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Architecture China is a journal focusing on the leading architectural design projects with regional characteristics in contemporary China. This 2018 Fall issue of Architecture China, focusing on how a new culture might be constructed through the action of building, showcases 15 newly-completed museums and galleries with certain characters from contemporary Chinese culture. The four essays by Li Xiangning, David Leatherbarrow, Sun Jiwei and Zhang Ziyue, and Jiang Jiawei respectively provide different viewpoints on the topic, and expose critical thinking on cultural events that relate to contemporary China. Also available: Architecture China: Building a Future Countryside ISBN 9781864708004

The influence of Anjou and Aragon, and the traces left by Bourbon, Hapsburg and Napoleonic domination have made Naples a treasure-trove of different styles and periods, rich in original imperfections and extravagance that deserve to be discovered and enjoyed. This guide is aimed at illustrating the structure and unusual aspects of a city in constant artistic ferment, where architecture ranges from ancient aristocratic palaces to the modern futuristic skyscrapers of the business district, the Art Stations of the Naples Metro, the small Art Nouveau houses in the poorer areas in the historic centre; architecture that exists layer upon layer, spreading outwards to the city boundaries. The twenty-year period of Fascism was crucial for Neapolitan architecture: the city was the object of widespread land drainage and reclamation work, resulting in the conclusive isolation of the Angevin Keep, the creation of the new Corsea in the area of the new foundations for the San Giuseppe-Carità district, as well as a large number of building projects in the city centre. The ‘On the Road’ series offers readers a voyage of discovery showing how ancient historical buildings like those of Naples, can cohabit alongside some of the most innovative and contemporary architecture existing today.

In the 1930s Grigory Barkhin became particularly interested in theater architecture, and this culminated in the publication in 1947 of a two-volume work, Architecture of the Theatre. This was the most comprehensive and deeply researched study of theater architecture of the time. The first volume follows a historical timeline, from early classical theaters to some of Europe’s national treasures – La Scala, Opéra Garnier, Vienna State Opera – and the development of theater architecture in the Russian Empire. The second half of the book is devoted entirely to Soviet theater architecture of the pre-war period, in particular the five-star design of the Red Army theater in Moscow, and competition projects for theaters in Rostov-on-Don, Sverdlovsk and Minsk, which Barkhin himself designed with his son Mikhail. These projects can be seen as the cornerstone of the development of Soviet architecture of the time. In this remarkable book, published here in English for the first time, Barkhin sets out a blueprint for architecture that combines an understanding of the subject with a bold and uncompromising vision.

“Architecture is not preserved in a museum – it is the museum.” Architecture Can! is an intriguing journey through the works and projects of the groundbreaking architecture firm Hollwich Kushner, based in New York. Partners Matthias Hollwich and Marc Kushner design projects at every scale: intimate, awe-inspiring, and everything inbetween; from residences to universities, museums, and urban plans. As two founders of leading architecture social media network Architizer, Hollwich and Kushner frankly admit the power of social media in contemporary architecture practice. Images of new and advanced buildings and concepts travel the globe at high speed, influencing a new generation of projects before the previous generation has broken ground. To stand out, they believe, architecture must “empower people to engage with others, to produce memorable experiences, and to live with a sense of wonder”.

The buildings erected in the Deccan region of India belonged to a number of pre-Mughal kingdoms that reigned in the Deccan from the middle of the 14th century onwards. The monuments testify to a culture where local and imported ideas, vernacular and pan-Islamic traditions fused and re-interpreted, to create a majestic architectural heritage with exceptional buildings on the edge of the Islamic world. Many are still standing – yet outside this region of peninsular India, they remain largely unknown. General publications on Indian Islamic architecture usually devote a single chapter to the Deccan. Even specialist monographs can only cover a portion of the region, due to the sheer number of sites. While it is impossible to encompass the full breadth of the subject in a single volume, this book aims to embrace the visual diversity of the Deccan without sacrificing the rigor of academic study. Structures of historical or architectural significance are placed in their context, as the authors discuss building typologies, civic facilities and ornamental techniques, from plaster and carved stone to glazed tiles and mural painting. A chapter is dedicated to each principal Deccan site, interweaving the rise and fall of these cities with a pictorial journey through their ruins, and each building is accompanied by an overhead plan view.

Klein Dytham architecture: to Tokyo and Beyond celebrates the Tokyo-based studio famous for its playful yet thoughtful approach to design. This vibrant, comprehensive monograph invites readers to explore 76 projects from KDa’s impressive body of award-winning, multidisciplinary work from around the world.

Blending humor, experimentation, and respect for tradition, these projects range from early works, such as Daikanyama T-SITE in Tokyo and Open House in Bangkok, to more recent works, including the Fender flagship store in Tokyo and a Japanese cypress façade for the Cartier boutique in Osaka. This insightful monograph also highlights the studio’s contributions to global cultural phenomena like PechaKucha Night, and how KDa’s innovative ideas intertwine with the cultural, social, and architectural fabric of Japan.

