Art of the Cameroon Grasslands unveils the artistic creativity of a region of West Africa through the Weis Collection. With texts by Peter Weis and Bettina von Lintig, and a contribution by Michael Oehrl, the book is a comprehensive overview of Grasslands Art.

In contrast to many other African regions, the works of the artists of the ethnic groups that live in the Grasslands are characterized by enormous diversity, dynamism, movement, asymmetry, power, and even unbridled wildness. Other works radiate tranquillity, offering the viewer uncommon visual pleasure and delight. For centuries, kingdoms and rulers in this region competed to create new works of art or perfect inherited styles. These works served cultural, profane, and representational purposes, and they reflected the social and ruling structures of the Grasslands—aspects that the book’s essays and descriptions go into in detail.

A broad spectrum of objects and their uses are reflected in the Weis Collection. It includes everyday objects, works of folk art, ritual, and cult objects such as magic or commemorative figures, masks, posts, palace doors, representational objects, musical instruments, tobacco pipes, and drinking horns.

The introduction presents important aspects of the cultural and artistic development of each object’s region of origin, also in the context of European colonization. All are illustrated with numerous field photographs. This is followed by an essay on beaded artworks from the Grasslands, a subject that has been little researched to date. As the Grasslands are embedded in a larger cultural area, objects in the collection from neighboring ethnic groups are also presented, in many cases shedding light on centuries-old connections and artistic exchanges.

Curator Marc Donnadieu turns his critical gaze on Tornabuoni Art gallery’s post-war masterpieces and proposes a project based around the notion of creative destruction; a way of making that led to a total renewal of art in the aftermath of the Second World War. The exhibition is articulated around a simple alphabet, where 25 works by 22 Italian and international artists are assembled in a trilingual alphabet, with each letter introducing an artist and a disruptive action to which he or she has subjected the artwork: Enrico Baj “attacks” and Alberto Burri “burns”, while Arman “vandalizes” and Tancredi “zigzags”. This list, which is by no means exhaustive, is merely the starting point for an infinite repertoire of iconoclastic artists and verbs.

The curator also pays homage to one of Tornabuoni Art’s most beloved artists: Alighiero Boetti, whose apparently playful works allow us to confront deep philosophical issues. Opening 30 years to the day since the artist’s death, An alphabet of order and disorder looks outwards to the world and to a new generation confronted with its uncertainties.

Text in English and French.

This delightful manuscript, published in facsimile, was composed around 1585 by a clergyman in a bid for the patronage of an Elizabethan magnate, Sir John Petre. Modeled on printed writing books, German and French, it presents a profusion of scripts, accompanying decorated capital letters from A to Z. Its texts are eloquent on the value of learning. All is transcribed in print and, when needed, translated, including poems in English and Latin in which Amos Lewis, the creator, presses his case, reinforced by colorful Petre heraldry. The commentary unravels the Alphabet Book’s precursors and analyzes its ingredients, including a lively range of ornament. The first writing book published in London, in 1570, was by a Frenchman, Jean de Beau Chesne. Lewis’s manuscript is the first attempt at an original writing book by an Englishman. This signal rarity, virtually unknown hitherto, is a window into handwriting and education in the age of Shakespeare.

Architecture has the power to condense within itself many different desires that make the built space an organism that lives and changes with us over time, influencing our lives and visions of the world, as well as the lives of the communities that will see it, pass through it and inhabit it in different ways each time.

Traveling and dialoguing with such different and particular clients, between Asia and Europe, not only offers the public a different and unsettling view of Archea’s work, but above all, it allows a correct reading of the degrees of complexity that every architectural practice today has to face when moving around the world, on scales and images and places. The words of the clients play, with the world of the Archea studio – one of the Italian studios with more branches and offices in the world than any other, with its working methodology, with its protagonists, with the obsessions that have become identity elements indicative of the maturity of the Florentine studio, founded by Marco Casamonti, Giovanni Polazzi and Laura Andreini, who were joined by Silvia Fabi in 2001, when Archea Associati was born.

Exhibition at La Galerie d’Architecture from 8 November to 7 December 2024. Opening on 7 November in the presence of the architects from Archea Associati / Marco Casamonti & Partners.

For Belgian architect Jef Van Oevelen (b. 1955) architecture is more than merely solving a technical puzzle or playing with volumes. Architecture is about materializing goals and values within a historical, sociological, political and economic reality. His internship and co-operation with the legendary Antwerp avant-garde architect Georges Baines was pivotal in the development of this vision and philosophy. Only by contextualizing architecture correctly and by respecting materials, people, possibilities and boundaries one can achieve authenticity and sincerity.

