Sandra Hofmeister Books

OMA – Office for Metropolitan Architecture – gehört zu den weltweit einflussreichsten Think Tanks im Bereich Architektur und Stadtplanung. Rem Koolhaas, Gründungsvater und Pritzker-Preisträger, steht mit seiner intellektuellen Herangehensweise an Architektur für weitaus mehr als den globalen Star-Architekten: Die Architektur bei OMA entsteht in enger Zusammenarbeit mit AMO, dem dazugehörigen und doch eigenständige Design- und Forschungsstudio. Hier wie dort heißt es: Architektur weiterdenken, sich von Konventionen lösen, neue Möglichkeiten entdecken. Der Weg ist das Ziel, die Architektur ein nie endender Prozess dauernd wechselnder Bedingungen und Perspektiven. Diese Monografie über OMA zeigt beeindruckende Projekte aus vielen Jahren des Architekturschaffens, sie beschreibt Ideen, Techniken und Prozesse und zeigt vor allem eines: viele Baudetails.

Foster + Partners, founded by Norman Foster in 1967, is a leading architectural firm known for high-tech architecture and innovative urban projects. This monograph showcases 12 recent works, from small structures to large-scale projects like the Lusail Towers in Qatar. It includes construction details, sketches, and insights from collaborators, reflecting their expertise and philosophy that building should catalyze positive environmental change.

This publication explores the evolution of schools into full-time models, highlighting the importance of functional areas, spatial organization, inclusion, participatory planning, sustainability, comfort, and lighting. It presents various school concepts as environments for learning and socializing, featuring 20 project examples.

This book reveals Copenhagen's quality of life using the example of built spaces. It leads its readers on a tour of exploration, visiting exciting architecture projects and surprising districts between Orestadt and Nordhavn. A total of over 25 exceptional buildings, urban squares and public spaces created in the past 10 years are presented. Documented with brilliant photos, general plans and texts, these projects paint an image of a brave generation of architects and planners who are not afraid to employ novel solutions. On display are daring typologies such as Amager Bakke, a ski slope on a waste incineration plant by BIG, spectacular iconic buildings, including the Royal Danish Aquarium by 3XN or popular public spaces for the urban community.

The book gives 20 architects and urban planners their say on the future of construction. Voices are heard from Mexico to Kenya – from Bangladesh to Switzerland. In the interviews experts give an account of their own experiences with climate-friendly construction as well as regional problems posed by rising CO2emissions. They explain pioneering projects and combine them with their personal desire and political ideals.

Barcelona is a vibrant hotbed of forward-looking architecture and urban planning. The Catalan metropolis is home to more bold concepts for climate adaptation and urban coexistence than almost anywhere else in Europe. The book highlights some of the most exciting structures built in Barcelona since 2010, bringing readers on a guided tour of surprising residential buildings, intriguing museums and extraordinary community spaces. The projects, including many additions to existing buildings, are documented with photos, floor plans and texts. Supplementary interviews introduce readers to key players in Barcelona’s architectural scene, while essays shed light on little-known aspects of the city’s urban development and transport planning.

The book presents current sports buildings, which stand out for the quality of their construction, their integration into the urban context, and their objectives. Sport today means lifestyle and fun and is associated with joining an association and social inclusion as well as with individualization and health awareness. The spectrum of documented examples from all over Europe ranges from school gyms to urban open spaces that can be used by anyone at any time. Today's buildings for sport are radically different from the gyms of the past, providing rich and aesthetic contributions to their surroundings. This publication deals with the significance of sports buildings in public spaces and presents 15 project examples from construction to detail.

Affordable housing is currently in short supply in many European cities. Persuasive models and outlooks for the future are needed if demand is to be met. Yet how can costs be reduced without restricting the quality of housing? This book documents current outstanding housing developments from all over Europe, which are distinguished by their quality but also by the fact that they were realised with reduced construction costs. Design solutions, deliberate material selection, specific building processes and explicit planning requirements all contributed to this result. The projects are documented in depth with photos, texts, floor plans and detailed drawings. The introduction includes three essays that examine the topic from different perspectives.

Worauf sitzen Gestalter und andere kreative Menschen am liebsten? Auf einer Vespa, einem Bistro-Stuhl in der Lieblingsbar, einem Panton Chair? Prominente Architekten und Designer überraschen mit ihren Geschichten, Fotos und Skizzen rund um ihre liebsten Sitzgelegenheiten. Egal, ob Gebrauchsgegenstand, Kunstwerk, Sammlerrarität oder persönliches Erinnerungsstück: Jeder Lieblingsstuhl erzählt von den individuellen Erfahrungen und Ansichten der Kreativen und ihren liebsten Sitzgelegenheiten. Ein Buch zum Schmökern, Entdecken, Inspirieren…

2019 marks the centenary of a myth: the Bauhaus has shaped architectural history like no other modern institution. Even 100 years after its foundation in Weimar, the principles, methods and visions of the Bauhaus masters and students are still alive. But the many ways in which the Bauhaus is regarded today are as diverse as the goals pursued by its individual directors and workshops in the past. What Bauhaus means, the associations it invokes and its typical characteristics are all a matter of interpretation and perspective. There is no universal formula. In this book, 100 architects from around the world share their personal views on the Bauhaus. In short texts accompanied by photos or sketches, they describe what they associate with this avant-garde school, how the Bauhaus is relevant to them personally, and the aspects they consider to be “typical Bauhaus”. Architecture and design, the everyday and the exemplary, processes and experiments are just a few aspects of the range of topics addressed in these brief essays. 100 individual perspectives provide insight into the authors’ design principles and architectural understanding.