a+u’s March issue features the architecture, landscape, and cities of Colombia. A land of intoxicating natural beauty, Colombia has employed architecture as a key agent in rebuilding its cities and civil society as it recovers from decades of civil strife stemming from drug trafficking and guerrilla warfare. Photographic work by Camilo Echavarría illustrates how travels through the country cause one to feel a homogeneous, abstract passage of time. With no seasons, architecture is conditioned by various landscapes formed by the rich geographic diversity across regions. Medellín-based architect and guest editor Camilo Restrepo Ochoa takes us on a journey through his country, where architects create spaces as “types, elements, and instruments of architecture made to question limits, to build an inhabitable threshold that participates in the spatial experience of moving from outside to inside.” Works by 14 architectural practices across 3 generations are presented in this issue. Also featured is the city of Medellín’s remarkable achievement of reinvigorating its poorest neighborhoods through mobility and urban space.
Text in English and Japanese.
Since 1961, when Archigram emerged as a visionary force, Peter Cook’s drawings have projected radical possibilities for architecture; and through drawing he has pursued a fascination with what he calls ‘the puzzlement of the strange thing’ to create compelling forms. Peter Cook Drawings presents some 200 of his colored and line drawings, ranging from student projects at the Architectural Association, through the speculations of the Archigram years, to dazzling new work completed shortly before going to press. With an introduction by Andrew Holmes, commentaries by Peter Cook himself, and a timeline of all the built and drawn work, the book charts the course of a seven-decades long adventure in architecture.
Tectonism is the most advanced and most sophisticated contemporary architectural style. There are, to date, only relatively a few fully satisfactory built examples, and most of them are still of a relatively modest scale. It is the thesis of this book that tectonism, as defined and illustrated here, represents the future of 21st century architecture. This thesis is optimistic with respect to the long-term rationality of the discipline of architecture, i.e. with respect to its capacity to discern and ascertain, via its internal discourse, the superiority of tectonism, and to spread its influence and impact as global best practice accordingly. This optimism also extends to the rationality of the wider society, as represented through private clients, public clients, and through end-user acceptance, to be susceptible to the guidance it will receive from its architectural expert discourse. This optimism is based on a critical analysis and appraisal of architectural history. The avant-garde intuitions of the early modernists in the 1920s, backed up by sound theoretical arguments, did win over the discipline in the 1930s and 1940s, and spread its real impact on the global built environment throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The current avant-garde intuitions within the movement of tectonism, although very different from modernism, are equally well thought through as the arguments in this book will attempt to demonstrate. — From the Introduction, by Patrik Schumacher
Robert Konieczny, founder and principal of KWK Promes, in Poland, specializes in projects renowned for ingenious concepts and unique design. His works examine closely the nature and interpretations of spatial journeys for the viewer or those who inhabit the space, be it for residential works, public buildings, or international cultural festivals and exhibitions, such as the Venice Biennale. The firm’s work especially with kinetic architecture fuses seamless design principles with inventive concepts, namely movable structures that both catch light and create a uniquely experiential environment. A leader in industry innovation, Konieczny and KWK Promes was awarded the World Architecture Festival Award for the best building in 2016.
“Our designs are shaped by logic. Inside these pages we showcase a unique and detailed précis that narrates the story of the concepts behind our buildings.” — Robert Konieczny
“The ideas expressed by Robert Konieczny are quite radical and surprising—his forms are unexpected, and often closed or heavy at first sight. Though the Polish context, in terms of climate, history, and sociology may imply such solutions, KWK has laid out a series of concepts that could readily be applied to other places, surely generating other types of buildings. This is not a style so much as it is an intellectual construct.” — Philip Jodidio
King Charles III’s affection for architecture is well-known, but the extent of his engagement has never been fully presented to the public. This is the first book to draw together the many threads, from the ‘carbuncle’ speech, made at Hampton Court in 1984, until his accession to the throne. He has created model settlements such as Poundbury through the Duchy of Cornwall, Dumfries House in East Ayrshire has been made a beacon of social regeneration, and his educational initiatives have changed lives.
The four decades of the King’s commitment to architecture have coincided with Clive Aslet’s career as a journalist, during which he has followed the story and often written about it, not least during the 13 years for which he was editor of Country Life. King Charles III: 40 Years of Architecture is based on new research including many interviews with the architects, critics, advisors and academics who worked with the (then) Prince of Wales on his far-reaching endeavors.
Resilient Horizons: The Future of Landscape Architecture by ArquitectonicaGEO explores the transformative role of sustainable, resilient, and contemporary landscaped environments. These outdoor spaces, ranging from urban green spaces to large-scale ecosystem restorations, enhance the human experience and community well-being and combat the pressing challenges of climate change.
