A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

From the middle of March, when a family emergency put this blog on hiatus , until the middle of July, when a funeral mass was held for my dad, my life was split almost evenly between my home in New York City and my parent's home in Central Florida. The emergency in March was an incident putting my father in the hospital, and it was followed by numerous diagnoses, the need for him to go into assisted living, and eventually him going back into the hospital, where he died — peacefully, with me, my mother, and my sister at his bedside. Back in March I anticipated, even with his diagnoses, to be helping him in various capacities for a few years, not just a few months. They were difficult and taxing months that found me as relieved as saddened when he passed; the obvious pain and frustration he felt are gone, but memories of him remain and in some ways are stronger and more prevalent now than before. Over those three months, I managed to eke out a half-dozen posts on this blog: a roundup...

The Women Who Changed Architecture Edited by Jan Cigliano Hartman Princeton Architectural Press , March 2022 Hardcover | 7-1/2 x 10 inches | 336 pages | English | ISBN: 9781616898717 | $50.00 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : A visual and global chronicle of the triumphs, challenges, and impact of over 100 women in architecture, from early practitioners to contemporary leaders. Marion Mahony Griffin passed the architectural licensure exam in 1898 and created exquisite drawings that buoyed the reputation of Frank Lloyd Wright. Her story is one of the many told in The Women Who Changed Architecture, which sets the record straight on the transformative impact women have made on architecture. With in-depth profiles and stunning images, this is the most comprehensive look at women in architecture around the world, from the nineteenth century to today. Discover contemporary leaders, like MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, spearheading sustainable design initiatives, reimagining cities as equitabl...

Two Hundred and Fifty Things an Architect Should Know by Michael Sorkin Princeton Architectural Press , November 2021 Hardcover | 5 x 7 inches | 144 pages | English | ISBN: 9781648960802 | $19.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : From iconic architect and critic Michael Sorkin comes a joyful celebration of architecture and city-making, told through his famous list, in one beautiful, illustrated book. Equal parts poetic, practical, playful, and wise, Two Hundred and Fifty Things an Architect Should Know presents a compelling and perceptive list of essential knowledge that Michael Sorkin composed during his renowned career as an architect, urbanist, critic, and force for justice and equity in design. In this first posthumous collection of Sorkin's work, entries are paired with 100 poignant and elegant color and black-and-white photographs, illustrations, and archival images. The handsome, foil-stamped cover and timeless design makes this the perfect gift for architects, students of...

The Havana Guide: Modern Architecture, 1925-1965 by Eduardo Luis Rodríguez Princeton Architectural Press , 2000 Paperback | 5-1/2 x 9 inches | 263 pages | English | ISBN: 9781568982106 | $29.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : The first half of the twentieth century was a culturally rich era for Cuba, a time in which the architects of the Modern Movement sought to define an identity for this Caribbean nation. However, within a few years after the revolution of 1959, design ideology became allied with the mass-production aesthetic promoted by the Soviets, and many Cuban architects fled to seek creative and political freedom abroad.  The Havana Guide is the first to recognize the enormous importance of Cuba's modern architecture. It features over 200 structures, including hotels, churches, theaters, social clubs, and private residences. Street maps for all neighborhoods as well as archival and contemporary photographs supplement the texts. Also included is a history of modern archi...

Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin: Architecture and Capitalism in the Twenty-First Century Matthew Soules Princeton Architectural Press , May 2021 Hardcover | 6 x 9 inches | 240 pages | English | ISBN: 9781616899462 | $26.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : The global financial crisis of 2008 revealed the damage done by unchecked housing speculation, yet in the ensuing years, the use of architecture as an investment tool has only accelerated, heightening inequality and contributing to worldwide financial instability. We rarely consider architecture to be an important factor in contemporary economic and political debates, yet sparsely occupied ultra-thin "pencil towers" develop in our cities, functioning as speculative wealth storage for the superrich, and cavernous "iceberg" homes extend architectural assets many stories below street level. Meanwhile, communities around the globe are blighted by zombie and ghost urbanism, marked by unoccupied neighborhoods and...

Aldo Rossi: Drawings and Paintings Morris Adjmi, Giovanni Bertolotto (Editors) Princeton Architectural Press , 1993 Paperback | 9 x 12 inches | 224 pages | 203 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-1878271501 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Aldo Rossi is admired as much for his artistic ability as for his architectural design skill. His drawings, paintings, and renderings have been exhibited in museums and galleries from New York to Moscow, and formed the basis of a 1991 retrospective at the Pompidou Center in Paris. This elegant book collects over 200 color reproductions and 200 black and white reproductions of his drawings and paintings together in a companion volume to Aldo Rossi: Architecture 1981-1991 . An introduction by the editors explores the themes common to Rossi's architectural and drawn oeuvre, and an essay by critic and art historian Carter Ratcliff situates Rossi's graphic work in the context of contemporary art. REFERRAL LINKS :   dDAB COMMENTARY : Reviewing ...

Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bauhaus:  Profiles in Architecture and Design Janet Abrams Princeton Architectural Press , October 2020 Paperback | 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches | 320 pages | 12 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-1616899516 | $27.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bauhaus collects the unparalleled writings of legendary British wordsmith Janet Abrams for the first time. From pivotal figures in international modernism to the pioneers of digital media, Abrams explores the ideas, theories, and emotions that fueled their work. The book's twenty-six profiles—written in Abrams's signature, personal, often hilarious style—include Reyner Banham, Berthold Lubetkin, Philip Johnson, Paul Rand, Phyllis Lambert, Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, Muriel Cooper, April Greiman, and Michael Bloomberg. It brings together essays that originally appeared in publications on both sides of the Atlantic, in Blueprint , I.D. magazine, The Independent , and in books and catal...