Set against the backdrop of climate crisis and housing shortages, the book advocates for a transformative approach to architecture by emphasizing the importance of reusing materials. It challenges conventional construction practices and presents innovative solutions that prioritize sustainability and resourcefulness. Through visionary ideas, it seeks to inspire a shift towards more responsible building methods that can address pressing environmental issues while meeting societal needs.
Visionary proposals for a mythic and strange architecture—or anarchitecture—through which we can imagine other and better worlds. Lurking under the surface of our modern world lies an unseen architecture—or anarchitecture. It is a possible architecture, an analogous architecture, an architecture of anarchy, which haunts in the form of monsters that are humans and machines and cities all at once; or takes the form of explosions, veils, queer, playful spaces, or visions from artwork and video games. In The Monster Leviathan, Aaron Betsky traces anarchitecture through texts, design, and art of the twentieth and early twenty-first century, and suggests that these ephemeral evocations are concrete proposals in and of themselves. Neither working models nor suggestions for new forms, they are scenes just believable enough to convince us they exist, or just fantastical enough to open our eyes. The Monster Leviathan gives students and lovers of architecture, as well as those hoping to construct a better, more sustainable, and socially just future, a set of tools through which they can imagine that such other worlds are possible. As Betsky eloquently articulates, anarchitecture already exists and does not exist at all. It is the myth of building, and all we have to do is find it.
Highlighting Kim Utzon's architectural journey, this monograph showcases twenty-five projects spanning institutional, commercial, and residential designs over thirty-five years. Collaborating with photographer Torben Eskerod, Utzon's work reflects a refined Scandinavian Modern aesthetic, characterized by light-filled spaces and expressive forms. The introduction by Aaron Betsky and a foreword by Gabriel Bauret delve into the joy of architectural experience, while an interview with James Moore McCown traces the firm’s evolution. Utzon's designs prioritize clarity, sensibility, and a harmonious relationship with their surroundings.
Ideas, inspirations and principles from the legendary American architect.
Renny Ramakers is realizing projects that combine virtual technologies and social media with the craft of design to develop new social relations. For more than three decades, the Dutch art historian, critic, and curator has been changing the nature and purpose of design. As co-founder of the Droog Design collective, she has championed the notion of furniture and industrial design as a rethinking of today's world. When Droog first exhibited at the Milan furniture fair in 1993, its assemblies of found materials and witty forms instantly changed the landscape of design. Since then, Ramakers has worked with makers and creators to move beyond slick objects and towards critical projects that open our eyes to our multifaceted realities while offering easy access and great joy to users.
An architectural journey through the cityscapes and buildings of Andrew Bromberg's career to date, exploring the influences of nature and social and urban development on his projects and ideas about architecture.
Highlighting the innovative designs and contributions of a prominent Russian architectural firm, this monograph offers an in-depth exploration of their projects and philosophies. It features a comprehensive collection of their most significant works, showcasing the firm's impact on contemporary architecture and urban development in Russia. Through detailed analysis and visual documentation, readers gain insight into the creative processes and cultural influences that shape the firm's distinctive style.
This expanded and up-to-date volume showcases Zaha Hadid's remarkable and inspiring work over the course of her career
An illuminating introduction to the influence of architecture on the world, the environment, and human lives Architecture matters. It matters to cities, the planet, and human lives. How architects design and what they build has an impact that usually lasts for generations. The more we understand architecture—the deeper we probe the decisions and designs that go into making a building—the better our world becomes. Aaron Betsky, architect, author, curator, former museum director, and currently the dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, guides readers into the rich and complex world of contemporary architecture. Combining his early experiences as an architect with his extensive experience as a jury member selecting the world’s most prominent and cutting-edge architects to build icons for cities, Betsky possesses rare insight into the mechanisms, politics, and personalities that play a role in how buildings in our societies and urban centers come to be. In approximately fifty themes, drawing on his inside knowledge of the architectural world, he explores a broad spectrum of topics, from the meaning of domestic space to the spectacle of the urban realm. Accessible, instructive, and hugely enjoyable, Why Architecture Matters will open the eyes of anyone dreaming of becoming an architect, and will bring a wry smile to anyone who already is.
This book explores the emergence of modernism, highlighting the interplay of beauty and terror in daily life shaped by machines. It posits that modernism represents a retrospective attempt to capture the ever-changing present, emphasizing humanity's conscious role in continuously remaking the world.