Book Review: Clark and Menefee
Clark and Menefee by Richard Jensen, published by Princeton Architectural Press, 2000. Hardcover, 192 pages. (Amazon)
The office of Clark and Menefee dissolved in 1999 with few built works, primarily residential structures in the Carolinas, where they were based. Jensen's book focuses on seven completed buildings (four houses, a cabin, an inn and a school) and a bus shelter, as well as three competitions, two of which were awarded first prize. Paramount for the firm was the reconciliation of architecture with its physical, cultural and spiritual place, each an equal aspect of a building's site, according to Clark in one of three essays included in the book. The small format book suits the work of Clark and Menefee, who used modest materials and minimal spaces to create objects suited to their location and purpose. An essay by the author and one by Wilfried Wang rounds out the book, but it is the documentation of their built work, through photos, drawings and sketches, that makes the book rewarding.
The office of Clark and Menefee dissolved in 1999 with few built works, primarily residential structures in the Carolinas, where they were based. Jensen's book focuses on seven completed buildings (four houses, a cabin, an inn and a school) and a bus shelter, as well as three competitions, two of which were awarded first prize. Paramount for the firm was the reconciliation of architecture with its physical, cultural and spiritual place, each an equal aspect of a building's site, according to Clark in one of three essays included in the book. The small format book suits the work of Clark and Menefee, who used modest materials and minimal spaces to create objects suited to their location and purpose. An essay by the author and one by Wilfried Wang rounds out the book, but it is the documentation of their built work, through photos, drawings and sketches, that makes the book rewarding.
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