A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

Here are some photos of Bicycle Storage in Amsterdam, Netherlands by VMX Architects , 2001. Photographs are by FADB . To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos archidose

Books on books are a strange breed, tailor made for people that actually read books but unnecessary at the same time; after all do people who read want to read about something they've read or the act of reading itself? Of course the reasons for books on books vary, such as critical analyses of texts, explorations of the act of reading through books, or documents of books as artifacts. The strangely cover-less book that arrived in my mailbox today, CCA on Paper , falls into the last category. It is "a guide to all of the publications of the Canadian Centre for Architecture since it opened to the public twenty years ago." [image source | animation by archidose] The book -- available also as a PDF and online -- chronologically documents CCA's output, companions to their exhibitions but not catalogs of them. As Phyllis Lambert states in an interview with Peter Sealy and Mirko Zardini here, they "do books because they are long-term references," focusing ...

Visiting Santiago Calatrava's website today, I see it's been redesigned. This is the splash page: Does that little icon (I wouldn't call it a logo) go with the designs of the name over which it's located? To me it looks too traditional, like it would be found on the letterhead of staunch law firm, or on a napkin at a fancy restaurant, or on a box from a custom suit shop, or ... To me, it says anything but Calatrava. Who knows, maybe they'll change the icon or get rid of it entirely. These days it seems businesses will easily and quickly give up their redesigned images . Update 10.29: As some astute readers have pointed out to me, the symbol is the Calatrava Cross , dating back to the 12th century. It is also used by Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe .

A video about f451 arquitectura 's various projects. I especially like the UPF Temporary Building at the beginning. I wonder if we'll see more video marketing for architects? Or shall I say, I wonder how much more video marketing we'll see for architects?

One of the chapters in my Guide to Contemporary New York City Architecture , to be released by W. W. Norton next year, highlights projects that are under construction or in planning, ones that should be realized in the second decade of the 21st century, an extension of the featured projects completed in the first decade. Like my research for the latter , I'm once again asking you, dear readers for help in finding projects for this "On the Horizon" chapter. So here are some criteria for inclusion in that chapter: It is intended to be built, not hypothetical; It is public or has a public presence, meaning no private interiors It is permanent, so no temporary installations or restaurant/retail interiors, which have a way of being temporary even when they're intended to be permanent; It can be a landscape, not just a building; Ideally the project has a rendering or other illustration representing it, one that can be published. If you know of projects that I sh...

"API-AR 2050" published in eVolo Issue 03: Cities of Tomorrow , Fall/Winter 2010 A couple years before the new millennium the late Martin Pawley penned Terminal Architecture , a critique of architectural appreciation on formal grounds. The British critic favored judging the usefulness of buildings “as terminals in the maze of communications and distribution networks that sustain modern life.” His prescient insights coincided with the rise of cellular phones but predated the iPhone, iPad and other devices that serve to reshape cities by affecting how we interact with them. In this article I use Pawley’s insights as an impetus towards speculating on how the Cities of Tomorrow may evolve from the Technologies of Today. The book’s first chapter, “Terminal 2098” tells the story of a group’s visit to Dorset one hundred years in the future, or more accurately a visit to what was formerly known as Dorset. In the year 2098 places as we know them are irrelevant, since place and t...

Here are some detail photos of the Jewish Community Center in Mainz, Germany by Manuel Herz Architects , 2010. Photographs are by .HM . To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos archidose

Workbook: The official catalog for Workshopping: An American Model for Architectural Practice  edited by Emily Abruzzo, published by 306090 /  Princeton Architectural Press , 2010. Paperback, 128 pages. ( Amazon ) 306090 Volume 13: Sustain and Develop edited by Joshua Bolchover and Jonathan D. Solomon, published by 306090 / Princeton Architectural Press , 2010. Paperback, 308 pages. ( Amazon ) Started in 2001, 306090 explores "contemporary issues in architecture 'from every angle' ... by publishing design projects, critical essays, and historic inquiries across a range of places, people and practices." Volume 13 tackles two apparently irreconcilable but equally necessary realms: sustainability and development; or as the editors put it, "the pursuit of either must be considered in a state of protracted poise relative to the other." Not surprisingly a good chunk of this hefty issue is devoted to China, its rapid urb...

Center of Technical Services in La Grande Motte, France by N+B Architectes Text and images are courtesy Elodie Nourrigat and Jacques Brion of N+B Architectes . La Grande Motte city , situated at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, benefits from a soft and moderate climate. The project for new offices for the city's center of technical services takes place in a widely forested ground. It is a remarkable environment, thanks to the surrounding natural elements. So the project testifies to a profound respect for nature while offering a new determinedly contemporary image. The landscape and architectural project presents a strong unity, stemming from the qualities of the place, to compose spaces where the environmental quality will be a vector of development. Our will is double: think of a functional project and set up a place of life in agreement with the Mediterranean climate. This has to take place as simply as possible, with humility and efficiency. We thus propose si...

Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement October 3, 2010 - January 3, 2011 The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, New York NY Special Exhibitions Gallery, third floor Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement by Andres Lepik, published by  The Museum of Modern Art , 2010. Paperback, 140 pages. ( Amazon ) MoMA's current architecture exhibition, Small Scale, Big Change , presents "eleven building projects on five continents that bring innovative architecture to underserved communities." It follows on the heels of Rising Currents , which tackled global climate change via five projects for New York Harbor. We'll have to wait until next summer, after Barry Bergdoll raids the collection once again , to see if this trend of environmental and social awareness continues. Yet if MoMA Director Glenn D. Lowry's sometimes defensive foreword to the book accompanying curator Andres Lepik's exhibition is any indi...

Edifício 'Kop Van Diemenstraat', Amsterdam, Holanda , originally uploaded by pedro kok . Kop Van Diemenstraat residential building in Amsterdam, Netherlands by Tekton Architekten , 2009. To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos archidose

The following text and images are courtesy Manuel Kretzer and ETH Zurich's Computer Aided Architectural Design ( CAAD ) department. The student team includes Edyta Augustynowicz, Sofia Georgakopoulou, Dino Rossi, and Stefanie Sixt. ShapeShift is an experiment in future possibilities of architectural materialization. This project explores the potential application of electro-active polymer (EAP) at an architectural scale. EAP offers a new relationship to built space through its unique combination of qualities. It is an ultra-lightweight, flexible material with the ability to change shape without the need for mechanical actuators. As a collaboration between the chair for Computer Aided Architectural Design (ETHZ) and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA), ShapeShift bridges gaps between advanced techniques in architectural design/fabrication and material science as well as pushing academic research towards real world application...

"Book Briefs" are an ongoing series of posts with two- or three-sentence first-hand descriptions of some of the numerous books that make their way into my library. These briefs are not full-blown reviews, but they are a way to share more books worthy of attention than can find their way into reviews on my daily or weekly pages. 1: Meet the Nelsons by Wes Jones | L.A. Forum for Architecture and Urban Design | 2010 | Amazon Architect Wes Jones first utilized the comic format in 1989 to convey mood for a project, realizing the narrative structure allowed a certain freedom that architectural drawings didn't. He extended this format into a series of strips for ANY Magazine -- the nexus of architectural theory in the 1990s -- that presents the domestic life of, I'm guessing, the Nelsons. Lighthearted at times, esoteric in others, having all the strips in one place is a treat and a welcome respite from the words and photos of most architectural publishing. 2: Str...

plain space , originally uploaded by andrewpaulcarr . John Pawson: Plain Space exhibition at the Design Museum in London, England, September 22 - January 30, 2011. "On the occasion of the release of John Pawson's new book: John Pawson: Plain Space , which coincides with [the exhibition] at the London Design Museum, the architect spoke to Phaidon.com [link to slideshow] about his approach to design and reflects on his career and the project of a lifetime:" To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos archidose

The official: And the unofficial: See details on the documentary at imdb .

Rematerial: From Waste to Architecture by Alejandro Bahamón and Maria Camila Sanjinés, published by  W. W. Norton , 2010. Paperback, 340 pages. ( Amazon ) In my neck of the woods (New York City) a lot of attention is being lavished upon MoMA's latest exhibition Small Scale, Big Change and the "eleven architectural projects on five continents that respond to localized needs in underserved communities." A number of the projects utilize local labor, vernacular construction, and common and/or natural materials, but very few (overtly) recycled materials were integrated into the their design and construction. So as I revisited one of Alejandro Bahamón's recent books and I couldn't help think that a number of the case studies would be fitting additions to MoMA's show. These include the Azkoitia Municipal Library in Spain by Estudio Beldarrain (made from wooden railroad ties); Millegomme Cascoland in Cape Town, South Africa by REFUNC.NL (shelters ...

The Northern Gate in Bat Yam, Israel by Team But, Yam The following text is from CDMB architects' profile on german-architects.com for The Northern Gate by Team But, Yam (CDMB Architects, Tal Gur, Matan Israeli, Imad Jubrane, Sami Jubrane, Ziad Jubrane, Haim Kazas and Knockoutdesign), their 1st Prize entry in 72 Hour Urban Action , the "world's first real-time architecture competition." We began this project three days ago without prior knowledge of the site, program and an allocated budget of $2500. We had a design after eight hours of intensive discussions. The frame was erected on site after thirty hours and we managed to finish two hours before our 72-hour deadline. The Northern Gate is a new beacon at the north end of Ort Israel Street. Situated between two Synagogues, a busy street, a parking lot and a potential secret garden, it acts as a catalyst for transition and discovery. The “Northern Gate” is: a Beacon, an Edge, a Screen, a Gate, a House,...

This morning's CBS Sunday Morning featured a piece on Jean Nouvel, specifically discussing his new tower in Chelsea and the proposed MoMA Tower. Unfortunately CBS doesn't supply video for their stories, so only a transcript will do . (Update: Here's a link to the video , thanks to commenter brmveen.) Location shooting was inside the recently completed 100 Eleventh Avenue tower, across the street from Frank Gehry's IAC Building. Among other things he spoke with the reporter about the framed views, something that occurs on the solid walls, not the all-glass south- and west-facing walls composed of tilted panes of various sizes. I'm disappointed they didn't discuss the trees above the entry: [100 Eleventh Avenue by Jean Nouvel | photo by archidose] My favorite Nouvelism from the piece: "I think architecture has to be a gift."