Thought-provoking narratives explore KDa’s creative process and philosophy, while stunning full-color photography captures the bold and vibrant aesthetics emblematic of KDa’s style. From camouflaging 40-story towers in an alpine resort to transforming a commercial building with intricate, openwork cladding, KDa’s designs have a sense of whimsy that brings joy and curiosity to architecture enthusiasts and observers alike.

In a follow-up to Design for Kids (Images Publishing, 2007), in Architecture Is Fun Sharon Exley and Peter Exley demonstrate their ethos that architecture is one of the gateways to a more empathetic and equitable future. They believe making accessible places of learning, living, working, and playing are indispensable for human growth and development. This beautifully presented second monograph illustrates a nexus of architecture, education, community, and experience from the practice of Architecture Is Fun.

Media architecture has evolved from illuminating iconic building façades at night to characterizing all life in cities. This compendium draws on academic research and global studies to present an evolutionary account of concepts that have defined the field and inspired practice, alongside methods for bringing media architecture thinking into projects. Thirty media architecture installations that were nominated for the Media Architecture Awards in 2018 and 2020 illustrate the breadth and trends in the field, including a shift towards more-than-human futures. Through its three parts, capturing concepts, methods and practice, the compendium offers an accessible guide to media architecture for designers, architects, artists, scholars, educators and learners. Several of the authors are board members of the Media Architecture Institute, a non-profit organization with offices in Vienna, Sydney, Beijing and Toronto.

“The difference between inspirational stories to the ones lacking inspiration often depends on the order the storyteller chooses to place his creation. In this sense, not only does this book represent a series of architect Eli Armon’s architectural achievements, but also provides a statement on his work in retrospect by attempting a story narrative that looks at the tale of creation. Thus, a new creation is formed, designed by choosing the picture angle, by editing the order of the pictures, and by writing words that interlace into a melody of structure and creation. Armon’s lyrical and philosophical points of view add another dimension to his architectural works that have created a texture of inspiration spots and have already turned into Places throughout our country.” – Abridged text, from the Introduction.

This unique monograph delves into intriguing and beguiling architectural works by Eliezer Armon. Inspired by images from Israel and its landscape, worldwide cultures, and the martial arts, Armon’s multidisciplinary and unconventional professional approach to architecture sees in the architectural planning the materialization of views, existential concepts, circles of life and faith, as one united and multifaceted work. His work is that of a curious researcher. It sprouts from biblical sources, the Hebrew letters, Jewish tradition and Kabbalah.

List of projects: Holon Wolfson Railway Station, Tel Aviv; Lehavim-Rahat Railway Station; Beer-Sheva Central Railway Station; Department of Public Works, Beer-Sheva; Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development; Abraham’s Well Visitors’ Center, Beer-Sheva; Yad Sara, Beer-Sheva; Officers School Synagogue, Mitzpe Ramon; Yod Alef Community Center, Beer-Sheva; Ramot Sportive Community Center, Beer-Sheva; Kindergarten and Center for the Care of the Elderly, Meitar; El-Zahara School, Lod; Omer Comprehensive School; The Sports Hall, Omer; Culture Hall, Omer.

László Hudec (László Edvard Hudec, or Ladislaus Edward Hudec) can only be described as a legend. As one of the foreign architects who fled his native country of Austria-Hungary during troubled times, he ended up making his mark on more than 50 projects, including over 100 buildings during his 29-year (1918 to 1947) stay in a city far away from home.

Among them, 25 projects have been listed as Shanghai’s Most Historical Buildings. His signature work, the Park Hotel, is counted as national heritage. How did Hudec come to enjoy his legendary status in a foreign land, especially as he arrived with almost nothing in his pocket? Why does he continue to attract new followers even in the 21st century?

For the last 14 years, Dr. Hua Xiahong has devoted herself to the study of Hudec and his architecture. The Shanghai Hudec Architecture has shown the essence of Hudec’s projects, which is also one part of the essence of Shanghai’s architecture. To know Hudec, is to know the history of Shanghai and the city’s future.

Like an encyclopaedia of architecture, his style has gone through Neo-classicism, Expressionism, Art Deco and Modernism, which not only reflects European and American influences, but also the architect’s personal creativity. Hudec has left behind a lot of work that is remarkable in Shanghai’s architectural history.

Text in English and Chinese.

Architecture China is a journal focusing on the leading architectural design projects with regional characteristics in contemporary China. This issue focuses on how the architectural tradition is maintained as well as redefined in the contemporary context. Two essays by Li Xiangning, Song Wei & Tian Weijia provide different viewpoints on the topic, and expose critical thinking on how to make a new tradition.

