A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

Just came across this wackiness by Foreign Office Architects , their Villa in Pedralbes, Barcelona, Spain, completed last year. The architects describe the house as a response to the steeply sloping site, its three floors merging with the landscape at each level. [Villa in Pedralbes, Barcelona, Spain by Foreign Office Architects | image source ] Basically the house opens itself at the front and the back of the house, allowing for cross-ventilation, light and views in those two directions. The house closes itself off to its neighbors on either side. [Villa in Pedralbes, Barcelona, Spain by Foreign Office Architects | image source ] Of course, addressing the topography, light and vent, views, and the neighboring buildings could have occurred in many different ways. The architects went with what they're known for: continuous surfaces that warp, wrap and blend with their surroundings. The influence of the Yokohama Ferry Terminal is evident, especially in the shape of the glazed openin...

Here are some photos of Capella Singapore in Singapore, Singapore (2003-2009) by Foster + Partners , photographed by parameters75 . To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos archidose

Engineered Transparency: The Technical, Visual, and Spatial Effects of Glass Edited by Michael Bell and Jeannie Kim Princeton Architectural Press , 2009 Review published in edited form in The Architect's Newspaper, July 29, 2009 Glass’s domination as the material for architectural expression since the middle of last century is evident in a comparison of Manhattan’s skyline today with a photograph of the same before 1952. This year marks the completion of Skidmore Owings & Merrill’s Lever House on Park Avenue, the first all-glass curtain wall exterior for what came to be ubiquitous, the boxy office buildings in Midtown and beyond. A number of factors coincided to displace stone by glass: advances in structural engineering and façade systems, the fabrication of ever-larger pieces of flat glass, a need for more daylight in deeper floor plates, the improved thermal properties of glazing systems, and a desire for expressing lightness and transparency. Over fifty years later...

If it works in Quito: [Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, Ecuador | image source ] Then why not in Manhattan?: [Proposed Manhattan Airport by The Manhattan Airport Foundation | image source ] Oh wait, Mariscal doesn't work, which is why a new airport is being built 20km (12.4 miles) east of its current location, set to open in 2010. Nevertheless The Manhattan Airport Foundation is proposing the transformation of Central Park into an airport, a "viable and centrally-located international air transportation hub in New York City for the benefit of all New Yorkers." Obviously this isn't a serious proposal, but the web page is presented in such a way -- particularly its assured and persuasive language -- that the project seems to mock proposals of this type, large (infrastructure) projects that purport to help people but have detrimental effects that offset the apparent benefits. Here the downsides are particularly obvious, with noise, fumes, hea...

The Language of Things: Understanding the World of Desirable Objects by Deyan Sudjic, published by  W.W. Norton , 2009. Paperback, 208 pages. ( Amazon ) Man of many hats in the realms of architecture, design and urbanism (museum director, critic, magazine founder, editor, educator and author can all rightly be used at some point in his prolific career), Deyan Sudjic's writings are marked by a clarity, accessibility and a diversity of subject matter, all centered on the role of design in shaping everything from tea kettles and buildings to cities. His latest book, coming after the popular Edifice Complex , targets the "world of desirable objects." Yes, architecture is found in these pages, but the focus ...

The Chicago Tribune reports that Prairie Avenue Bookshop , "the best architectural bookshop in the world," may be closing its doors on the first of September if owners Wilbert and Marilyn Hasbrouck do not find a buyer. My friend Brandon tipped me off to this a few weeks ago, but I didn't want to believe it then, and it's hard to believe now. Even with Amazon.com's discounts, I thought of Prairie Avenue as a mainstay, due to its deep catalog, used books and rare titles, and other items harder to come by and appreciate online. The Trib points out the 10.25% sales tax, " people [who] would come to the bookshop with their notepad, make notes of what they wanted and then go buy it somewhere else, " and $650,000 in two lines of credit. Depressing, to say the least. [Outside Praire Avenue Bookshop at 418 S. Wabash | image source ]  So if a new owner is found, one who is able to keep Prairie Avenue on its feet, how would that happen? By diversifying the sele...

Southbrook Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada by Diamond+Schmitt Architects Text and images are courtesy Diamond+Schmitt Architects ; photographs are by Tom Arban . Southbrook Vineyards is located on a 150-acre estate in the heart of Ontario wine country. The project includes a production winery and a new 8,000 square foot facility in a separate pavilion housing retail, hospitality and administrative areas. Inspired by the flat site and low horizon lines, reinforced by the repetitive rows of grape vines planted on the site, the design of the new Southbrook Vineyards is as much about landscape as it is about architecture. The design can be read as a series of linear elements woven together in both plan and elevation. The central feature is a 3-meter-high, 2...

_TechL_48 , originally uploaded by vtr do . National Technical Library in Prague, Czech Republic by Projektil Architekti and Helika , 2009. The building officially opens to the public in the fall. Check out vtr do's flickr set from a recent site visit for many more photos of the building inside and out. To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos archidose

Denver, Colorado's in situ DESIGN , featured on my weekly page back in 2006, use their studio space as the means for presenting each aspect of the firm, its projects, its awards, its press, and its people. All but the last are shown in windows overlaying the studio background, but the profiles of the individuals are revealed via a cartoonish interaction with each person at their desk. Unlike many " firm faces " which break people out of their space and routine for a group shot, in situ DESIGN's technique melds the studio and its individuals. It's an appealing way (minus the somewhat annoying but necessary scroll) of giving outsiders a view of where the work unfolds and who contributes to it.