This insightful monograph showcases ten pioneering projects by the Miami-based firm that blend innovative design, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience. The featured projects include the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Port of Miami Tunnel, Lakeside Village at the University of Miami, and Brickell City Centre, among others. Full-color photography, site plans, and detailed narratives highlight the innovative approaches that ArquitectonicaGEO uses to address climate change and promote biodiversity, and how human-centric design provides enriching outdoor spaces
Resilient Horizons affirms ArquitectonicaGEO’s commitment to sustainability, resilience, and human-centric design, and demonstrates how thoughtful landscape architecture can transform not just spaces, but entire communities.
Coastal Villas: Luxury Living on the Gulf Coast showcases 13 stunning villas designed by Geoff Chick & Associates in the timber-framed vernacular style of Florida’s 19th- and 20th-century architecture. From minimalist retreats poised on the edge of the surf to sprawling family homes nestled among pine forests, these houses reflect respect for the land and water that surround them. They draw inspiration from the Gulf Coast vernacular—the inviting porches, tall ceilings, and raised pier footings—while updating these elements for a contemporary audience.
This monograph of Geoff Chick & Associates is a celebration of architectural innovation tailored to the Gulf Coast’s complex interplay of relentless sun, occasional hurricanes, and delicate ecosystems. These homes transform natural challenges into opportunities for creative expression, integrating gracefully with their surroundings, encapsulating the idea of design and nature as complementary.
Food is more than just nutrition – it is culture, identity and history. The new Nordic cuisine movement has challenged our ideas about Nordic food culture and forged a new understanding of what it means to eat in harmony with nature. With its ideals of sustainability, seasonal ingredients and modern culinary innovation, the movement has had a deep impact on both the restaurant sector and the world of everyday food. This book has been compiled on the occasion of the exhibition New Nordic. Cuisine, Aesthetics and Place at The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, which explores the interaction between the evolution of new Nordic cuisine and trends in other forms of contemporary culture. Architecture, contemporary art, design and studio crafts are woven together to provide a broader understanding of the movement’s aesthetic characteristics. How did materials, people and landscape interact to produce a distinctly Nordic culinary identity?
Text in English and Norwegian.
In the 1960s and ‘70s, Archigram speculated on the nature of architecture in ways that influenced a generation. In an era defined by the space race, the group’s exploration of movable structures and modular systems stretched far beyond known technologies or contemporary realities. Archigram magazine became the platform for exploring and sharing many of these themes. Launched in 1961, the magazine ran for 9 ½ issues until 1974, when Archigram disbanded. Now, after a 50-year pause for thought, Archigram is back.
Edited by Peter Cook, with contributions from Archigram founding members Dennis Crompton, David Greene and Michael Webb, and with inputs from numerous contemporary designers, technologists and critics, Archigram Ten takes a wry backward glance and imagines a bold leap forward. It looks at where architecture is going currently and asks: why? Contributors include: Hitoshi Abe, Odile Decq, Elizabeth Diller, Thom Mayne, and Eric Owen Moss.
To feature house designs through the decades, The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945 includes 75 houses by over 50 architects. The projects are divided into 13 themes such as Earthy Concrete, Play, and Unmarketable and presented using models, drawings, and photographs. The Japanese have experienced drastic social and environmental changes related to the WW II recovery period leading to rapid economic growth, pollution, the bubble economy and collapse, and natural disasters. Commissioned by individual homeowners, Japanese architects have responded to these changes by developing ideas for new ways of living, expressed through the architecture of the house. A distinguishing feature of Japan is the large proportion of young people owning land and engaging architects. These clients have generally studied residential designs closely before approaching the architect, therefore the resulting new homes tend to be on the experimental side. Text in English and Japanese.
I.M. Pei, one of the giants of modern architecture, is featured in the first of a new series that will deliver a new perspective on 20th-century architecture through interviews in which prominent architects look back on their careers.
He talks with Fumihiko Maki about memorable people and projects from a career that has spanned more than half a century. Included are descriptions of his encounters with Walter Gropius and Alvar Aalto, which convey the high esteem he held of these eminent architects as teachers and friends. Tracing his career in 3 parts, a chronological list of his works from 1950-2008 is also included.
Evident throughout is Pei’s warmly human approach to architecture, which transcends the framework of academic or professional relationships and values above all the satisfaction of working with valued associates toward common goals.
Text in English and Japanese.
The Classicist is an annual journal dedicated to the classical tradition in architecture and the allied arts. Focused on the state of Texas, the Classicist No. 19 explores the state’s rich architectural history as well as contemporary examples of classical design through professional and student portfolios as well as academic articles authored by leaders within the field. Contributors include architectural historian Stephen Fox; Anna Nau of Ford, Powell & Carson Architects; Tara Dudley of the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture; Kenneth Hafertepe of Baylor University; and architectural author James Wright Steely; alongside submissions to the professional and academic portfolio.
