen-like retreat dedicated to the display of contemporary art. Designed by Tadao Ando, an architect renowned for his pared-down places of worship, it is an intensely spiritual destination that has become a site of modern pilgrimage. 500 illustrations, 350 in color. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

nothing wrong with the book
I don't know why the earlier reviewer had such a problem with this book. The blurb describes it accurately as reviewing estates and their gardens. There's nothing wrong with the photography and some of the architecture is quite noteworthy. The book didn't change my life or anything, but I'm giving it four stars to balance its rating a little.

Could be better
Poor quality photographs of inexpressive gardens and palaces. We expected to find the lovely small houses and gardens of the portuguese villages and countryside. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A lavish and visual tour-de-force.
This visual tour of St. Petersburg's fine attractions reveals interiors from all periods of its history, from lesser-known sites such as the Russian National Library to those which have received more attention. Photographer Leonid Bogdanov has taken shots especially for this book: many are full-page displays, and all provide special views of Russian interiors dating from all periods of Russian history. This lavish title will delight both fans of Russian history and students of interior design. ... Read more

Book Description

First House: the grid, the figure and the void presents a range of innovative first houses designed by a group of famous Harvard graduates from the 1930s - many of which have never been published before. These include such influential figures as Edward Larrabee Barnes, Ulrich Franzen, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, I M Pei and Paul Rudolph.

This examination shows both what these soon-to-be-famous American architects were taught by their émigré Bauhaus instructors Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer, and the development of their personal artistic vision.

Each building is accompanied by a rich collection of background period information. Artworks by American painters such as Calder, Pollock, Motherwell and Kline are incorporated as both emblems of their time and sources of design inspiration. The furniture designed and used in many of the buildings is also illustrated and ranges from the well-known work of Eames to the forgotten steel wire chairs of Landrum.

The book concludes with a review of the personalities involved in publishing these modern houses: the photographer Ezra Stoller, writer Peter Blake and historian Vincent Scully. These men also tried their hand at self-designed 'First Houses' for their own families.

This book provides an extensively researched text with previously unpublished discoveries that are tied together in a uniquely personal and emotional narrative that opens a clear view upon the designers and their time. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Brilliant and Unsurpassed
As an architectural historian, I have read a number of books that approach this subject, but none so comprehensively and with such a thoughtful analysis. Clear and concise writing with intriguing visual comparisons and beautiful illustrations and drawings. I recommend this book by the brilliant author/architect to anyone interested in 20th-century American architecture.

At Last !!
This book reviews the box type architecture of the '40s, but with a twist, with details.This author features the first homes' interior gems.Yes, paintings, furniture and from old photographs, first time owners are rediscovered. Philip Johnson (also wrote at the end), I M Pei, Noyes, etc. its like the first album for a superband or superstar. Mr Bjone as an architect himself does an excellent job in this endeavor. Refreshing, the new cool. ... Read more

Book Description

A unique color dictionary of international urban design and phenomenal photographic reference, The Color of Cities, by Lois Swirnoff, documents the distinctive color characteristics of cities in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. The book features beautiful original color photographs by the author who is an acclaimed artist and world authority on the three-dimensional use of color. Topics covered include how cultural color preferences are grounded in vision differences in different geographic locations and the similarities within diversity in streets, facades, plazas, boundaries, and marketplaces. A reference section provides you with typical color palettes for each country, complete with thumbnail photographic examples. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Color of Cities
As a colorist for the last twenty years, specializing in exterior building color I was sorely disappointed to read this book. Basically every she had to say of import could have be said in an essay. The author has a wonderful vocabulary but after wading through all the prose one finds there is liitle said that isn't entirely obvious. I was left with the impression that this book was concieved as a great excuse to travel to the worlds really wonderful places. One is aware that she not traveled to Lubbock or Erzerum.

