A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

The Architecture of Suspense: The Built World in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock by Christine Madrid French University of Virginia Press , September 2022 Paperback (also available in hardcover and ebook) | 6-3/4 x 7-3/4 inches | 274 pages | 66 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9780813947679 | $29.50 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : The inimitable, haunting films of Alfred Hitchcock took place in settings, both exterior and interior, that deeply impacted our experiences of his most unforgettable works. From the enclosed spaces of Rope and Rear Window to the wide-open expanses of North by Northwest , the physical worlds inhabited by desperate characters are a crucial element in our perception of the Hitchcockian universe. As Christine Madrid French reveals in this original and indispensable book, Hitchcock’s relation to the built world was informed by an intense engagement with location and architectural form—in an era marked by modernism’s advance—fueled by some of the most creative midc...

American Modern Home: Jacobsen Architecture + Interiors by Simon Jacobsen Rizzoli , October 2022 Hardcover | 11 x 11 inches | 224 pages | English | ISBN: 9780847872053 | $75 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Hugh Newell Jacobsen, the legendary architect and late co-founder with his son, Simon, of Jacobsen Architecture, once said “the best house is polite to her neighbors and never shouts.” This statement is a key to the philosophy of the firm, whose houses are suffused with a kind of quiet sophistication that mingle elegant, subtle modernism, with respect for local vernacular traditions. Low-key on the outside, on the inside these houses offer dancing symphonies in white. Unmarked by moldings, walls and ceilings express simple volumetric forms composed of solid planes and voids, while, upon floors of burnished wood or travertine, furniture, much of it designed by the firm, allows for serene repose and practical, unfussy use. Featured here are exemplars of the firm, from Harbor Hill — a ...

Adjaye: Works 2007-2015: Houses, Pavilions, Installations, Buildings Edited by Peter Allison Thames & Hudson , October 2022 Hardcover | 10-1/2 x 10-1/2 inches | 300 pages | 500 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9780500343807 | $90 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Following Adjaye: Works 1995-2007, this second volume looks back on the impressive portfolio of work created by architect David Adjaye between 2007 and 2015. During the years covered in this book, the acclaimed architect embraced expansive projects, taking him outside Europe to work on major ventures, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver and the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo. Designing buildings around the world, including two projects connected with the post-Katrina reconstruction program in New Orleans, Adjaye carefully tailored his approach to each place, sensitive to the important role architecture plays in affirming a sense of community and identity. Adjaye: Works 2007-2015 brings together these recen...

Olmsted Trees Photographs by Stanley Greenberg, with contributions by Tom Avermaete, Kevin Baker, Mindy Thompson Fullilove Hirmer Publishers , August 2022 Hardcover | 9 x 11 inches | 160 pages | 100 illustrations | German/English | ISBN: 9783777438573 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Central Park in New York, the Emerald Necklace in Boston, park systems in Chicago, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Rochester and Louisville – trees have been essential elements of all of Olmsted’s park designs. New York-based photographer Stanley Greenberg pays tribute to them with his portrait series of these beautiful and dignified giants. Three essays by renowned experts on history, sociology and landscape architecture complement the narrative and present an interdisciplinary vision on Olmsted’s achievement. Stanley Greenberg’s work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and has published several books of photography. REFERRAL LINKS :   ...

Aalto in Detail: A Catalogue of Components by Céline Dietzkier and Lukas Gruntz Birkhäuser , July 2022 Hardcover | 6 x 8 inches | 464 pages | 400 illustrations | English (translated from the German original ) | ISBN: 9783035623321 | €32 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : This carefully curated catalog celebrates the rich detail in the work of Aino, Elissa, and Alvar Aalto. Every support, railing, and handle is the result of intensive formal and functional research. The authors document 50 Aalto buildings – some well-known and others less so – and arrange their photographs by component into 20 chapters. The result is a rich photographic record that will serve as a source of inspiration for every architect. REFERRAL LINKS :       REVIEW : Having yet to visit Finland, and having spent my one day in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the campus of Harvard rather than MIT, I've yet to see an Alvar Aalto building in person. The Baker House dormitory at MIT is the easiest way for someo...