A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

Alison & Peter Smithson: Hexenhaus: A House for a Man and a Cat Edited by A&P Smithson Hexenhaus-Archiv Walther König , November 2021 Paperback | 8-3/4 x 11-1/4 inches | 272 pages | 212 illustrations | English | ISBN: 9783960989325 | $59.95 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : In 1984, German furniture-maker Axel Bruchhäuser reached out to architectural duo Alison (1928–93) and Peter Smithson (1923–2003) with a playful letter ostensibly written by his cat and addressed to theirs. The letter between cats inquired about commissioning the Smithsons to build several lookouts on Bruchhäuser’s home, known locally as the “Hexenhaus” (the “Witches’ House”—a common name in the area where the Brothers Grimm wrote their fairy tales). Started in 1986 and completed in 2001, and located in a dense forest in Hessen, the renovation that the Smithsons undertook constituted an example of what they called “law of the conglomerate.” Step by step, the house was expanded and opened to admit the light as...

Inagawa Cemetery Chapel and Visitor Centre Designed by David Chipperfield Edited by Olivia Lawrence Bright, Chinatsu Kuma, Cecilia Sundström Walther König , November 2021 Hardcover | 7 x 9-3/4 inches | 140 pages | English/Japanese | ISBN: 9783960988908 | $45.00 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION : Nestled in the steep hillside of the Hokusetsu Mountain Range, the Inagawa Cemetery Chapel represents London-based architect David Chipperfield’s (born 1953) latest architectural work realized in Japan. Conceived as a contemporary place for prayer, the chapel and its accompanying visitor center are constructed of pink-tinted concrete and arranged around a central courtyard. With gently sloping edges and little adornment, the building seems to emerge as an extension of the land around it while simultaneously providing a distinct space in which visitors can step away from the outside world. This volume presents the building through the lens of Japanese photographer Keiko Sasaoka’s camera. Over the...

Sun Path House and Other Cosmic Architectures by Christian Wassmann, published by  Koenig Books , 2017. Hardcover, 136 pages. ( Amazon ) A few pages into this case study of Christian Wassmann's Sun Path House  -- a freestanding backyard addition to a house in Miami Beach -- is the architect's sketch of the Great Samrat Yantra in Jaipur, India. Wassmann description of the astronomical observatory makes it clear it had a strong influence on him, both during his education, when he saw photos in a book, and at the beginning of his practice , when he visited it in person. Therefore, the link between the 18th-century sundial in India and Wassmann's aptly named Sun Path House, which is anchored -- literally and figuratively -- by a curved concrete wall that traces the arc of the sun on the summer solstice, is readily apparent. But another earlier project comes to the fore in my mind: Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye. [Spread from Studio Christian Wassmann Studio | Image so...

Atelier Bow-Wow: A Primer edited by Laurent Stalder, Cornelia Escher, Megumi Komura, Meruro Washida, with photographic prints by Lena Amuat, published by  Walther König , 2013. Paperback, 252 pages. ( Amazon ) Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momojo Kajima of Atelier Bow-Wow are in a unique position among architects for being able to bridge the apparently irreconcilable poles of popular culture and high culture. While in regards to the former they may not be as strictly popular as fellow countrymen Tadao Ando and the SANAA duo, they find inspiration in the everyday and have written books on everyday, if idiosyncratic, buildings ( Pet Architecture ); the name Atelier Bow-Wow also exhibits their sense of humor. On the other hand, the duo is very serious about their designs and research, carrying out much of the latter with the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the University of Tsukuba. This serious side of their work comes through in the deeply nuanced definitions that pepper th...