A visual, historical and sociological treat!
The is a somewhat remarkable book, worth the high price tag. Swirnoff tackles an unique issue: the role of color/light in forming a particular city's identity. She cites (and sites) examples from New York to Santa Fe to Venice to Mexico to Paris to the Caribbean to Stockholm to Japan and many others, too. The book has many photo examples, both black-and-white and color, as well as quite thought provoking written discussion.This is a much-needed book, focusing on an important issue of local identity at a time when globalization challenges the specifics of space and place. The book would appeal to travellers, visual artists, architects, sociologists, urban planners and many others. ... Read more

Book Description

Celebrating the American Home brings together the best 50 houses featured in books from the Taunton Press in the past five years. These houses, which range from the irresistibly cozy to the magisterial to the daringly innovative, were selected by a panel of distinguished residential architects who are members of the American Institute of Architects including Jeremiah Eck, Duo Dickinson, and John Connell, who chose the houses based on how well they reflected the core qualities of great home design.

Each house is showcased in four to six pages and shown from a variety of views, with a brief introductory text explaining what makes the house unique and color photographs illustrating the key design features. Sidebars elaborate on why the architects selected each house, while an introductory chapter provides a detailed explanation of those core qualities that distinguish a great home: human-size scale, livability, quality of craft, connection to site, and distinctive design. ... Read more

Book Description

World House Now is the sequel to America House Now and European House Now in Universe's popular and affordable architecture series, books that are the leading surveys of their field. This volume showcases international talent, including such well-recognized architects as Tadao Ando (Japan), Glenn Murcutt (Australia), Samuel Mockbee (US), and rising stars like Shigeru Ban (Japan), TEN Arquitectos (Mexico), and Edge/Gary Chang (Hong Kong).

Domestic architecture is constantly changing; World House Now showcases over twenty houses all built in the last three years to illuminate current trends in domestic architecture and house styles. Part of the perennial appeal of modernism is its adaptability to local climates, geographies, and construction methods. These houses illustrate how contemporary design is successfully translated across international borders.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beautiful architecture book, great value
World House Now is a thoroughly enjoyable read for anyone who appreciates thoughtful, modern architecture. The author's text is very accessible and informative. The unique qualities of each house are clearly outlined. The book's beautiful, minimal layout, compact size and generous selection of all-color photographs make flipping through it a pleasure. A subtle and fun world map feature helps readers identify the house locations.
Highly recommended--a must-have for any architecture/design book collection. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Does the term Dutch architecture evoke for you almost sickeningly quaint images of windmills, stone dykes, and Golden Age townhouses?Then hang on to your wooden shoes (or silver skates) and brace yourself for SuperDutch, a superfunky look at what some of the hottest design firms in the Netherlands have been turning out in the past decade or so.If you're familiar with the writing or work of iconoclastic Dutch architect and author Rem Koolhaas, you'll feel at home in this somewhat cerebrally annotated volume that nonetheless boasts a wealth of full-color photographs showcasing the best of the Netherlands's so-called "Second Modernity."

From UN Studio/Van Berkely & Bos, for example, there's the breathtaking Erasmus Bridge on Rotterdam's Mense River, with its superhigh-tech "tensile" engineering and sky-shooting asymmetrical central arm.From Atelier van Lieshout in Rotterdam (where much of what's shown herein is located) comes a profusion of furniture, architectural components (like toilets), and boldly colored, highly modular mobile homes almost lewd in their lumpy, bumpy playfulness of form.MVRDV weighs in here with the Villa VPRO broadcasting center, a big concrete and glass Mondrian grid that's rather homely by day, but when lit at night the full genius of its openness becomes apparent.And from Koolhaas's own Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) comes a handful of examples that demonstrate what his fractured theories look like "in action": the University of Utrecht's floaty, translucent Educatorium; the Congrexpo in Lille, France; and the coldly handsome private residence Villa Bordeaux.

There's a lot more here from a total of a dozen studios--including, in addition to those mentioned above, Wiel Arets, Erick van Egeraat, Mecanoo, Neutelings Riedijk, NOX, Oosterhuis NL, Koen Van Velsen, and West 8.Much of it evokes a kind of harshly and deliberately deconstructivist Blade Runner world where it's much more important to be conceptual and edgy (and, we learn here, frugally executed) than beautiful.Many of the projects featured here (some of which are viewable by clicking on the Look inside this book! link below the cover image) look like they're straining to become alien spacecraft or cybermedia phantasmagoria--indeed, anything but attractive public buildings as we know them, even in our postmodern era.But even when these cutting-edge Dutch treats are ugly, they're never boring. --Timothy Murphy ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Your inspiration has arrived...
GREAT reference for students of architecture! Amazing projects.

