A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

Datai Hotel in Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia by Kerry Hill Architects, 1993 Recipient of an Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2001, the Datai Hotel by Australia's Kerry Hill Architects was completed in 1993 in Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia. The design was recognized for its sensitive approach to its surrounding, in particular the coast, the topography and the indigenous vegetation of the site. Although a tourist development the five-star hotel does not dominate the landscape or occupy valuable beachfront property, instead it finds a balance with its surroundings away from the coast. Situated on a ridge high above the waterfront the site includes untouched rainforest, swamps, streams and wildlife, with spectacular views of the ocean from the hotel. Although the program contains 84 hotel rooms, 40 villas, a swimming pool and spa, restaurants, and a ...

Gullo Student Center in San Jose, California by Fernau & Hartman, 2002 Berkeley, California's Fernau & Hartman describe their design philosophy as a combination of formal and informal design strategies, utilizing both the vernacular and the improvisational. The Gullo Student Center on the campus of Evergreen Valley College, in San Jose, California, expresses this philosophy through its relation to the surrounding campus and its use of a variety of materials. The Student Center combines hard and soft, light and dark materials, both inside and outside. Outside, the painted, corrugated metal panels balance the stone panels, while metal storefront with generous glazing fits between the two. Inside, both wood and steel structure are exposed with spaces contained with masonry and sheetrock, among other materials. The plan juts pie...

Vertical House in New York, NY by Marble Fairbanks, 2000   The following text and images are by Marble Fairbanks for their Vertical House completed in New York City in 2000. This project required designing a highly flexible live/work space with areas that could have both domestic and work functions. The client had a philosophical interest in spatial and managerial organizations which allowed multiple patterns of activities, both social and work, to form based on smaller individual tasks rather than singular bureaucratic demands. The site consisted of two units of a townhouse on the upper west side of Manhattan which combined to form a three story space with a roof terrace. The design evolved from the multiple program demands, often conflicting, that were placed on each space. The three levels are connected by open tr...

Private Retreat in Buchanan, Michigan by Wheeler Kearns Architects, 2001 Chicago's Wheeler Kearns Architects is known for a consistent level of quality in design and construction in a diverse variety of projects, from residences and restaurants to a beach house and children's zoo. Each design responds to the particular project and client, so repetition of form and style is practically non-existent. Instead the signature of a Wheeler Kearns project is intimate, human-scaled spaces and simple detailing. Their design of a private retreat in Buchanan, Michigan, follows this signature, providing the owner a simple, intimate shelter in the woods. Situated atop a knoll in Camp Madron, the single-level house contains approximately 2,000 sf between two long walls, one solid and one glass, the latter providing for a panoramic view o...