The materials are mostly unpublished, and Renzo Piano comments on them with sketches made for this special publication. The story of the project evolves from the origins to the first conceptual ideas, revealing the hard research process through sketches, drawings, study and presentation models, but also scientific experiments on light, sound and materials, to finally arrive to the construction site, the architecture built and the space lived. Few brief comment captions and some phrases by Renzo Piano bring a deeper understanding of the project stages, extracted from the story of the architect's adventure. A text at the end of the book provides the reader with a "behind the scene" view, from the relationship with the curators and the client to the choice of the materials, to the research of the most suitable solution for that museum and the specific context in which it was build. A conception of the museum that starts from the work of art to arrive at the architectural project. A journey that takes the reader through time and space during its realisation.

Notable undiscovered architects, like undiscovered composers, are implausible, yet Frances Xavier Velarde OBE, 1897-1960, could be just such a person hiding in plain sight. A stylish architect who took a road less travelled then died as he was getting into his stride. There have been no followers. Yet whenever enthusiasts gather to discuss modern church architecture his name will be mentioned. He was no earnest modernist; instead he loved patterns, bold colour and gold. The Catholic churches he built in Liverpool and London are closer to European Expressionism than International Modernism; many of them have a toy like quality and come with a campanile like a rocket. Today his buildings seem fresh and playful, but also poignant as they evoke the 1950s, brightening the drab parts in which they are to be found and serving to make both spiritually and architecturally aware those who visit. Many are threatened and have been published here for the first time. Dominic Wilkinson and Andrew Crompton have combined Velarde's papers with interviews and archive images, including many by his friend and famous photographer Edward Chambre Hardman. Their book, lavishly illustrated with new photography by Historic England, is a must for architects, students and connoisseurs wanting to discover a different route that modernism could have taken.

A presentation of all of Gaudi's works: from his earliest projects until the end of his life. Featuring drawings of the buildings and a visual chronology of the architect's life. Joan Bassegoda explains each architectural monument.

American Brad Washburn's impact on his proteges and imitators was as profound as that of any other adventurer in the twentieth century. Unquestionably regarded as the greatest mountaineer in Alaskan history and as one of the finest mountain photographers of all time, Washburn transformed American attitudes toward wilderness and revolutionized the art of mountaineering and exploration in the great ranges. In The Last of His Kind, National Geographic Adventure contributing editor David Roberts goes beyond conventional biography to reveal the essence of this man through the prism of his extraordinary exploits from New England to Chamonix, and from the Himalayas to the Yukon. An exciting narrative of mountain climbing in the twentieth century, The Last of His Kind brings into focus Washburn's deeds in the context of the history of mountaineering, and provides a fascinating look at an amazing culture and the influential icon who shaped it.

From the first idea to the opening day, the project is followed step by step through a long picture-report. Phrases by Renzo Piano serve as comments for the pictures and guide the reader though this journey. The main text, that can be found at the end of the book, is the testimony of Renzo Piano himself, recorded for this special occasion. Moreover, some sketches have been made especially for this book. The choice not to use any caption for the pictures, but to leave Renzo Piano's voice as a guide for the reader, has the aim to transmit the sense of gradual discovery that is experienced when entering the museum. Our objective is to create a collection of "unique" books, that allow the reader to share with us at every stage of the project, this extraordinary adventure that is "building".

Few people in the history of art and architecture have planted a seed of inspiration that grew to become a towering oak of lasting influence. There are those, particularly colleagues and students of Louis I. Kahn, who would say that he was one of these people. Certainly Kahn was one of the foremost architects of the twentieth century, designing such famous landmarks as the National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh; the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California; and the Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. In this commemorative volume, Charles E. Dagit, Jr. shows the power and influence that Kahn displayed at the University of Pennsylvania department of architecture in the 1960s. Since Dagit knew Kahn personally, this is a factual history as well as a glimpse into Kahn's personal wisdom and humanity. Beginning with a prelude that starts with the author's undergraduate years at the University of Pennsylvania, Dagit launches readers on an intellectual journey of how he first met Kahn. From there he details his experiences with Kahn and explores Kahn's interactions with Penn faculty members, including Mario Romanach, Robert LeRicolais, and Aldo Giurgola. This first-hand account sheds fascinating new light on one of the most prominent architects of the twentieth century.

The Architect & Sculptor RAs photographed in their workplaces with examples of their sculpture or buildings accompanied by a brief biography.

