A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

At the end of last year I posted a bunch of holiday gift books found at the then-new site New Metaphor Books , which specializes in rare art and design books. Recently I combed through their Architecture section to highlight ten more rare books that some of my readers might desire. Architektur der Dogon: Traditioneller Lehmbau und Kunst in Mali Although the text is only in German, this book has some great drawings and photos on the traditional Dogon dwellings in Mali. Atlas of Shrinking Cities Literally the size of an atlas, this book illustrates beautifully data on forty cities around the world that are shrinking even as more and more people migrate to urban areas. Ben van Berkel: Mobile Forces/Mobile Kräfte The first monograph on the work of Ben van Berkel – "less a conventional architectural monograph than a theoretical statement about finding novel forms for architecture outside of the profession." Circumventions Artist Michael Rakowitz is the author of ...

Last week I reviewed a bunch of recent issues of Boundaries , the magazine by Luca Sampo that is focused on socially committed, humanitarian architecture. Here, I just wanted to give a shoutout to his attempt to create a book, Architects Building Peace , which would feature "projects, stories and research on building peace through socially committed architecture, in a way that will inspire you!" Like a lot of people, Sampo is using Kickstarter to help fund his project. Take a look and then head over to his Kickstarter page if you're interested in donating.

Here are some of my photos of Yayoi Kusama 's Dots Obsession - Alive, Seeking for Eternal Hope installation on display until September 26 at the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. See also my write-up of the installation at World-Architects. To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the  archidose pool To contribute your Instagram images for consideration, just: :: Tag your photos  #archidose

When I saw this spot for Vistaprint business cards recently, immediately I was surprised that the company selected an architect as a professional to sell the service. After all, what architect – after a moment of inspiration involving water spilled from a plastic cup, no less – would rightfully select a readymade style and customize it rather than designing it herself? I've worked for a few architects in my day and all of them designed their own business cards. It's what architects do . Vistaprint says, "You have a vision. We have your card." Sorry, Vistaprint, but the architect portrayed in your ad has no vision – the fake firm's logo even has a compass in it!

Here are a few photos of the Velodrome and Olympic Swimming Pool (1999) in Berlin, Germany, by Dominique Perrault Architecture . (Photos:  Tatsuya Krause ) I wrote about this pair of buildings on my weekly page way back in 2000 . In November, when the World Architecture Festival takes place in Berlin, I'll finally be able to see the project in person. So expect some of my own photos of the velodrome and pool later in the year. To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the  archidose pool To contribute your Instagram images for consideration, just: :: Tag your photos  #archidose

I've reviewed Boundaries , the Italian-English magazine edited by Luca Sampo, a number of times on this blog. The last time was in April 2015 , more than one year ago, so now seems like a good time to highlight the most recent issues. Below are descriptions and highlights from the last six issues, which show some thematic strands: building small and "rebuilding the future." Boundaries 12: Compact Living Those familiar with Boundaries  know that the projects and stories typically are found in parts of Africa, Asia, and other corners of the world not represented so well in the mainstream architectural press. Further, the projects tend to be for groups of people that are not the traditional clients of architects: issue 10 focused on "Architecture for Emergencies," for example. That said, Compact Living's theme and selection is the closest I've seen the magazine veer to the mainstream, with primarily middle- and upper-class dwellings primarily in Europe...

Here are some photos of the Kagawa Prefectural Government Office (1958) in Kagawa, Japan, by Kenzo Tange. (Photos: Tatsuya Krause ) To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just: :: Join and add photos to the  archidose pool To contribute your Instagram images for consideration, just: :: Tag your photos  #archidose