Inspirational Architecture
A slick tome on recent Dutch architecture, with projects from 12 practices, including Mecanoo, MRVDV and OMA. The author gives an overview on each studio, followed by detailed illustrations of particular projects. If you're interested in recent European architecture, be it small scale or large, this book won't fail to disappoint. Besides covering the Dutch 'staples', it introduces the reader to some architects not yet well known outside Europe, but evidently destined for greatness. The photography is fantastic, and it's nicely packaged in a chunky square, guaranteed to stand out on your bookshelf! An excellent portrayal of architectural work being produced in a small country becoming reknowned as a design hothouse. ... Read more

Book Description

The Great Houses of London is an account of extraordinary buildings, most of which no longer exist, of such great designers as Robert Adam, and if the enormously rich English aristocrats grandees who commissioned these houses.When Queen Victoria remarked to her neighbor, the Duchess of Sutherland, "I have come from my house to your palace," she was by no means exaggerating.The palaces of the nobility were second only to churches in architectural and aesthetic significance, and defied comparison with the châteaux of France or the palazzi of Venice.Filled with astonishing French and English furniture, generally equipped with a large private picture gallery to display priceless paintings bought on the Grand Tour, staffed by between 50 and 60 servants, these houses expressed the taste and aspirations of a single person, and usually one rich and powerful enough to have his own way.A distinguished designer, large rooms for entertaining formally, an imposing façade to impress passers by and visitors were the background for the endless balls and costume and garden parties, and formal dinners that made the dazzling London "Season" one of the high points for European royalty and society from June through August.This book, the only publications on a fascinating subject, covers some 40 major home and 100 lesser ones, starting in the 13th century in the walled city of London and moving on to the then suburbs of Bloomsbury, Holborn, Soho, Piccadilly and St. James, finishing in Park Lane from which the aristocrats were driven by the noises of motor traffic.This is a book that will fascinate architects, decorators, Anglophiles and social historians. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In Through the Windows of Paris, the reader is spirited away, like Alice through the looking glass, to a Paris where old-world skill and personal service are still the rule. Each of the 50 listings--every one the sort of establishment you'd love to seek out on your next trip--is treated with a rich spread of color photographs and an evocative depiction:

[Le Pont Traversee] One of the grandest boucheries in Paris, with the patterned marble façade and carved wood frames, has become a wonderfully ramshackle bookshop that specializes in literature of every kind. Established in 1974 by the poet Marcel Béalu, it is now run by his widow, Josée. Ceiling hooks recall the sides of beef and lamb that must once have occupied the space; now the challenge is to step lightly around tottering piles and climb the ladder past laden shelves, hoping they won't come crashing down in your search for an elusive volume of Baudelaire's poetry.

Step through doors decrepit or grand, deco or nouveau, and discover a wealth of unique, handmade treasures that would put Cartier to shame. The wine merchants, chocolatiers, toy makers, milliners, antiques shops, and lingerie makers celebrated in this charming little book define craftsmanship and good taste, and provide a sumptuous alternative to a day in line at the Louvre. --Jhana Bach ... Read more

Reviews (2)

the character of paris
a wonderful book, showing the real character of paris to whet your appetite. as someone who is soon to go to Paris for the first time, i loved this book for doing the legwork for me in finding those little boutiques that add character to your holiday , that i probably would have missed. i'm sure they will lead me to other great little shops and experiences.

Beautiful book - great addresses!
As a part-time resident of Paris, I thought I knew all of the "bons addresses", those hard-to-find shops where you can find that perfect, unique gift for yourself or someone at home. I was wrong! On my next trip to Paris, I'll be looking into a number of the lovely boutiques mentioned in this book. Not only are the addresses provided, complete with compelling descriptions, but there are gorgeous photos that make your mouth water in anticipation of actually visiting these havens of shopping pleasure, if only to browse and take in the beauty of their wares. Bravo to the authors and photographer! ... Read more

Book Description

An architectural view of one of the world’s most dynamic and exciting cities.