From these principles, he has been working since 1987. Next to designing smaller projects and renovating private houses, participation in various competitions also made him familiar with large-scale projects. Something that has already resulted in contracts for schools, office buildings, libraries, cultural institutions and above all many public and social housing projects.

Text in English and Dutch.

This beautifully illustrated book showcases the Hindu and Jain temples of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka built prior to the invasion of peninsular India by the Delhi sultans at the end of the 13th century. Unlike temples in many other parts of India, those of the Deccan are well preserved, with their wealth of figural and decorative carvings miraculously intact. They demonstrate the development of Indian sacred architecture and art over a span of more than 600 years.

Focusing on some 50 historical sites, the Temples of Deccan India begins with artificially excavated “cave” shrines dedicated to various Hindu deities, before proceeding on to examine free-standing Hindu and Jain monuments sponsored by successive rulers of the Deccan. Attention is paid to the beautiful sculptures found on temple basements, walls, brackets and ceilings. Carved in crisp relief, and sometimes even in three dimensions, these carvings are among the greatest glories of Indian stone art. 

Among the featured highlights are the cave temple on the island of Elephanta, with its stupendous representation of three-headed Sadashiva; the colossal, monolithic Kailasa temple at Ellora, a technical feat unsurpassed in the entire history of Indian architecture; the magnificent columned pavilion at Hanamkonda, now currently being reconstructed; and the temple at Belur, with its exquisitely carved female figural brackets. Specially commissioned plans of temple layouts accompany 300+ photographs. and clarify the succession of dynasties that governed the Deccan during the centuries covered here. Maps locate the temple sites, while passages of text illuminate the succession of dynasties that governed the Deccan from the 7th to 13th centuries. Educational, accessible and beautifully illustrated, this book will be of interest to anyone fascinated by Indian architecture.

a+u’s July issue showcases post-digitality in architecture. Recent years have seen significant changes in architectural practice, driven by the evolving zeitgeist of the 2010s and beyond, where digital technology is widespread and commonplace – a condition referred to as “post-digital.” Technological and ecological disruptions are forcing architects to adapt and restrategize. This issue presents architectural research and education institutions where such explorations are being actively pursued: Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles, the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London, and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich. These institutions are at the forefront of incorporating cutting-edge technology into their curricula and research projects, creating environments that foster new ideas to apply in the real world. This issue examines the advanced research and educational programs offered by these institutions, introducing pioneering projects by architects and spin-off companies that push the boundaries in their respective fields. Through this lens, we explore the urgent challenges posed by technology and ecology, and feature the evolving practice and profession of architecture being redefined by the post-digital context.

Text in English and Japanese.

In the twelve years since Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders was formed, the firm has created a significant body of wooden buildings that are rooted in the seaside vernacular of the fabled region of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. As a design/build firm led by architects, Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders is able to reach a level of aesthetic control not normally associated with light construction today. Each project is approached as an individual work of art and craft specifically associated with its site and client. The eclectic, evolutionary use of architectural history infuses the firm’s designs with fresh interpretations of architectural tradition, subtle playfulness, and wit. The compositional and planning strategies ground the work in the vernacular tradition that evolved into the shingle style, the ‘architecture of the American summer’ to use the words of historian Vincent Scully. The experience of the firm’s principal designers, John and Sharon DaSilva, includes several years at Venturi Rauch and Scott Brown and Cesar Pelli and Associates. The book features over twenty houses and a handful of small institutional buildings in photographs by some of the world’s best architectural photographers and drawings by the firm. Includes essay by noted architecture writer Michael J. Crosbie. Also Available: Ken Tate Architect, Vol. 1: New Classicists, 1864701013, $95.00 Ken Tate Architect, Vol. 2: New Classicists, 1920744436, $90.00 William T. Baker: New Classicists, 1920744576, $90.00 Appleton & Associates: New Classicists, 1920744606, $90.00 Wadia & Associates: New Classicists, 1864702338, $90.00

“The well-judged employment of classical detail in a new home has an additional significance that cannot be underestimated. It is an expression of an informed personal choice and an evocation of the delight in the human senses. This is true of all the houses featured in this book.” Jeremy Musson
“The architects and craftsmen that Phillip has featured in this wonderful book all have a love for classical detail. The art is alive and well, as can be attested to in these pages.” David Easton
In The Art of Classical Details, Phillip James Dodd takes a close-up look at some of the finest examples of contemporary classical architecture. The book consists of two chapters: The Essays and The Projects. Starting with a foreword by renowned decorator David Easton, The Essays are written by some of today’s most sought after architects, scholars and craftsmen. Accompanied by sumptuous full page photographs and renderings that illustrate a use of fine materials, intricate detailing, and superb artisanship, these insightful texts are essential reading for anyone with an interest in the theory, practice and craft of classical design. The Projects presents an illustrated look at 25 of today’s finest classically-designed homes. Employing the theories prescribed in the writings of the first chapter, this portfolio of contemporary buildings exhibits the work of some of the most recognizable and celebrated architects in Great Britain and the United States. The work featured in within this book demonstrates the timeless beauty of classicism, and delights in the role that superbly crafted details play in creating art.

