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Sketches of Frank Gehry by Sydney Pollock chronicles the friendship between director Sydney Pollock and the famed architect every bit as much as it does Gehry and his work, and it makes for a delightful window into the world of creativity and genius. Gehry has made a big imprint (which critics might liken to Bigfoot’s) on architecture at the turn of the 21st century; his molten-looking visions have graced buildings small (actor Dennis Hopper’s industrial-looking home in Venice, Calif.) to enormous (the sprawling Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain). He’s the genius behind Los Angeles’s sweeping Walt Disney Concert Hall–which, though formidable in shape and size, manages to nod gracefully to its adjoining, beloved predecessor, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. (He also created the controversial Experience Music Project museum in Seattle, which residents have likened to a giant psychedelic beetle crouched at the foot of the Space Needle.) For creating such mega (more…)

Review

Heavy on context and images, light on celebrity names, Design Like You Give a Damn is a bracing reminder that there’s more to architecture than museums and posh private homes. Instead, the founders of the group Architecture for Humanity round up 77 nimble solutions to real-life problems: There are fiberglass domes for the homeless of Los Angeles, a schoolhouse in Burkina Faso with an arced steel roof that insulates the clay brick classrooms below — even a water pump in South Africa that is powered by children playing on a merry-go-round. Truly inspirational. (San Francisco Chronicle 20060716)A book that is lovely in every sense of the word.. …makes clear just how much talent is currently going to waste designing McMansions. (Bill McKibben New York Review of Books 20060907)Design Like You Give A Damn screams its message in its title. Good design is not a luxury, but a necessity. (The Scotsman 20060706)This book brings forth the values of sustainability and dive (more…)

Review

“…so lucid and clear that every layman and beginner will be able to understand and to enjoy it.” — Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism”A book of great charm and broad understanding.” — Architectural Forum

Profusely illustrated with fine instances of architectural experimentation through the centuries, Experiencing Architecture manages to convey the intellectual excitement of superb design. From teacups, riding boots, golf balls, and underwater sculpture to the villas of Palladio and the fish-feeding pavilion of the Peking Winter Palace, the author ranges over the less-familiar byways of designing excellence. At one time, writes Rasmussen, “the entire community tool part in forming the dwellings and implements they used. The individual was in fruitful contact with these things; the anonymous houses were built with a natural feeling for place, materials and use and the result was a remarkably suitable comeliness. Today, in our (more…)

Review

impressive…wealth of information…beautifully formatted…well-written…stunning color illustrations…excellent source of information…also an entertaining journey through the history of world architecture — American Reference Books Annual, March 2004the best worldwide survey of architecture on the market today…much better than any other worldwide survey book… Highly recommended. — Choice, January, 2004
–This text refers to an alternate

Hardcover
edition.

A magnificently illustrated guide to the global history of architecture—updated to include the non-western world and works from women The Second Edition of this historical architectural guide gives you a deeper knowledge and wider perspective of traditions in architecture throughout the world—from prehistoric through modern structures. Extensively and beautifully illustrated, the book includes photos, plans, scales for world-famous structures s (more…)

From Publishers Weekly

With a broad topic and a deep reach, this collection of work from New Yorker architecture critic Goldberger reflects on the meanings and effects of architecture, both in the abstract and in everyday life. From specific places like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. (“may be one of the few great architectural works anywhere whose approach is marked only by directional signs, not by a glimpse of the thing itself”) to discussion of individual architects (Saarinesen, Lloyd Wright, etc.), Goldberger is clear and direct throughout, occasionally addressing readers directly with questions and thought experiments (“For the next few pages … think only in terms of what a building looks like when you stand before it”) that help recreate the architectural thought process. Sometimes focused too narrowly on the author’s own experience (breathlessly recounted memories of architectural epiphany can fall flat), Goldberger occasionally risks alienat (more…)

From Publishers Weekly

Unabashedly huge in its proportions, this book differs from the standard architecture survey in that it doesn’t approach the topic from a Western perspective, but rather, as the title indicates, through a global lens. This bodes well for its success as a textbook, but will also please the casual reader. Chronologically organized, the work spans the globe within each time period, occasionally taking time to discuss certain styles and major historical periods, but devoting most of its space to specific architectural works. This chronological organization keeps the book from feeling divided geographically, and maintains a diverse view without manic overextension-a look at the palace at New Delhi is followed by Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, which is followed by the Hollyhock House in Los Angeles. Throughout, the authors make connections that have rarely been explored (“An important influence on European architecture in the west came from the direc (more…)

From the Manufacturer

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1934, Fallingwater is perhaps the most famous residential home in the world. Open to the public since 1963, this masterpiece exemplifies Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic architectural style by intimately merging man with the surrounding landscape. This highly-detailed LEGO model, co-developed and designed by architect Adam Reed Tucker, captures all of the distinctive features that make Fallingwater an architectural landmark. The assembled Fallingwater model stands 10″ (256 mm) wide on a gray base with printed name label and includes a booklet with facts about the building, its construction and its history.

The set includes a booklet full of details about the building’s design and history plus facts about the tower. A creative and eye – catching accent for any desk, shelf or mantelpiece! Perfect for any world tourist or architecture fan! The perfect display for any architect or fan of spectacula (more…)

Review

“A top choice for serious architecture students.”  —School Library Journal”An extraordinary book.” —Chicago Tribune”Loaded with projects, this book introduces maturing minds to the principles that guide architects and engineers as they design and construct buildings and bridges.”  —School Shop

The Art of Construction outlines the basic principles necessary to build bridges, skyscrapers, and other architectural structures. Projects that demonstrate how these principles keep the deigns from falling are given.

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From Booklist

DK’s trademark visual verve is applied to this volume in the Eyewitness Companions series. Brief text accompanies numerous, albeit sometimes very small, color photographs, providing a whirlwind tour through the architectural elements, styles, and landmarks of the ages and slightly updating Glancey’s The Story of Architecture (2000). Though it’s no substitute for standard texts, this is an inexpensive way to add an architecture resource. Mary Ellen QuinnCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Explore the world’s greatest buildings! Architecture is filled with amazing illustrations and photographs that take you to the heart of the world’s landmark buildings. Get the opportunity to look beyond the facade. Examine materials and technology that shape buildings, and identify the key elements and decorative features of each architectural style. This is the best definitive visual guide on architecture; it covers 5,0 (more…)

Architectural detailing makes a building unique and an architect outstanding. This book provides analysis of both the technical and the aesthetic importance of details in the development of contemporary domestic architecture from 2000 to 2005. Featuring many of the world’s most highly acclaimed architects, the book presents over 50 of the most recently completed and influential house designs. For each house there are color photographs, plans of every floor, sections and elevations, and numerous construction details. The book also features in-depth information for each project, including the size, the client, the architectural project team, main consultants, and contractors. With CD-ROM.

About the Author

Virignia McLeod studied architecture in Australia and has worked for a number of private practices in London. She was the editor of The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture and currently works as a freelance writer and editor.

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