A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

The Architectural Models of Theodore Conrad:  The "Miniature Boom" of Mid-Century Modernism by Teresa Fankhänel Bloomsbury Visual Arts , July 2021 Paperback | 7 x 9 inches | 224 pages | 150 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9781350152830 | $37.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Based on the recent discovery of his fully-preserved private archive-models, photos, letters, business files, and drawings-this book tells the story of Theodore Conrad (1910-1994), the most prominent and prolific architectural model-maker of the 20th century. Conrad's innovative models were instrumental in the design and realization of many icons of American Modernism-from the Rockefeller Center to Lever House and the Seagram Building. He revolutionized the production of architectural models and became a model-making entrepreneur in his own right. Yet, despite his success and the well-known buildings he helped to create, until now little has been known about Conrad's work and his impact on 20th...

Mediated Messages: Periodicals, Exhibitions and the Shaping of Postmodern Architecture Edited by Véronique Patteeuw and Léa-Catherine Szacka Bloomsbury Visual Arts , June 2018 Hardcover | 6 x 9 inches | 280 pages | 38 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9781350170032 | $39.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Mediated Messages presents a collection of original writing exploring the role played by the media in the development of postmodern architecture in the 1970s and 80s. The book's twelve chapters and case-studies examine a range of contemporary periodicals and exhibitions to explore their role in the postmodern. This focus on mediation as a key feature of architectural post-modernism, and the recognition that post-modernism grew out of developments in the media, opens up the possibility of an important new account of post-modernism distinct from existing narratives. Accompanied by a contextualizing introduction, the essays are arranged across four thematic sections (covering: image...

Boredom, Architecture, and Spatial Experience by Christian Parreno Bloomsbury Visual Arts , February 2021 Hardcover | 6-1/2 x 9-1/2 inches | 272 pages | 20 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9781350148130 | $115.00 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Boredom is a ubiquitous feature of modern life. Endured by everyone, it is a by-product of modernity, and of situations, spaces and surroundings. As such, this book argues, boredom shares an intimate relationship with modern architecture – one that has been little-explored in architectural history and theory. Boredom, Architecture and Spatial Experience explores that relationship, showing how an understanding of boredom affords us a new way of looking at and understanding the modern architectural experience. It reconstructs a series of episodes in architectural history from the nineteenth century to the present, to explore how boredom became a normalized component of modernity, how it infiltrated into the production and reception of modern arc...

Hip-Hop Architecture Sekou Cooke Bloomsbury Visual Arts , April 2021 Paperback | 7-1/2 x 9-3/4 inches | 288 pages | 120 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9781350116146 | $34.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : “This book is not for you. It is not for architectural academic elites. It is not for those who have gentrified our neighborhoods, overly intellectualized the profession, and ignored all contemporary Black theory within the discipline. You have made architecture a symbol of exclusion, oppression, and domination rather than expression, aspiration, and inspiration. This book is not for conformists-Black, White, or other.” As architecture grapples with its own racist legacy, Hip-Hop Architecture outlines a powerful new manifesto-the voice of the underrepresented, marginalized, and voiceless within the discipline. Exploring the production of spaces, buildings, and urban environments that embody the creative energies in hip-hop, it is a newly expanding design philosophy which sees arc...

Assembling the Architect: The History and Theory of Professional Practice George Barnett Johnston Bloomsbury Visual Arts , January 2020 Paperback | 6-1/4 x 9 inches | 296 pages | 74 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-1350126862 | $34.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Assembling the Architect explores the origins and history of architectural practice. It unravels the competing interests that historically have structured the field and cultivates a deeper understanding of the contemporary profession. Focusing on the period 1870 to 1920 when the foundations were being laid for the U.S. architectural profession that we recognize today, this study traces the formation and standardization of the fundamental relationships among architects, owners, and builders, as codified in the American Institute of Architects’ very first Handbook of Architectural Practice. It reveals how these archetypal roles have always been fluid, each successfully redefining their own agency with respect to the o...

Sir Banister Fletcher's Global History of Architecture Murray Fraser (General Editor) with Catherine Gregg (Managing Editor) Bloomsbury Visual Arts , December 2019 Two-volume hardcover w/slipcase | 8 x 10 inches | 2,540 pages | 2,200 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-1472589989 | $472.00 Publisher's Description : Sir Banister Fletcher's Global History of Architecture is the acknowledged classic reference work for architectural history. It has been essential reading for generations of architects and students since the first edition was published in 1896 – and this tradition continues today as the new 21st edition provides the most up-to-date, authoritative and detailed account of the global history of architecture available in any form. Thousands of major buildings from around the world are described and explained, accompanied by over 2,200 photographs, plans, and drawings. Architectural styles and traditions are placed within a clear framework, and the chrono...