A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

1 Finsbury Avenue: Innovative Office Architecture from Arup to AHMM Kenneth Powell Lund Humphries , March 2020 Hardcover | 10 x 10-3/4 inches | 128 pages | 150 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-1848223721 | $79.99 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Completed in 1984 by Arup Associates 1 Finsbury Avenue (1FA), the first section of the Broadgate masterplan, was widely acclaimed at the time and has since been listed as a Grade II building by Historic England. It was commonly acknowledged as having set the exemplar for future commercial architecture in the UK, introducing major innovations in construction methods and materials from the US and adopting a whole new approach to the design and planning of an office block. 1FA has recently undergone a prestigious mixed-use restoration by British Land, in liaison with Historic England, designed by award-winning architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. While retaining the distinctive listed facade and reintroducing the original plan's full-...

Open(ing) Spaces: Design as Landscape Architecture Hans Loidl, Stefan Bernard Birkhäuser , 2003 Hardcover | 9 x 9 inches | 192 pages | 300 illustrations | English (translated from German by Michael Robinson) | ISBN: 978-3038214878 | $22.99 (2014 reprint) PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : “What does the landscape architect actually do as a design?” The authors investigate this seemingly simple question. What resources are available for designing open spaces? What part is played by conditions deriving from nature? How are locations and spaces created in the open air, how are paths routed and boundaries set, how are hard and soft materials used? Drawing on practical and theoretical experience, this introduction, often used as a textbook, reveals the central components of design and the intellectual paths followed in the design process. “The book is not so much for reading but for doing. It plays with shapes, imagining how people feel in these shapes and seeing how shapes create a differen...

Snowbound:  Dwelling in Winter William Morgan Princeton Architectural Press , October 2020 Hardcover | 8 x 10 inches | 224 pages | 100 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-1616898670 | $50.00 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : From the ski slopes of Utah to the frigid tundra of northwestern Russia, Snowbound celebrates contemporary design in cold climates with a focus on sustainability. Tailor-made for architects, designers, snowbirds, and aspiring second-home owners, this tour of twenty dwellings is equal parts escapist photo essay and practical sourcebook, with immersive photography, architectural plans, and location, climate, and building-systems data. Architectural historian William Morgan documents winter dwellings and trekker cabins from high-profile firms like MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple and rising stars like Scott & Scott. Readers are transported to beautiful, pristine, and, in some cases, remote locations in the snowier regions of the world. William Morgan is a Providence RI-b...

Impact: The Effect of Climate Change on Coastlines Alex MacLean Birkhäuser , August 2020 Hardcover | 9 x 13 inches | 336 pages | 200 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-3035621785 | $68.99 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : The rise in sea level is a visible and remorseless indicator of global warming, the consequences of which can be experienced worldwide – in contrast to other effects of climate change that are not yet noticeable at a larger scale. The book illustrates, in an impressive way, the ecological, commercial, and social impact associated with the rise in sea levels, taking the examples of the American East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico: the author has documented this region from his Cessna between 2005 and 2018 using large-format aerial photography. The pictures illustrate the different conditions of the areas documented at different times of the year, before and after major weather events, and thereby provide evidence of how dramatically the geography and landscape are alte...

Landscape for Architects: Landscape, Park, Building, Qualities, Use Gabriele G. Kiefer, Anika Neubauer Birkhäuser , August 2020 Paperback (5 volumes) | 4-1/4 x 6 inches | 1,072 pages | 500 illustrations | English, German, Spanish | ISBN: 978-3035616767 | $57.99 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Designing landscapes requires a holistic approach. It also requires extensive specialist knowledge. In courses and manuals the generalist or in-depth levels are frequently under-represented, or the attempted comprehensive view becomes too complex. Landscape for Architects now offers a fundamental reference work which is as comprehensive as it is practical and as holistic as it is detailed. Created in cooperation with the Architecture Department of Braunschweig Technical University, Landscape for Architects addresses the aspects of landscape architecture: "questions" are raised with abstract schematic drawings, and possible "answers" are illustrated with analytical drawings o...

Steven Holl:  Inspiration and Process in Architecture Steven Holl Princeton Architectural Press , October 2020 Hardcover | 5 x 8-1/4 inches | 144 pages | 100 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-1616898977 | $24.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Internationally recognized for his ability to blend space and light with great contextual sensitivity, architect Steven Holl achieves his award-winning designs by beginning each commission with a small watercolor exploring light, color, and form. Paintings help Holl create a concept-driven design that showcases the unique qualities of each project. This collection of watercolors, which are works of art themselves, includes his most recent projects, from the JFK Center for the Performing Arts expansion and Hunters Point Public Library to University College Dublin. Steven Holl established Steven Holl Architects in New York City in 1977. Considered one of the most influential practitioners of his generation, Holl received the Cooper Hewitt, Sm...