A fascinating new take on the architecture of Adjaye, exploring his approach to five building materials through his projects David Adjaye is one of the most in-demand architects today, known for his thoughtful interpretation of public spaces. In order to understand him as an architect, you must look at his projects through the lens of material - a crucial consideration in his practice. Organized into five sections - Stone/Concrete, Wood, Metal, Glass, and Rammed Earth - Alchemy reimagines the traditional architect monograph by examining the importance of material in architecture, a study vital to Adjaye and his design process. In 2021, David Adjaye was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal, and he was among seven global leaders to receive a TIME100 Impact Award in 2022. The book features over 30 public, commercial, and residential projects around the world, from his 2001 Concrete Garden in London to the Amoako Boafo Gallery in Accra, Ghana, built with rammed earth and completed in 2022.

The story of the project evolves from the first visit to the site at the inauguration, through sketches, drawings, models, notes and memories of Renzo Piano. It becomes a sort of travel journal, immediate and powerful. The story of Renzo Piano and the testimonials of scientists and engineers have been recorded and faithfully transcribed, so that the reader can live the adventure of this project, accompanied by the voice of the protagonists. A text at the end of the book provides the reader with a "behind the scene" view, from the relationship with the scientists to the choice of the materials, to the research of the most suitable solutions for that museum and the specific context in which it was built. It is a story of a museum of sciences which becomes itself the subject of naturalistic studies, the container and the content; according to Renzo's opinion "this century has led to the awareness of the fragility of the Earth, and it is up to us architects, here and now, to find a new language that celebrates sustainability". The research that has been done for this project led to the conquest of a Platinum level in LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Edwin Lutyens, one of the most famous architectural names of the 20th century, died in 1944. As a memorial, three large volumes of his drawings and photographs were commissioned from the thousands found in his office, and were published by Country Life.  All three volumes will be republished in 2023. The first volume contains his own plans, elevations and copious details of the finest examples of his domestic buildings, on which his huge reputation principally rests. The book embodies the quintessence of the man and his work; the variety of style and design seen in the houses brings together in one volume the many strands of Lutyen's fertile mind. Two further volumes will include his corporate and public buildings. The genius of Lutyens is now universally recognised. In the work featured in this book, we can now see not just the professionalism of a great architect, but also the loving care with which he set down the most minute detail, with the result that this is one of the few books in existence that can be used to provide working drawings.

Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) made a unique modernist mark. Influenced by both the landscape and the political independence of his native Finland, he designed warm, curving, compassionate buildings, wholly set apart from the slick, mechanistic, geometric designs that characterized much contemporary European practice. Whether a church, a villa, a sauna, or a public library, Aalto's organic structures tended to replace plaster and steel with brick and wood, often incorporating undulating, wave-like forms, which would also appear in his chair, glassware, and lamp designs. An adherent to detail, Aalto insisted upon the humanity of his work stating: "Modern architecture does not mean using immature new materials; the main thing is to work with materials towards a more human line." Many of Aalto's public buildings such as Saynatsalo Town Hall, the lecture theatre at Otaniemi Technical University, the Helsinki National Pensions Institute and the Helsinki House of Culture may be seen as psychological as well as physical landmarks in the rebuilding of Finland after the ravages of war. 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)

The name Lancelot 'Capability' Brown (1716-83) has become synonymous with the eighteenth-century English landscape garden. Ruthlessly efficient, he could stake out the 'capabilities' of a particular terrain within an hour on horseback. Rising to the position of Master Gardener to George III, his trademark features included bald lawns, clumped trees, lakes and enclosing belts of woodland on the estate's perimeter, setting a park formula that lasted well into the next century. Laura Mayer presents a concise and colourful introduction to Brown and other leading landscape gardeners of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, such as William Kent, Richard Payne Knight and Humphry Repton. She explores how competing ideas in garden design were shaped both by changes in prevailing fashion and by the innovations of particular designers, and why Brown's designs are currently considered to be the epitome of landscape gardening in this period.

With more than 280 entries, this architectural A-Z, now part of our Bibliotheca Universalis series, offers an indispensable overview of the key players in the creation of modern space. From the period spanning the 19th to the 21st century, pioneering architects are featured with a portrait, concise biography, as well as a description of her or his important work. Like a bespoke global architecture tour, you'll travel from Manhattan skyscrapers to a Japanese concert hall, from Gaudi's Palau Guell in Barcelona to Lina Bo Bardi's sports and leisure center in a former factory site in Sao Paulo. You'll take in Gio Ponti's colored geometries, Zaha Hadid's free-flowing futurism, the luminous interiors of SANAA, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh's unique blend of Scottish tradition and elegant japonisme. The book's A to Z entries also cover groups, movements, and styles to position these leading individual architects within broader building trends across time and geography, including International Style, Bauhaus, De Stijl, and much more. With illustrations including some of the best architectural photography of the modern era, this is a comprehensive resource for any architecture professional, student, or devotee. About the series Bibliotheca Universalis - Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe!