Dallas & the New Tradition explores Dallas’s unique architectural history and celebrates Larry E. Boerder’s vision of restoring the city’s great revival past in a manner fit for the twenty-first century.
Larry E. Boerder Architects specializes in designing and building homes in the prestigious suburbs of Highland Park, University Park, and Preston Hollow, nestled in Dallas. With a modern revivalist approach, their work honors the architectural traditions established in these communities in the early twentieth century.
Delve into the origins of some of America’s most beautiful and idyllic suburbs and how this setting inspired Boerder to create homes that are elegant, refined, and above all, harmonious to their surroundings. Come behind the scenes to tour some of his greatest properties located in Texas and farther afield, which stand as an enduring testament to the talent of Boerder and his team, as well as their dedication to preserving and taking forward the New Tradition.
a+u’s May issue features the work of Sancho-Madridejos Architecture Office (S-MAO). Based in Madrid, Spain and established in 1982 by Juan Carlos Sancho and Sol Madridejos, the office has developed a nuanced and committed practice rooted in investigations in plastic arts and aesthetic theory. An essay by their close friends, Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa, reveals the deeper origins to S-MAO’s approach and describes how their trials and investigations have yielded “new processes in engineering, new construction systems, and a new language.” An ensemble of 20 projects, framed according to two investigative themes, are featured in this monograph, supported by axonometric diagrams and concept models. The multiple views of early study models convey the obsessive search for an “original space,” as described by García-Abril and Mesa, where structure, envelope, and shape come together.
Text in English and Japanese.
China Construction Design International (CCDI) is one of Asia’s premier architectural firms. It was ranked as the number one private architectural firm in China in 2004. In 2005 it became the first firm from China to receive an award from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). Among CCDI’s completed projects are office towers, sports arenas, residential complexes and cultural centres, as well as many large-scale planning projects. All projects are based on the firm’s core principles of integrated design, which focus on utilising the resources of a city, technology, environment, and local public culture in order to design building solutions to meet the manifold needs of society.
French-Brazilian Elizabeth de Portzamparc designs buildings that serve as architectural symbols and powerful urban landmarks, which skillfully structure and inhabit the places where they are built. With characteristic innovation and through her dual sociological and architectural approach, Elizabeth de Portzamparc combines the requirements of the social, urban, and ecological scope with construction of optimal forms, a coherent approach that is legible on every scale of her work. This monograph is a collector’s volume within IMAGES’ renowned Leading Architects series, and showcases the extraordinary award-winning designs of this brilliant Paris-based architect. Lavish full-color photography and intricate, detailed drawings help to illuminate her process and international achievements across a wide range, including architecture, interiors and urban planning projects, as well as design objects, museography, and scenographic works.
In the 21st century the architects and designers of urban spaces face great challenges to integrate nature in order to transform ‘cement forests’ into ‘forest cities’. Perhaps the best solution is to go green with vertical landscapes. More than just a decorative trend, this is a means of bringing life and greenery into metropolitan areas by using different framing systems to create compositions of plant life and adapt them to diverse settings, including offices, factories, parking lots, hotels, and installations within larger parks. Enriched by the reflections of the inventive protagonists of this fertile new aesthetic, Going Green with Vertical Landscapes is organized by theme and canvases early experiments conducted by famous design companies such as Vo Trong Nghia Architects (VTN), Fytogreen Australia and RYUICHI ASHIZAWA ARCHITECTS & associates. All of these projects combine man-made materials, recent technologies, and diverse types of vegetation to conquer the vertical dimension.
There’s something especially beautiful about being able to look to the full expanse of a horizon, something that speaks to the most ancient part of our soul. With the continuing build up of our surroundings, that precious ability to gaze into the unfettered distance is one we all appreciate and savor.
This stunning edition showcases incredible houses in simply amazing locations, where the architect has rightly championed the accessibility to the endless views. Lavishly illustrated with full-color images of award-winning architecture, this compilation draws you in through its winning designs, but its the glorious and enticing images of the vast horizon that will capture your imagination.
We may all not be lucky enough to inhabit an eye-catching designer home with views to die for, but at least we can all share the beauty through these breathtakingly evocative images. Truly a book in which to lose yourself.
Forty international projects in six categories present the most innovative and forward-looking solutions, whose contribution to building culture development is clearly evident. The focus is on all the relevant themes of transformation development: use of resources, circular processes, biodiversity etc. The editors take a comprehensive look at current developments in the building sector and inspire novelty. With InteriorPark, they have been driving sustainable developments in the building sector forwards since 2010.
