Designing buildings and physical environments depends on social structure, social needs, economic data, environment, and technological development. Planning these environments is heavily influenced by cultural and regional need, the existing environment, and the materials available. Reusable and Sustainable Building Materials in Modern Architecture is an essential reference source that discusses the shaping of building design through culture and materials as well as the influence of environment on building design. Featuring research on topics such as passive design, ecological design, and urban design, this book is ideal for academicians, specialists, and researchers seeking coverage on culture, environment, and building design.

In this essential TASCHEN introduction to Tadao Ando we explore the hybrid of tradition, modernism, and function that allows his buildings to enchant architects, designers, fashion designers, and beyond. Through key projects including private homes, churches, museums, apartment complexes, and cultural spaces, we explore a uniquely monumental yet comforting aesthetic that draws as much on the calm restraint of Japanese tradition as the compelling modernist vocabularies of Bauhaus and Le Corbusier. With featured projects in Japan, France, Italy, Spain, and the United States, we see not only Ando's global reach but also his refined sensitivity for the environs: the play of light through windows, and, in particular, the interaction of buildings with water. From the mesmerizing Church of the Light in Osaka to the luminous Punta della Dogana Contemporary Art Center in Venice, this is a radiant tour through a distinctly contemporary form as much as a timeless appeal of light, elements, and equilibrium. About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Architecture series features: an introduction to the life and work of the architect the major works in chronological order information about the clients, architectural preconditions as well as construction problems and resolutions a list of all the selected works and a map indicating the locations of the best and most famous buildings approximately 120 illustrations (photographs, sketches, drafts, and plans)

Performing Architectures offers a coherent introduction to the fields of performance and contemporary architecture, exploring the significance of architecture for performance theory and theatre and performance practice. It maps the diverse relations that exist between these disciplines and demonstrates how their aims, concerns and practices overlap through shared interests in space, action and event. Through a wide range of international examples and contributions from scholars and practitioners, it offers readers an analytical survey of current practices and equips them with the tools for analyzing site-specific and immersive theatre and performance. The essays in this volume, contributed by leading theorists and practitioners from both disciplines, focus on three key sites of encounter: * Projects: examines recent trends in architecture for performance; * Practices: looks at cross-currents in artistic practice, including spatial dramaturgies, performance architectonics and performative architectures; and * Pedagogies: considers the uses of performance in architectural education and architecture in teaching performance. The volume provides an essential introduction to the ways in which performance and architecture, as socio-spatial processes and as things made or constructed, operate as generating, shaping and steering forces in understanding and performing the other.

This is an inspirational reference book for anybody looking for ideas on how to plan a new home or remodel an existing one. Complete with 333 full colour illustrations of the house exteriors, it is designed for easy use with houses sorted by size and number of bedrooms. Fully indexed, it is easy to find any type of house plan - from bungalow to town house. All homes are UK specification and the book is produced in conjunction with the UK's biggest selling selfbuild magazine.