Since the sensuous Modernism pioneered by Oscar Niemeyer in Brazil, Latin America has become one of the most exciting locations for contemporary architecture in the world. Alejandro Aravena and Paulo Mendes da Rocha, both recent Pritzker Prize winners, are just two very different examples of the wide architectural range, set amid varied climates, social conditions and environments, that has brought international attention to a continent making a name for itself as a centre for innovation and experimentation. From the dramatic plateaux of the Andes to the lush tropics of the Amazon to the world's driest desert, the Atacama, the rich range of climates, terrains and cultural influences across Latin America offers significant opportunities to create new residential architecture. This overview showcases the most accomplished and rarely seen contemporary houses, by established names - Isay Weinfeld, Mathias Klotz and Marcio Kogan - as well as the rising talents now receiving recognition on the world stage, including Pezo von Ellrichshausen and Giancarlo Mazzanti. Following an introduction that sets out the development of Latin American architecture since Niemeyer, the book reveals how each house has gone beyond its brief in stunning and unexpected ways, resulting in buildings that transcend their time and place.

Colonial, Neoclassical, Queen Anne, Craftsman-what distinguishes one architectural style from another? This unique book will allow readers to recognize the architectural features and style of virtually any house they encounter. Here, architect John Milnes Baker explains the historical, cultural, and technical influences that shaped each of these styles and many more. Organized in periods, from Early Colonial (1600-1715) to the Modern Movement (1920-60) and beyond, this tour of America's varied residential architecture is rendered in elevation drawings that precisely illustrate the key characteristics of each style. Nearly 25 years since the original publication of American House Styles, this updated edition includes a new preface and house styles from the mid-1990s to the present-from the rise and fall of the McMansion to energy-efficient, regionally influenced homes. The illustrations, now in color, are more delightful than ever in a new, larger format. This a must-have volume for anyone interested in architecture or adding a bit of style to their home.

A beautifully illustrated single-project monograph on the innovative design process and creation of a flagship lakeside resort in central China, the Hilton Wuhan Optics Valley resort, this book showcases the chronological project phases, from the early-stage site preparations, design and engineering parameters, through to final construction and completion. The resort is a business and convention center, as well as a prime hub for political and business activities. There are dedicated spaces for meetings and receptions, a full suite of leisure facilities, such as a large spa area, an indoor heated swimming pool, an outdoor swimming pool, a gym, a cycling route, a lakeside basketball court, and a tennis court. The hotel component of the resort comprises luxury guest rooms and suites, all with private balconies overlooking a beautiful lake, a convention centre with a huge zero-pillar banquet hall, and an outdoor ceremonial lawn. Hilton Wuhan Optics Valley is featured by its innovative design. Tightly knit around the core site, the layout is characterised by a central symmetry and a clear separation of the external and the internal areas. The creative use of a cluster of courtyards interlacing each other characterises the hotel lobby. The functional areas are thus separated so that the guests can enjoy an experience of unique spaces typically offered only by small hotels. The design of the facade drew inspiration from Jing-chu culture clean lines, delicate details, traditional textures and natural materials and imparts a sense of understated luxury and otherworldly elegance, allowing the architecture of the hotel to perfectly blend into the natural environment around Yanxi Lake. This book is a unique reference and useful guide for architects, engineers and designers of resorts, or related typologies.

The then private residences showcased in this monograph have been designed in by Garegin Yeghoyan (Professor of the International Academy of Architecture) and are testimony to the International Style set within the context of ancient Armenian architecture. These buildings can be seen as analogous to islands of contemporary architecture amidst an ocean of bland structure. They may be viewed against a backdrop of the natural environment and the 'structured chaos' of the vernacular fabric. Garegin Yeghoyan thus draws on the long tradition of Armenian architecture, which bears the hallmark of the simplicity and homogeneity offered by the rock-type known as tuff, with all its nuances of colour. This surface of natural stone constituting the ultimate Armenian building material offers an antithesis to modernist forms in concrete and metal and thus embodies the unique feature of this architecture.