A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

Make Sense: Architecture by White White Arkitekter Laurence King Publishing , May 2019 Hardcover | 7-3/4 x 9-3/4 inches | 272 pages | 3670 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-1786274144 | $29.99 Publisher Description : White Arkitekter, Scandinavia’s leading interdisciplinary architecture practice, create environments that inspire sustainable ways of living. An employee-owned company founded by Sidney White in 1951, White is a collective of people interested in people. They are architects, anthropologists, planners, engineers, artists, sustainability experts, researchers and more. In their new book, White showcase over 80 international projects. By integrating research and practice, their work pushes levels of sustainability even higher – it ‘makes sense’ in every way. Their projects range from residential apartments to trekking cabins, from schools to offices, from pop-up parks to nature reserves, and from hospitals to an entire city relocation. To build takes many hands a...

Hassan Fathy: Earth & Utopia Salma Samar Damluji, Viola Bertini Laurence King Publishing , October 2018 Hardcover | 10-1/2 x 13-1/4 inches | 368 pages | 450 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-1786272614 | $85.00 Publisher Description : Hassan Fathy is Egypt’s best-known 20th-century architect. He embraced traditional, vernacular forms, techniques and materials and throughout his career promoted their use as part of a campaign to improve the conditions of Egypt’s rural poor. Earth & Utopia chronicles this lifelong commitment through personal interviews conducted by the author, photographs and drawings from the Hassan Fathy archives, and Fathy’s own writings on the subject, many of which are published for the first time. This book will be essential reading for students, academics and general readers interested in Fathy, and the development of Arab and vernacular architecture, earth construction, architecture for the poor and sustainability. dDAB Commentary : Ha...

Borderwall as Architecture: A Manifesto for the U.S.-Mexico Boundary by Ronald Rael, published by  University of California Press , 2017. Flexicover, 200 pages. ( Amazon ) Networks of New York: An Illustrated Field Guide to Urban Internet Infrastructure by Ingrid Burrington, published by Melville House, 2016. Flexicover, 112 pages. ( Amazon ) What's So Great About the Eiffel Tower? 70 Questions That Will Change the Way You Think About Architecture  by Jonathan Glancey, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2017. Flexicover, 176 pages. ( Amazon ) Recently I received a few books on a diversity of subjects that share one trait: they are small. Of course, small page size does not mean the ideas inside aren't grand. Even though their topics don't overlap in any obvious manner, I decided to review them together. [Border Wall as Infrastructure, Rael San Fratello Architects] The output of architect and educator Ronald Rael is varie...

100 Years of Architecture by Alan Powers, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2016. Hardcover, 304 pages. ( Amazon ) [All images courtesy of Laurence King] About halfway through writing my just-released book,  100 Years, 100 Buildings , my editor at Prestel sent me a PDF of Alan Powers' 100 Years of Architecture , then in progress but at a more advanced stage. Even before opening the file to skim it, the relevance to my book was obvious, and I knew there would be plenty of overlap in the projects each of us selected as significant in the last hundred years. Finally receiving a print version of the book about a month ago, I couldn't help focusing on the differences, on of which was readily apparent at first glance: the cover photo is the Philips Pavilion at Expo 58 in Brussels, a pavilion designed by Le Corbusier and Iannis Xenakis that was, like most Expo projects, torn down. While my book limits itself to projects that people can visit, the cover photo indic...

Architecture Visionaries by Richard Weston, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2015. Paperback, 312 pages. ( Amazon ) Why on Earth Would Anyone Build That: Modern Architecture Explained by John Zukowsky, published by  Prestel , 2015. Paperback, 224 pages. ( Amazon ) As much as I spend my time reading books by and for architects, I have a soft spot for books that attempt to bring the subject to a broader, general audience. These two recent books, both by respected authors (Weston has written books on Aalto and Utzon, among others, and Zukowsky is a former curator of architecture at the Art Institute of Chicago), fall into that category and I review them here accordingly. Architecture Visionaries portrays 75 of the most well-known and influential architects of the last century and a half. They are arranged chronologically by date of birth, from Antoni Gaudí (b. 1852) to Shigeru Ban (b. 1957). Each "visionary" is given four pages – no more, no less – wi...