, originally uploaded by AndrewRudolph . Cube Tower in Guadalajara, Mexico by Estudio Carme Pinós , 2005. See the floor plan here . To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos archidose

With today's announcement of MahaNakhon , a 77-story tower in Bangkok designed by OMA partner Ole Scheeren, the internet will be awash in images of the pixelated glass tower. The design departs from a fairly typical glass box, eroding, carving and shifting the Modernist ideal into something iconic yet precarious. It is immediately reminiscent of Herzog & de Meuron's design for 56 Leonard in Manhattan, found on the cover of eVolo's first issue . [L: MahaNakhon by OMA | R: 56 Leonard by Herzog & de Meuron]  Each design has the same starting point -- the Modernist glass box -- but each design modifies it in different ways. Herzog & de Meuron shift the stacked floors to create terraces and overhangs, what they call " houses stacked in the sky ." The base and top leave no traces of the platonic origins, but the middle section's regularity hints at the design's precursors. Likewise the MahaNakhon tower starts with the regular but modifies it to cr...

On Tuesday, July 28 at 7pm the Storefront for Art and Architecture will host a launch party with Editor-in-Chief Carlo Aiello for the first issue of eVolo , a twice-yearly architecture and design journal "focused on technology advances, sustainability and innovative design for the 21st century." Some spreads from the first issue: Some more information from the Storefront page : It is with great pleasure that we introduce you to the premier issue of eVolo. This architecture and design journal was initially conceived in 2004 by a group of graduate students at Columbia University in New York City. Following graduate school, inspired and idealistic, many of us felt the need to reach further and look more closely at ourselves and our specific strengths to figure out what we could uniquely contribute to the field of architecture. Unfortunately entering the work force revealed a scary truth; the world of architecture is a tough place, making little room to accommodate al...

Buffalo, New York is home to a few Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, most notably his Darwin D. Martin House . This complex is now home to a recent Visitor's Center by Toshiko Mori , a glass pavilion that "will serve as an orientation point for those arriving to the campus and will include flexible exhibition space, permanent galleries and visitor amenities." [Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion by Toshiko Mori | image source ] To get architourists and other to upstate New York, the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau is holding a contest, the Ultimate Frank Lloyd Wright Weekend in Buffalo . The entry deadline is July 31. Good luck! Here's the winning details: Airfare for two on Southwest Airlines to and from Buffalo Two nights accommodations at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gardener’s Cottage Tour of Darwin Martin House Complex Tour of Graycliff Estate Tour of Wright’s Rowing Boathouse Tour of Wright’s Blue Sky Mausoleum Two passes to Open Air Autobus tour Two ...

When I hear the phrase "imitation wood grain panels" I immediately think of station wagons from the 1970s, particularly my family's Ford Pinto wagon, similar to the one below. The phrase connotes that time period, when plastic started to replace just about every other material, yet people still grasped for the look of "real" materials. And nothing says class like wood panels on the side of a car. [1977 Ford Pinto station wagon | image source ] The use of wood in architecture is typically of two broad categories: solid and veneer. The former is prevalent where trees are, such as Scandinavia and countries in tropical climates. The latter requires industrial processes and is used for flooring and other applications in the United States and elsewhere. One big difference between these two is that veneer is focused solely on the surface and its appearance, since the ultra-thin wood ply is adhered to a plywood, MDF or other base. Veneer exudes the warmth of wood wit...

Here are a few photos of The Town School Theater in New York City by Yoshihara McKee Architects , photographed by MarcelloLPacheco . To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos archidose

Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward by Richard Cleary, published by  Rizzoli , 2009. Hardcover, 360 pages. ( Amazon )   Frank Lloyd Wright: Essential Texts edited by Robert Twombly, published by  W. W. Norton , 2009. Paperback, 288 pages. ( Amazon ) This year marks the 50th anniversary of not only the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City but also the passing of its architect, Frank Lloyd Wright . Commemorating the former is the museum's exhibition Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward , on display until August 23. Occupying the signature sloping ramp and a couple annex galleries, the 64 projects, 200 drawings, and numerous m...

The Botwin Building in Kansas City, Missouri by el dorado architects Photographs are by Aaron Dougherty . For the site of the Waldo Theater, a historic structure which burned down in a 2007 fire, el dorado architects designed a 12,500-sf (1,160-sm) mixed-use commercial building for Botwin Family Partners . Located in Kansas City, Missouri's Waldo neighborhood, the client is focused on neighborhood sensitive commercial development and sustainable design. The architects have become the go-to designers for the Botwins, creating buildings and build-outs throughout Kansas City and elsewhere. For the client's eponymous building on West 75th Street in Waldo, principal-in-charge Josh Shelton and project architect Steve Salzer filled the site vacated by the old theater with two rectangular b...