Contemporary pedagogy contends that children’s growth and development takes place through experiences. This book is intended to uncover the relationship between child development and early childhood space design through an exciting selection of kindergarten, childcare, and nursery designs from around the world, each of which provides authentic, stimulating, and meaningful environments full of rich and active hands-on experiences to facilitate children’s access to nature and human connection as they discover the world and assimilate everything they need to grow and thrive. Rather than merely the design of preschool buildings, the book focuses on the quality of the space. A brief editor’s note is given for each case to highlight the important elements of the design, use, and function that help children to shape their own personal curriculum.

A short interview – a dialogue with the architect – is also offered after some of the projects for readers to gain greater insight into the ideas and processes of the architects. Highly illustrated with stunning full-colour throughout, this book hopes to spark the design inspirations of kindergarten architects, interior designers, outdoor playground designers, and child educators on how to design a quality space for children.

This richly illustrated monograph delves into the innovative output of one of the world’s most prolific international design and architecture practitioners, Tokyo-based Shigeru Ban. Canvassing an enormous compilation of works, this title is a significant contribution to IMAGES’ stable of works showcasing renowned architects from around the globe. This book features an array of innovative projects, from commercial and residential innovation strategies to humanitarian works, such as emergency shelters made from paper and modular shelters for earthquake victims. Shigeru Ban’s visionary residential design philosophies encompass timber hybrid structures, including a building constructed from cardboard tubes; the tallest hybrid timber structure in the world for a residential tower in Vancouver; as well as the new home designed for the Aspen Art Museum, which features woven wooden cladding. His innovation extends to the industrial design of an architect’s scale pen used for drawing. This book also helps to relay Shigeru Ban’s contemporary discourse on architectural culture, and how it is moving in new directions. This title is a must-have for any serious aficionado of modern architecture, innovative thinking, and design.

LO2 is an interior design studio founded in 2004 that covers architectural projects (private residential, corporate and hospitality), interior design and landscape architecture – the latter through Locus Landscape Architecture – both in Spain and abroad.

Luisa Olazábal and Luis Ojeda, as well as their partners, have formed a multidisciplinary team that approaches projects with a holistic approach and fits them optimally into the environment in which they are located, as can be seen in the exquisite selection published in this book.

This volume explores the interconnected social, sustainable and spatial principles that underpin the design of more environmentally conscientious buildings and places, illustrated through models, drawings and images of selected key projects by the award-nominated London-based architecture practice Mæ. Each project outlines beneficial strategies for creating more sustainable designs, achieving social equity and working within our planet’s limits to elevate the human spirit in the long-term.

This book posits strategies to design buildings and places that enrich culture and society, offering insight from researchers and practitioners, as well as richly illustrated documentation of key architectural schemes that put these principles into practice. It is a call to arms for ways to create more environmentally regenerative architecture, applying its ideas to architectural practice worldwide.

a+u’s March issue presents Irish architecture through 20 houses by six architecture firms. These houses, nestled in the landscape of Ireland, paint a portrait of the physical conditions of the island. Architects Tom de Paor and Andrew Clancy serve as guest editors and begin the feature in conversation. They describe Ireland as being gently exhausted and without past glories, but not yet melancholic. The 20 houses responding to the island are practically designed yet with sensitive qualities of “dry and wet,” “soft lighting and fleeting shadows,” and “modeling and its staining.” These houses are individual attempts by their architects to find something that was already “constructed, abandoned, found” and to discover their own architectural language in Ireland. Their images, drawings, and give form to a notably new Irish architecture.

Text in English and Japanese.

This catalog for an exhibition at the Fondazione Cini in Venice presents stories of places and cities to the east of Italy, and highlights the tales and experiences of Italian architects and travellers. Six internationally famous Italian architects – Renzo Piano, Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, Archea Associati, Piuarch, Michele De Lucchi and Mario Cucinella – will showcase projects in Russia, China, Albania, Georgia and Vietnam, with the addition of contextual materials from the Fondazione Cini archives. The narrative of convergence and dialog between Italian culture and these places emphasizes the significance of the unique Italian relationship to these countries and their cultures through the centuries.