Architectural Styles: A Visual Guide by Owen Hopkins, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2014. Paperback, 240 pages. ( Amazon ) In the introduction to his visual guide to architectural styles, Owen Hopkins lets the reader know that architectural "style" is a 19th century creation, something that enabled architectural historians to chart developments in the appearances of buildings over time. But 220 pages later, in the book's postscript, he asks, "In the face of ever-increasing architectural variety...what possibilities are there for 'style'?" In both instances, Hopkins appears to be arguing against the validity of architectural style and the need for a book documenting one. Yet alas, he has written a book on such a topic, and with its focus on the visual, the book is a good introduction for students of architecture and laypeople with an interest in architecture, and a handy reference for architects who have forgotten what they learned in thei...

Architectural Drawing by David Dernie, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2014 (second edition). Paperback, 208 pages. ( Amazon ) In addition to the author's own drawings, the first 30 pages of David Dernie's inspirational and practical guide to architectural drawing features a watercolor by Steven Holl, a computer rendering by Zaha Hadid Architects, one of Coop Himmelb(l)au's closed-eye sketches, a Lebbeus Woods hand rendering, and a photomontage by Eric Owen Moss, among others. The variety evident in these pages, which encompass the introduction and part of the first chapter, Lines, prepares the reader for the rest of the book, which does not elevate one form of drawing over another (hand drawing over computer rendering, for example). Instead, Dernie embraces the multitude of techniques today to "explore the fluidity and continuity of drawing as a creative process of 'materializing thoughts'." The second edition of Architectural Drawing , ...

February is Book Month on A Daily Dose of Architecture. The " 28 in 28 " series features a different book every day of the month. Detail in Contemporary Concrete Architecture by David Phillips and Megumi Yamashita, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2012. Hardcover, 224 pages. ( Amazon ) Previously I've reviewed a couple of Laurence King's Detail in Contemporary ... series, both by Virginia McLeod: ... Residential Architecture and ... Glass Architecture . Those books varied from each other in terms of what they emphasized, but also in how they were presented; the former grouped details of the 100 houses into chapters (walls, floors, roofs, etc.), while the latter presented each project with its details, one after the other. I can see the value in both approaches, but just like a set of working drawings, as long as cross-referencing is considered the titles will work; they will have value in educating architects and students about details, and allowing t...

February is Book Month on A Daily Dose of Architecture. The " 28 in 28 " series features a different book every day of the month. Key Buildings from Prehistory to the Present: Plans, Sections and Elevations by Andrew Ballantyne, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2012. Hardcover, 320 pages. ( Amazon ) The first "key building" in Andrew Ballantyne's survey from prehistory to present—in a chapter on "culture-defining moments"—is not a building at all. It is Uluru, familiarly known as Ayers Rock, a landform in Australia's Northern Territory. What follows this first entry is a fairly typical list of buildings—if more international than most architectural histories—most of them from before the Industrial Revolution. So Uluru, and to a lesser degree the rest of the first chapter, seems primed to provoke. What makes a natural feature a building? Is architecture more than the shelters humans create for themselves? Is there value in a plan, se...

Architecture: From Commission to Construction by Jennifer Hudson, published by  Laurence King Publishers , 2012. Paperback, 240 pages. ( Amazon ) Books that collect works of contemporary architecture tend to present them in some fairly typical ways, particularly by building typology (houses, museums, public space, etc.) and as finished projects with highly polished photography. The former trait allows architects to examine precedents when pursuing a particular project, and the latter paints a building in as positive light as possible, for both other architects and potential clients. But what about the process of a project? Isn't that as important as the "final" building? Of course it is, given that the building is the result of successive steps, from concept design to construction documents to the actual construction, and all the steps in between. So it's refreshing to see Jennifer Hudson's survey of 25 buildings, of varying typologies, that trace...

100 Ideas that Changed Architecture by Richard Weston, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2011. Paperback, 216 pages. ( Amazon ) Laurence King Publishing's 100 Ideas series has to date covered fashion and architecture, with soon-to-be-released titles tackling film and graphic design. It is a simple format: chronicle the most important influences on an art/design field with one idea per spread, 100 total. I'm surprised it hasn't been done before (I don't think it has). It serves to reflectively look at the state of contemporary architecture, in the case of Richard Weston's contribution to the series, and straddles the line between history and theory by tracing architecture in a roughly chronological order and by focusing on the ideas that have shaped it. Yet the book is more history than theory because, as the author asserts in his introduction, an "architectural idea" is not necessarily one that is philosophical or theoretical, since all creatio...