Text in English and German.
a+u’s May issue features Francis Kéré, a Berlin-based architect originally from the West African nation of Burkina Faso. His earliest work, Gando Primary School, demonstrated a design process that embraces the cultural and material roots of a place and its people, and as the Gando project expanded in scope to include other social amenities, Kéré’s architecture became a tool of community building and empowerment. This architecture of humanism relies on the metaphor of the palaver tree, under which a community gathers and knowledge is formed and transmitted. Kéré enriches local, basic materials and traditional know-how with thoughtful and forward-looking technological and ecological concepts, creating a sustainable, low-cost, and high-performance architecture that serves as a model for the Global South. Opening with Gando Primary School and ending with ongoing construction projects, furniture pieces, and exhibitions, this monograph presents 34 works. In addition to texts by Kéré and guest editor Andres Lepik, 3 essays by younger architects of African origins situate Kéré’s work in the broader context of architecture and urbanization in the African continent, invoking issues of translatability, authenticity, justice, community, and empowerment.
Text in English and Japanese.
Sir Edwin Lutyens is widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest architects. In a career of over 50 years, spanning the Victorian, Edwardian and modern eras of architecture, Lutyens was prolific. His work ranged from great country houses, city commercial office buildings, his famous World War I memorials across Europe and Britain, and his magnum opus designs for New Delhi built during the 1920s and 1930s. Despite such diversity of building types across his long career, Lutyens’s most celebrated works remain his country houses, which first established his reputation during the 1890s. As Lutyens’s practice flourished his work became widely promoted in publications such as Country Life magazine, and his houses, particularly those designed in the vernacular manner, would subsequently give rise to an entire genre of the English country house that became known, as it is to this day, as a ‘Lutyens-style’ house. Sir Edwin Lutyens: The Arts and Crafts Houses brings together in new, wide-format, full-colour photography a definitive collection of 45 of Lutyens’s great Arts and Crafts houses, in which he ingeniously blended the style of the Arts and Crafts movement with his own inventive interpretation of the Classical language of architecture. The book features 575 all-new current photographs of the houses, inside and outside, together with a selection of floor plans of the houses, and a fresh interpretation of Lutyens’s enduring architectural genius.
a+u’s May issue features Manthey Kula. Based in Norway, the firm was founded in 2004 by Beate Hølmebakk and Per Tamsen. This issue includes 13 built works and five paper-architecture projects. Manthey Kula’s buildings result from the encounter between the given program, sensitivity to the site, and methods of construction, while their paper architecture explores the relationship between storytelling and form through varied inspirations – dreams seen by others, women depicted in literature, an imaginary tribunal, and narratives woven by self and others. Manthey Kula’s architecture is based on story, making, and how things are made. They use words, drawings, and materials to construct a new and potent reality. In a world where architectural approaches and values have diversified, Manthey Kula targets another public realm – fiction – prompting the viewer’s intuition and imagination to “reaffirm our presence in the world.”
Text in English and Japanese.
The architecture work of Brazil-based Raul di Pace is guided by creativity and innovation. The firm’s focus always comes with the awareness that it is providing a service to its customer. The firm’s ideas happen naturally, and relate to the needs of the residents and their dreams for the place where they will live. A house is a place that must adapt to fit in with the time for which it is designed, and then it must continue to be a living environment as time and generations evolve. Before, cities had no running water and electricity—today most things are automated. To follow time is to adapt to new technologies, new materials, new habits and demands. We cannot imagine something as unchangeable, untouchable. A contemporary house cannot be simply a sanctuary. It should primarily be a pleasant space that provides adequate housing that serves the residents before anything else; it is up to the architect to remake, adapt, orient and reorient—all the while fulfilling this overall mission. Since the beginning, Raul di Pace’s architecture is about the search to reinvent oneself, to propose new solutions, built to suit specific purposes. Heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, which was a process of reinvention from start to finish, this highly anticipated volume shows how Raul di Pace continues to reinvent its language based on the same premise: make less, splurge less, seek the essential.
Text in English and Portuguese.
Through the process of redrawing the plans of a wide range of completed projects by Le Corbusier, this book offers a new interpretation of his architectural works. Redrawing all the technical drawings provides an insight into the thoughts of the architect when dealing with different building types with different functions and provides a fresh understanding of the morphological strategies. Containing 11 different types of public buildings completed by Le Corbusier, this book draws on 80 of his works, and includes drawings and 3D model spatial diagrams. When examined in the context of completion date, the reader is able to observe the continuity and transition of Le Corbusier’s design ideas. By focusing on Le Corbusier and his influential architecture, the book provides a better understanding of the morphological basis of modernist architecture in the 20th century.