From its foundation in 1948, the state of Israel has felt isolated and under threat from enemies. This collective siege mentality manifests itself with over 1 million public and private shelters. The Israelis have integrated these ‘Doomsday spaces’ into their everyday life and transformed them into spaces that look like normal dance studios, bars or temples. For many people in Israel who live with a personal history of exile and persecution, these shelters are the architecture of an existential threat both real and perceived. Adam Reynolds shot the images in this book over the course of three years, from 2013 to 2015. The photographs offer a broad cultural and geographical typology of the shelter spaces by documenting them on either side of the Green Line, throughout Israel and the Occupied Territories, in an effort to offer the broadest survey possible. They straddle the distinct worlds of fine art and reportage. “Working in a country like Israel, it is difficult, if not impossible, to separate art from social reality,” says Adam Reynolds.

The Classicist is an annual journal dedicated to the classical tradition in architecture and the allied arts. Focused on New England, the Classicist No. 20 explores the region’s rich architectural history; contemporary examples of classical design through professional and student portfolios; and academic articles authored by leaders within the field. Contributors include Michael J. Lewis, Professor at Williams College and architecture critic for the Wall Street Journal; Kenneth Hafertepe, Professor at Baylor University; Aaron M. Helfand, Architect at Knight Architecture in New Haven; Sarah Allaback, author and architectural historian; Mark Alan Hewitt, architect, preservationist, and architectural historian; Keith N. Morgan, architectural historian and Professor Emeritus at Boston University; Kyle Dugdale, architect, historian, and Senior Critic at Yale University; and John Tittmann, founding partner at Albert Righter Tittman Architects, alongside submissions to the professional and academic portfolio.

This book illustrates the extensive design and construction work in Milan over the past 20 years by the notable Milanese architectural firm ARAssociati. This award-winning firm has been involved in a wide range of projects, including new construction in the residential, hospitality, office and retail sectors, as well as work on prestigious historic buildings. Projects in the historical heart of the city are counterbalanced by those in the new areas of Milan, which is undergoing a transformation to a multicentric metropolis. The result is an expertize based on a deeply rooted knowledge of the city and its history, sensitive to the context and stratification over time, allowing the firm to retrace and map out the large-scale transformations that have changed and are still changing the face of Milan.

Text in English and Italian.

a+u’s April issue, guided by guest editors Ko Nakamura, Keigo Kobayashi, and Mamiko Miyahara, investigates the interconnection of architecture and food. Food insecurity is a major challenge that cities face in the Anthropocene that architects and urbanists must rise to meet. Presenting more than 20 projects of varying scales, this issue highlights alternative strategies that architecture and urban design may adopt in the urgent effort to address this shared global burden. Five key themes – New Ways of Production, Globalism and National Strategies, In Community, Meeting the City, and Exploring Food Space – organize the projects. Real-time examples, such as Vertical Urban Farm, reveal possible directions that could be followed, while other projects interrogate existing notions, like Floating Farm Dairy, which aims to reintegrate isolated industrial harbor spaces with the rest of the city by introducing space for animal husbandry. Food is an integral part of not only basic survival but also of fostering community and the conviviality of the built realm. Thus, architecture acts as the crucible where agricultural innovation, forms, community action, and environmental sustainability meet.

Text in English and Japanese.

Traditional country parks, which originated in the United Kingdom, are very different to the country parks we know today. With the development of urbanization and the improvement of living standards, city dwellers were no longer satisfied with small urban green spaces, and a new style of country park was born. Conveniently located in the outer city suburbs, with tranquil, natural environments, this new type of park met society’s desire to return to nature, and theses spaces have since become hotspots for tourism and leisure. Country Parks includes detailed theory and case studies showcasing outstanding international country park design; analyzes and promotes the current status and development of the country park and its role in urban development; and provides valuable guidance for professional designers working in the field today.

Kengo Kuma is a globally acclaimed Japanese architect whose prodigious output possesses an inherent respect and value of materials and environment, often creating a harmonious balance between building and landscape. He masterfully engages both architectural experimentation and traditional Japanese design with twenty-first-century technology, resulting in highly advanced yet beautifully simple, gentle, human-scaled buildings. He’s renowned for the drive to search for new materials to replace concrete and steel, seeking a new approach for architecture in a post-industrial society, and fusing interior and exterior realms to make spaces that both create a calming and tranquil atmosphere and which “transform” topography. In the pages of this exquisitely illustrated volume, Kuma presents close to forty of his most recognized and award-winning works, including FRAC Marseille, V&A Dundee, Mont-Blanc Base Camp, and Japan National Stadium. Kuma continues to forge a new design language: in this book he offers the reader deep insight into how he has engaged with different aspects of the architectural discipline by transforming topography, construction, and representation in order to give further progress to his ideas.