Detail in Contemporary Glass Architecture by Virginia McLeod, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2011. Hardcover, 224 pages. ( Amazon ) Virginia McLeod continues her series of Detail in Contemporary... books (previously I reviewed ...Residential Architecture ) with a collection of 50 buildings that use glass in innovative ways. Structured into chapters by building type, the projects include the obvious -- SANAA's Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art, Steven Holl's Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art addition -- but also the idiosyncratic -- Cecil Balmond's Coimbra Footbridge , Carpenter Lowing Architecture's Chapel for the Salvation Army . Overall the selection is a good one, veering towards the big names but clearly illustrating the varied ways glass can be used today. Each project is presented across four pages: The first page includes descriptive text and photos; the second page features plans and sections; the third and fourth pages are reserved...

The Embodied Image: Imagination and Imagery in Architecture by Juhani Pallasmaa, published by  Wiley , 2011. Hardcover or paperback, 152 pages. ( Amazon ) Thinking About Architecture: An Introduction to Architectural Theory by Colin Davies, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2011. Paperback, 160 pages. ( Amazon ) The Embodied Image is Finnish architect, educator, and writer Juhani Pallasmaa 's third and final installment in his "study on the role of the senses, embodiment and imagination in architectural and artistic perception, thought and making."  It follows The Eyes of the Skin and The Thinking Hand , both also highly recommended titles. Those familiar with these and other titles by Pallasmaa will find Pallasmaa treading familiar ground: valuing architectural experience over intellectual conceit; seeing image as metaphor for structuring our lives over the aestheticizing of fetish forms and objects; and embracing art and architecture a...

Architectural Modelmaking by Nick Dunn, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2010. Paperback, 192 pages. ( Amazon ) Model Making by Megan Werner, published by  Princeton Architectural Press , 2011. Paperback, 160 pages. ( Amazon ) OASE #84: Models edited by Job Floris, Anne Holtrop, Hans Teerds; and Krijn de Koning, Bas Princen (guest editors); published by  NAi Publishers , 2011. Paperback, 152 pages. ( Amazon ) Even as computer modeling and rendering grows in sophistication and usage in architectural schools and practice, models are still an important part of the design process and for presentations with clients and the public. Regarding the latter, it's been my experience that no matter how much time is spent on highly polished renderings for a meeting, the client will always gravitate towards the model, no matter how crude in comparison. Models have a tangibility that other presentation methods do not have; their multiple vantage points e...

Greening Modernism: Preservation, Sustainability, and the Modern Movement by Carl Stein, published by  W. W. Norton , 2010. Hardcover, 296 pages. ( Amazon ) Towards Zero-Energy Architecture: New Solar Design by Mary Guzowski, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2010. Hardcover, 208 pages. ( Amazon ) With the buzzwords "energy" and "sustainability" dominating any discussion on the present and the future, how these rarely defined terms are dealt with in books on architecture is increasingly important. All too often considerations of energy and sustainability in architecture are subject to "greenwashing" or a dose of hyperbole, such that buildings that do little beyond the minimum are embraced as models for our sustainable future. At a time when many believe action is needed more than thought, the opposite may be the case, so that movement forward can be theoretically grounded to best deal with dwindling resources, climate change, and t...

Houses: Modern Natural/Natural Modern by Ron Broadhurst, published by  Rizzoli , 2010. Hardcover, 300 pages. ( Amazon ) The New Modern House: Redefining Functionalism by Jonathan Bell and Ellie Stathaki, published by  Laurence King Publishing , 2010. Hardcover, 240 pages. ( Amazon ) These two collections of contemporary residential architecture attempt to find unique strands within the well documented typology. One book looks at houses with strong ties to nature, and the other book finds houses that place function over aesthetics. How well does each argue and present its case? Modern Natural starts with a foreword by MoMA curator Barry Bergdoll, who uses Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe as the Modern masters most diametrically opposed in their views of nature. Broadhurst's subsequent introduction points to a preference for Mies's framing of and existential relationship to nature, but th...