A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

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. Best Highrises 2012/13: The International Highrise Award 2012 edited by Michaela Busenkell and Peter Cachola Schmal, published by Edition Detail, 2012. Paperback, 128 pages. How should a tall building be judged? Is it a matter of height, how much closer it gets us to scraping they sky? Or is it based on the form of a building in terms of aesthetics and performance? If the International Highrise Award 2012 —administered by Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) and DekaBank, both of Frankfurt—is any indication the second takes precedence over the first, but sustainability, public amenities, and usability are paramount. The winning tower at 1 Bligh Street in Sydney, Australia, is shorter than surrounding buildings, but one that stands out for its elliptical form and inviting public spaces on the tall ground floor. Inside is a stunning 30-story atrium...

February is Book Month on A Daily Dose of Architecture. The " 28 in 28 " series features a different book every day of the month. Cycle Space: Architectural and Urban Design in the Age of the Bicycle by Steven Fleming, published by  nai010 Publishers , 2012. Paperback, 176 pages. ( Amazon ) On page 20 of Cycle Space Steven Fleming admits, "By reading this book, you're indulging my bike-centric worldview that says walking is tiresome and boring." It's funny to think that a book promoting bikes in cities would find an issue with walking, rather than setting its sights squarely on the automobile (which it does at times), but this rather humorous comment starts to get at the gist of Fleming's book: The qualities that make biking a desirable thing need to be recognized in order to be considered spatially in an appropriate manner. Fleming discusses the usual reasons to opt for a bike over a car, or even walking—cutting carbon emissions, getting in sha...

Here are some photos of the Zug Schleife Apartments (2012) in Zug, Switzerland, by Valerio Olgiati , photographed by van der Heckhuizen . To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the  archidose pool , and/or :: Tag your photos  archidose

February is Book Month on A Daily Dose of Architecture. The " 28 in 28 " series features a different book every day of the month. Understanding Architecture by Juhani Pallasmaa and Robert McCarter, published by  Phaidon , 2012. Hardcover, 448 pages. ( Amazon ) Readers of this website probably know I'm a big fan of Juhani Pallasmaa 's books. They theorize architecture primarily in terms of how buildings shape embodied experiences. While his writings can be lumped into a phenomenological approach, they defy easy categorization in terms of style and other means. He is for architecture that creates meaning through the prioritization of human experience; he is not for modern architecture, or traditional architecture, or this or that strand in between. That variety can be found in the selection of 72 buildings that make up this architectural primer he wrote with Robert McCarter, an architect, professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and a capable a...

Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas, by Morphosis Architects, 2012 Photographs are by Aaron Dougherty . When looking closely at the buildings of Thom Mayne and Morphosis Architects , it's possible to see simple forms that are then violated through cuts and complicated by the layering of often translucent, metallic skins. A case in point is The Cooper Union's engineering building at 41 Cooper Square , what is basically a rectangular box enlivened by undulating perforated metal panels applied in front of a typical curtain wall; further these panels are sliced to express the atrium within. The new Perot Museum of Nature and Science (yes, that Perot ) in downtown Dallas exhibits this same tendency, but to a greater degree given its cubic mass and textured concrete facade. The museum is located a few blocks south of the Nasher Sculpture Center and the rest of the Dallas Arts District . The east border of the site is defined by the elevated Woodall Rog...

February is Book Month on A Daily Dose of Architecture. The " 28 in 28 " series features a different book every day of the month. From the Ground Up: Innovative Green Homes edited by Peggy Tully, published by  Princeton Architectural Press , 2012. Hardcover, 160 pages. ( Amazon ) In 2008 the Syracuse University School of Architecture held the From the Ground Up design competition, asking participants to "provide a new model for formerly vital, urban residential neighborhoods throughout the United States through the creation of sustainable, affordable housing." Seven finalists were chosen from the more than 50 entries, and three of them were built—the R-House designed by ARO and Della Valle Bernheimer, COOKFOX's Live/Work/Home, and the TED House designed by Onion Flats. This book primarily serves to present the three houses as completed and now occupied, while also sharing the other four finalists, getting input on the process from then dean Mark Robbin...