Colibris

Uncommon Ground: Architecture, Technology, And Topography by David Leatherbarrow,
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publish date: October 2, 2000
Number of pages: 335 pages
ISBN: 0262122308
ISBN13: 9780262122306

Pret : 50 Lei

Although both are central to architecture, siting and construction are often treated as separate domains. In Uncommon Ground, David Leatherbarrow illuminates their relationship, focusing on the years between 1930 and 1960, when utopian ideas about the role of technology in building gave way to an awareness of its disruptive impact on cities and culture. He examines the work of three architects, Richard Neutra, Antonin Raymond, and Aris Konstantinidis, who practiced in the United States, Japan, and Greece respectively.

Leatherbarrow rejects the assumption that buildings of the modern period, particularly those that used the latest technology, were designed without regard to their surroundings. Although the prefabricated elements used in the buildings were designed independent of siting considerations, architects used these elements to modulate the environment. Leatherbarrow shows how the role of walls, the traditional element of architectural definition and platform partition, became less significant than that of the platforms themselves, the floors, ceilings, and intermediate levels. He shows how frontality was replaced by the building’s four-sided extension into its surroundings, resulting in frontal configurations previously characteristic of the back. Arguing that the boundary between inside and outside was radically redefined, Leatherbarrow challenges cherished notions about the autonomy of the architectural object and about regional coherence. Modern architectural topography, he suggests, is an interplay of buildings, landscapes, and cities, as well as the humans who use them.

The conflict between technological progress and cultural continuity, Leatherbarrow claims, exists only in theory, not in the real world of architecture. He argues that the act of building is not a matter of restoring regional identity by re-creating familiar signs, but of incorporating construction into the process of topography’s perpetual becoming.

What Is A Bridge? The Making Of Calatrava's Bridge In Seville by Spiro N. Pollalis,
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publish date: September 9, 2002
Number of pages: 199 pages
ISBN: 0262661349
ISBN13: 9780262661348

Pret : 18 Lei

In July 31, 2003, the architect Santiago Calatrava was chosen to design a new PATH railway terminal on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City. Calatrava is internationally noted for his accomplishments in transportation architecture; The New York Times’s Herbert Muschamp writes that he has “taken this genre of design to the level of genius.” Calatrava’s reputation is largely the result of several distinctive bridge projects, all of which exhibit both his singular design style and his engineering acumen. The Alamillo Bridge in Seville, Spain, is one of his signature structures.

Cultural icon, daring engineering spectacle, and highly controversial structure, the Alamillo Bridge stands almost 150 meters tall, with an inclined pylon whose own weight balances that of the deck and traffic. Built for the 1992 Universal Exposition in Seville, Spain, the bridge immediately received great international attention that continues to this day.

Santiago Calatrava received a direct commission to design the bridge and seized the opportunity to create a design breakthrough—a stunning, harp-shaped bridge that defies both gravity and traditional bridge design. Along with the inclined pylon, cantilevered roadways, and elevated walkways, the striking absence of symmetry in the Alamillo Bridge prompts the observer to wonder anew, “What is a bridge?”

In this book, the first to document Calatrava’s work in depth, Spiro Pollalis describes each step of the bridge’s design and construction, explaining the architectural intentions that motivated Calatrava’s decisions along the way. He presents the constructed bridge element by element, along with the relevant engineering calculations and technical issues. The book is both a fascinating story of the intricate process of creating architecture in contemporary society and an accessible technical reading of an unprecedented feat in bridge design and engineering.

Roman Art And Architecture (World Of Art) by Robert Eric Mortimer, Sir Wheeler,
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Publish date: February 1985
Number of pages: 252 pages
ISBN: 0500200211
ISBN13: 0500200211

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Anglo Files by Lucy Bullivant,
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Publish date: 2005
Number of pages: 255 pages
ISBN: 0500342121
ISBN13: 0500342121

Profiling Britain’s most dynamic and intriguing practices, ‘Anglo Files’ follows the successful formula of ‘SuperDutch’ and ‘Swiss Made’, presenting the best up-and-coming architects at work in the UK today. Unique to this survey of young British architects is the synthesis of foreign cultures with local conditions and sensibility; many of the architects featured here hail originally from outside the UK.