Renaissance master Andrea Palladio's architectural DNA can be seen on modern-day icons from Buckingham Palace to the White House, from numerous English stately homes to Virginian plantation houses. In THE PERFECT HOUSE Witold Rybczynski travels along the Brenta River in north-eastern Italy to experience the surviving original Palladian villas for himself. He sets out to discover how a rustic sixteenth-century stonemason, born Andrea di Pietro, first had to become 'cultured' before he could be one of the most respected architects of all time, and how Palladio managed to bring the elegance of Ancient Rome to the Venetian countryside. Out of the chaos of hired cars and cheap flights, towns packed with 'Ristoranti Palladio' and herds of tourists, Rybczynski savours moments of epiphany as he contemplates Palladio's perfect houses. Part travelogue, part historical biography, part architectural guide, THE PERFECT HOUSE is a delightful and enlightening exploration of the birth of domestic architecture and the man who spawned it.

Alvar Aalto and The Art of Landscape captures the essence of the Finnish architect's landscape concept, emphasising culture and tradition, which characterised his approach to and understanding of architecture as part of the wider environment. From the forests of his youth to sights from his travels, Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) was influenced by outdoor landscapes. Throughout his career, he felt the need to shape the terrain and this became a signature of his architecture. Divided into five chapters, this book traces Aalto's relationship with landscape, starting with an analysis of his definitions and descriptions of landscape language, which ranged from natural references and biological terms, to synonyms and comparisons. It includes beautifully illustrated case study projects from the 1950s and 1960s, discussing Aalto's transformation of different landscapes through topography, terracing and tiers, ruins and natural elements, horizon outlines, landmarks, and the repetition of form. Featuring archival sketches, garden drawings, and plans, the book also contains Aalto's text 'Architecture in the Landscape of Central Finland' from 1925 in the appendix. This book provides fascinating, untold insights into Aalto's relationship with landscape and how this developed during his lifetime, for scholars, researchers, and students interested in architecture and landscape history, landscape art, and cultural studies.

The story of Frank Lloyd Wright's life is no less astounding than his greatest architectural works. He enmeshed himself eagerly in myth and hearsay, and revelled in the extravagance of his creative persona. Throughout his long career, Wright strongly resisted the suggestion that his accomplishments owed anything to earthly influences. As much as he wanted his achievements to be recognised, he wanted them to be unaccountable - but they are not. This book reveals for the first time how his unbreakable self-belief and startling creative defiance both originated in the liberal religious and philosophical attitudes woven into his personality during his childhood - deliberately so by his mother and by his many aunts and uncles, to honour the fierce Welsh radicalism of their ancestors.

- Bridges history, theory, design, construction, technology, and sensory experience by means of digital simulations that enhance the assessment and values of our material choices - Uses the work of Aalto and selected contemporary architects, along with computer modeling software, to showcase the importance of comprehensive design - Offers an expanded reading of Aalto's approach towards building technology and how these impacted choices in choosing material and form for culture and environment - Includes 80 black and white illustrations

This is the first book to give such close attention to Le Corbusier's approach to the making of buildings. It illustrates the ways in which Le Corbusier's details were expressive of his overall philosophical intentions. It is not a construction book in the usual sense- rather it focusses on the meaning of detail, on the ways in which detail informs the overall architectural narrative of a building. Well illustrated and containing several specially prepared scaled drawings it acts as timely reminder to both students and architects of the possibilities inherent in the most small scale tectonic gestures.

* This book is the first comprehensive history of architectural modelmaking in Britain, or indeed of anywhere in the world. * An authoritative scholarly study based on six years of extensive research that draws from over 40 interviews, the analysis of over 4000 photographs of architectural models, and more than 700 documentary sources, written in an accessible style making it suitable for a broad audience. * Illustrated with never-before-seen photographs of historic architectural models from the 20th century drawn from private archives, including over 100 images from the Thorp archive, which is the largest known collection of material relating to architectural modelmaking in the world containing over 30,000 photographs and historic documents.