Shanghai’s explosive development since the early 1990s has provided students and fans of architecture with myriad examples of superlatives: from the world’s tallest buildings to its longest bridges. As timely as it is comprehensive this collection of essays confronts the broader concerns of Shanghai’s role as a harbinger of China’s future and a global testing ground. Essays cover the socio-political, cultural, and historic aspects of the city as well as offer more pointed topical analyses of urban design, preservation and the developments of the city’s waterfronts. Throughout the book, color photographs and illustrations examine thirty ongoing and completed projects. The resulting overview presents a vibrant city of tension and contradiction, one that both mirrors and drives China’s struggle to break free from economic constraints while adhering to its political ideals. ... Read more

Book Description

Fortunately for the many admirers of his architecture, theories, and designs, Frank Lloyd Wright was not only a lover of space and a man of vision--he was also a man who liked to save things. Since he opened his first office in Chicago in 1893, Wright held on to drawings, sketches, notes, photographs, manuscripts, and correspondence. Many of those artifacts survive today in his official archive at Taliesin West in Arizona. Produced in conjunction with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, this extraordinary book offers a fresh presentation of the documents of one of the world's most famous architects. It is, in effect, a museum in a book. The unique book experience contains 25 interactive, three-dimensional features, removable facsimiles of original documents, never-before-published architectural sketches, and an audio CD containing excerpts from Wright's weekly addresses at his architectural compound, as well as television interviews. Following the proven success of other Wright titles, this is an engaging journey into the life and work of the iconic American architect through words, pictures, and artifacts. ... Read more

Book Description

Architecture reflects the spirit of its times: in India's case, the, fight for Independence. Examining the forces that have shaped Indian architecture over the last century, this profusely illustrated book traces the patterns of architecture and its response to political change in both India and the world since the founding of the Indian National Congress. ... Read more

Book Description

With the possible exception of the woodblock print, no other aspect of Japanese culture has been so widely embraced outside Japan as the traditional Japanese home. Interior decorators, architects, and homeowners from the West have been borrowing from Japanese architecture since Frank Lloyd Wright, yet the fundamentals of the Japanese abode remain something of a mystery. What is the age-old sensibility behind it? Why do luminaries in the field hold it up as one of mankind's most successful blends of function, tradition, and nature?

Atsushi Ueda ably answers these questions in Inner Harmony, which became a bestseller in his native Japan and continues to be used in high schools and colleges throughout the country. Breaking down the living space into its primary elements--shoji, partitions, pillars, garden, and so on--Ueda reveals the underlying patterns and hidden harmony that took centuries to evolve: he discusses the ways in which shoji exploit the natural light to create a subdued radiance; the way decorated sliding doors and moveable partitions define one's sense of living space; and the function of a miniature garden as viewed from inside the house as well as out.

In the manner of John McPhee and Tracy Kidder, Professor Ueda unravels the concealed concepts at work in the Japanese living space, and brings compelling insights and a long-needed clarity to the subject--all in the best tradition of contemporary literary nonfiction. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This is great!
I am writing my own book, set in the traditional Japan. This books is a marvelous help in getting the feel of the place and period with which I am working. I don't know how I could get along without this book!

It presents its information in a clear, concise manner that is easy for me to understand, and the pictures really give you a feel not just for the house, but for the mindset of the people who live there. I recommend this book to anyone studying the Japanese culture.

An unexpected delight
I am not an architect, nor am I Japanese, but I have lived in Japan and love Japanese-style rooms. I picked this book up merely because I was interested in the topic, and thought I'd get just a dry description and maybe some floor plans. Was I wrong! This book is a delight, not merely for the content-- which is a thorough introduction to the pieces of the Japanese house and the 'why' behind them-- but also for the social comment the author makes about various facets of the lives of the people who live in these houses. Ueda's opinion comes through clearly, but that's what makes this book such a good read (his solution to the unslightly-futons-on-the-balcony problem had us in stitches, and his bad attitude toward flat roofs is a riot). He starts with the base of the house (the pillars) and works all the way out to the locks on the door. He's got a nice sense of history, and you can tell he himself is very fond of the traditional house. A delightful read! ... Read more