Fourteen studios are fully profiled, each presented in recent projects shown in detail through photographs, plans and computer renderings. The profiles are bookended by two essays, one that considers the context for the work, and one that discusses a number of fledgling studios who are beginning to make a mark in the fields of urban design and public housing. The distinctive qualities of this book, together with its relevance to contemporary architectural practice everywhere, will make it a core volume for any architecture list.

The Architecture Pop-Up Book by Anton Radevsky,
Pavel Popov,
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publish date: November 2004
Number of pages: 24 pages
ISBN: 0500342032
ISBN13: 0500342032

The Architecture Pop-Up Book is a magnificent journey through history. Featuring amazing three-dimensional replications of famous buildings from ancient to modern times, the book showcases artwork, photographs, pop-ups and detailed texts on the ancient Egyptian pyramids and Mesopotamian ziggurats; the great constructions of Greece and Rome, such as the Parthenon and the Colosseum; majestic Asian wonders, including the Taj Mahal and the Hagia Sophia; Gothic and Neoclassical masterpieces, from Notre Dame and the Duomo in Florence to the Houses of Parliament and Monticello; and the work of such important modern architects as Gaudi, Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry. From a brilliantly elaborate Gothic cathedral nave to a telescoping Chrysler Building skyscraper, the talent and imagination of architects and builders from all eras and from all over the world, are displayed and compared here. Innovative, informative and entertaining, this gift book is a superb tour of the greatest achievements of world architecture and is the perfect gift for the architecture enthusiast and anyone interested in learning about the history of these celebrated buildings.

Buildings For Tomorrow: Architecture That Changed Our World by Paul Cattermole,
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Publish date: 2006
Number of pages: 191 pages
ISBN: 0500342288
ISBN13: 0500342288

Architects have always dreamed of shaping the future, of building Utopian worlds filled with seemingly impossible structures that break with the past to propel mankind far into the 21st century and beyond. This book reviews forty such visionary projects, encompassing the whole spectrum of the built environment, from bus stations and concert halls to boat lifts and aquariums. This stimulating survey, illustrated with the very best architectural photography, will transport readers into yet unknown worlds.

SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ART & ARCHITECTURE. by ANN SUTHERLAND HARRIS,
Publisher: LAURENCE KING
Publish date:
Number of pages: pages
ISBN: 1856694151
ISBN13: 1856694151

Encompassing the socio-political, cultural background of the period, this book takes a fresh look at the careers ofthe Baroque Masters and many lesser-known artists. The book focuses on art from Italy, Flanders, Spain, France, the Dutch Republic and England.

1000 Years Of World Architecture: An Illustrated Guide by Francesca Prina,
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Publish date: 2006
Number of pages: 429 pages
ISBN: 0500342296
ISBN13: 0500342296

This lively, accessible guide to the main characteristics, movements and regional variants of a millennium of Western architecture, from the early Romanesque to the most recent contemporary trends. 150 double-page entries are dedicated to the greatest architects, styles, movements and themes, each beginning with a concise introductory text and illustrations of the most important and representative works.

Architecture Of Thailand by Nithi Sthapitanonda,
Brian Mertens,
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Publish date: May 29, 2006
Number of pages: 256 pages
ISBN: 0500342237
ISBN13: 0500342237

Thailand’s architecture comes alive in this magnificently illustrated volume, the most comprehensive book on the subject yet published, exploring every genre from houses and farm huts to temples, palaces, and modern buildings. It is the first major book to focus on the myriad elements that make Thai architecture so rich in beauty and meaning. With hundreds of images by leading photographers, this is an accessible, inspirational source book for designers, architects, and everyone interested in Southeast Asian culture.

The book is a collaboration between leading architect Nithi Sthapitanonda, who did the drawings, photographs, and research support, and writer Brian Mertens, who did the writing, main research, and many photos. 800+ illustrations in color and black and white.