New frontiers for media architecture: This compendium explores how digital media is shaping cities today and in the years to come. It illustrates groundbreaking use of light and media in urban environments through 36 winning or shortlisted entries from the Media Architecture Biennale Awards in 2014 and 2016 in five categories: Animated architecture, Money architecture, Participatory architecture & urban interaction, Spatial media art, Future trends & prototypes.

The last fifteen years of Russian history have profoundly altered Moscow, bringing dramatic changes to the Communist city it was in the eighties. These alterations have increasingly highlighted Moscow’s many contrasts and multiple facets.

The guide seeks to do more than just recount and illustrate the city’s architectural history. It strives to be a tool to study the building trends that have shaped it. After a short introduction and the essential information needed to plan a visit, the book includes several essays that give the city’s historical context and then critically consider its possible future developments. The itineraries include about a hundred architectural works, both historical and contemporary, which are fully illustrated with images, drawings and descriptions, and are marked on the front of the map with a reference number corresponding to the section in the book and the icon on the back of the map. The guide also provides information about museums, libraries, institutions, movie theatres, restaurants and gathering places.

This publication is the second edition of this contemporary guide to the architecture of Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city and one of its most fascinating destinations.

The guide’s introduction featuring three critical treatises outlines the historic and urbanistic profile of the city. The selection of 74 projects, organised in 5 itineraries, provides a full-immersion in architecture, allowing the reader to dwell on the functional, typological and compositive aspects of the buildings, which are rendered even more legible by images and technical drawings that supplement the descriptions. This volume also contains useful information and advice, making it easier and quicker for readers to get around the city and truly capture the essence of the place even in a short visit.

This is more than simply an architecture guide: it is also and above all an invitation to travel.

Architecture China is a journal focusing on the leading architectural design projects with regional characteristic in contemporary China. This 2023 Winter issue of Architecture China, focusing on how a new culture could be constructed through the action of building, showcases 12 newly completed museums or galleries, all of which express certain characters in contemporary Chinese culture. Four essays by Li Xiangning, Stanislaus Fung, Aric Chen, and Jiang Jiawei respectively provide different viewpoints on the topic, and expose critical thinking on cultural events that relate to contemporary China.

The temples of the Early Chalukyas, dating from the 6th to 8th centuries, are unrivalled in all of India for their comparatively early date and unusually complete condition, the remarkable juxtaposition of their different constructional techniques and building styles, and for the sheer beauty of their figural and decorative carvings. In spite of their appeal and outstanding historical significance, these monuments have until now lacked an adequate publication.

This volume is the first to fully describe and illustrate the architecture and art of the Early Chalukya temples in Badami, and nearby Mahakuta, Aihole and Pattadakal, all situated on or near to the Malprabha River in central Karnataka. Michell’s definitive text is complemented by forty of his measured drawings, which constitute the most thorough graphic documentation ever undertaken. These are accompanied by more than 150 splendid, newly commissioned photographs by Surendra Kumar.

Contents:
Preface; Historical Background; Architecture; Sculpture; Badami; Mahakuta; Aihole; Pattadakal; Maps; Building Chronology; Glossary of Architectural Terms; Glossary of Indian Names; Select Bibliography; Photo Credits; Index.

“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.

Corporate Architecture is a new challenge to designers of buildings, interiors, and temporary corporate exhibitions. This book is the first to present the entire development of corporate architecture to date, showing the strategies available and the best architectural and design concepts. The book presents milestones of 20th century corporate architecture and provides a wealth of photos illustrating the latest trends in corporate architecture. This work gives both designers and corporations a point of reference for integrating and transforming the architectural aspect of corporate design in their work. It will appeal not only to an audience interested in architecture for its own sake but also to corporations with designs on their own buildings, as well as developers and architects, and designers in related fields such as advertising, marketing and visual communication. Text in English and German. Architects featured include: Michael Wilford and Partners; Murphy/Jahn; Renzo Piano Building Workshop; Herzog & de Meuron; BRT Architekten; Ingenhoven, Overdiek and Partners; Wilford Schupp Architekten; Querkraft Arkitekten; Barkow Leibinger Architekten; Henn Architekten; Frei Otto; OMA Office for Metropolitan Architecture; Jun Aoki & Associates; Frank O. Gehry Associates; Schwitzke & Partner; HPP Laage und Partner; Franken Architekten; Rainer Köberl and Astrid Tschapeller; Deutsche Post Bauen GmbH.

“An ode to the architectural wonders of Iran.”AD Middle East

“A book that you enjoy picking up because there are always new and exciting things to discover in the photos. A very special kind of eye journey and absolutely worth reading!” — Lovely Books

Iran, the former Persia, lies at an interface between West-East and North-South. Several early trade routes crossed the country, connecting Asia, Africa and Europe, and the cultural wealth and scenic beauty of this region has attracted travelers for over 2,000 years. This rich past makes Iran one of the most culturally interesting countries of Asia.

