A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

iN.fOrmant.system in Chicago, Illinois by Doug Garofalo and Randall Kober, 2000 The following project and text is by Doug Garofalo and Randall Kober, as part of the "MATERIAL EVIDENCE: Chicago Architecture @ 2000" exhibit currently at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. As architects we find ourselves increasingly employing digital media to shape, modify and make flexible various "performance criteria" in design and fabrication processes. Our strategy for the “Material Evidence” exhibit at the MCA Chicago configures the issues of materiality and program into a structure that can be seen to vary in form (across space) and performance (over time). The in.formant.system prototype demonstrates three ideas relative to materiality: first, that the interaction of even a small palette of materials can be treated as a flow of matter; second, that this “performance” is constructed usin...

Law Courts in Bourdeaux, France by Richard Rogers Partnership, 1998 Richard Rogers's reputation rests on structures, such as Llyod's of London and the Pompidou Centre with Renzo Piano, that display their inner workings on the building's exterior. So in these works their appearance is a residue of the buildings interior. The elevations tend to work on a micro level, though, with well thought-out details and unique structural solutions. On the macro level the buildings are a cacophony of parts, grouped together according to their corresponding functions. Therefore this design process is limiting, though instantly recognizable. Recent work by Richard Rogers Partnership has incorporated more arbitrary formal elements and shifted the focus of structure and detailing from primary considerations to design devices. The Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London, app...

St. Ignatius in Seattle, Washington by Steven Holl Architects, 1997 The second Steven Holl building to be featured on this web page, the Chapel of St. Ignatius , on the campus of the Seattle University in Washington, differs in many ways from his Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York City. While the latter is clearly a product of the congested urban condition, the chapel is a free-standing sculptural object, even utilizing an adjacent man-made pond for effect. Like much of Holl's work the project began with a concept that later dictated the form and tectonic nature of the completed work. The architect concentrated on the importance of light in religious architecture and developed the idea of multiple light cones, bringing light into the interior during the day and glowing as a beacon to the community outside. The building is significant in heralding...