The art of building has a special significance here. In contrast to other fields of knowledge, visual communication is particularly important in architecture. Much cannot be fully described; it must be made visible.

In his book, Sohrab Sardashti immerses us in the dreamlike world of Iranian architecture. At the beginning of the book, the history of Iranian architecture is briefly described. Then an impressive variety of buildings is presented, divided according to their different functions. Mosques, tombs, madrassas, hammams, castles, palaces and more are all covered. The text at the beginning of each chapter briefly explains the nature and history of that type of building, followed by a series of examples with a short text on each, and an abundance of photos taken especially for this book.  

The book allows one to experience the great diversity and fascination of Iranian architecture and is a visual treat for the reader.

Public markets are the world’s oldest retail trading format. The recent resurgence of public markets is unlocking a new era of market cities, which have sparked urban revitalization and fostered community diversity. This new book will look at the latest developments in market design across the globe, bringing readers up to date with the latest developments and demonstrating ideas, projects, and visions that will offer not only information, but inspiration too.

This luxuriously presented monograph documents the life, work, architecture and design achievements, plus the art, jewelry and fashion collections of leading Australian cultural advocate Gene Sherman. Here she shares intimate accounts of her journey in her own words and is joined by many internationally renowned and influential art world commentators, curators, fashion designers, and educators who have contributed incisive essays — ich with personal anecdotes — on the impressive cultural trajectory of this world-renowned art advocate and academic, collector and philanthropist. Beautifully photographed throughout, The Spoken Object features many previously unseen pictures of Gene Sherman, along with photographs of her personal collections, iconic fashion items and jewelry, significant art and sculpture, designer furniture, significant architecture, including the beautifully designed interiors of the stunning home she lives in and shared with her late husband, Brian Sherman.

This book accompanies a major exhibition in the Ashmolean Museum on the early work of internationally acclaimed German artist Anselm Kiefer. It focuses on his paintings, drawings, photographs and artist books created between 1969 and 1982, in the private collections of the Hall Art Foundation. Anselm Kiefer: Early Works is the first institutional show and publication in the UK dedicated to Kiefer’s early practice. The book introduces themes, subjects and styles that have become signature to Kiefer’s work, while providing a more intimate and complementary context for his large-scale installations that he is best known for today. The early works are accompanied by three recent paintings from the artist’s own collections and White Cube, chosen by the artist himself.

Art historians, artists, curators and experts of Kiefer’s art from Germany, Austria, Belgium, Britain and the US have contributed 46 original texts on individual works, organized in a chronological structure. An illustrated chronology at the end of the book compiled by Stephanie Biron from the Hall Art Foundation provides an overview of the artist’s early practice and life, to contextualize the works.

The book begins with Kiefer’s iconic Occupations and Heroische Sinnbilder series, created in 1969 and 1970, which Kiefer views as his first serious works. Kiefer was among the first generation of German post-war artists to directly confront the country’s troubled past and identity. Full of complex references to German socio-political history but also to culture, literature and his personal life, Kiefer’s early works carry a unique iconography, linking classic ideas of great art with a distinctive understanding of concrete artistic materiality. The landscapes in his watercolors are historically charged; hand-written words on paintings are closely linked with poetry well known to most German viewers; motifs and symbols point at Nazi ideologies and a collective feeling of guilt.

The Art of the Architect celebrates the role that drawing and watercolor painting play in architecture. Architectural drawing as we know it dates from the Renaissance, but with the arrival of computer design programs this ancient art—formed of pen, pencil, and brushstrokes on paper—is sometimes regarded as obsolete. The work of Michael G. Imber, whose watercolors and sketches are published for the first time in paperback, shows what a vital contribution they can still make at every stage of an architectural project. His personal example is followed by his colleagues in a visual culture that permeates his practice, Michael G. Imber Architects.

Whatever the place occupied by photographs, simulations, and visual graphics in the design process of today, hand drawing still facilitates a moment of deeper connection between an architect and his environment. Unlike a snap taken on a smart phone, a hand drawing is an active response to its subject: what is understood about a place in sensory terms cannot help but inform the finished design, creating buildings which maintain the balance between the way we live and the natural world around us.

Not only do Michael’s sketches allow him to visualize his environment more clearly, but they provide an immediate visual language with which he can communicate with his team, his craftsmen, and his clients. Pen and wash is a suggestive, selective, and emotive technique. Rich in examples of the art and philosophy that have inspired him over the years, this book is both an ode to a precious art form, and a visual delight to anyone who may turn its pages. Michael’s attention to light, color, line, shape, and space in these “working paintings” reveals a love for the medium that extends from his architectural practice into the time he spends both traveling, and at his summer home on an island in Maine. The beauty of the result will be inspiring to anyone who loves architecture and the attendant arts.