Take a theoretical approach to architecture with "The Autopoiesis of Architecture," which presents the topic as a discipline with its own unique logic. Architecture's conception of itself is addressed as well as its development within wider contemporary society.

Author Patrik Schumacher offers innovative treatment that enriches architectural theory with a coordinated arsenal of concepts facilitating both detailed analysis and insightful comparisons with other domains, such as art, science and politics. He explores how the various modes of communication comprising architecture depend upon each other, combine, and form a unique subsystem of society that co-evolves with other important autopoietic subsystems like art, science, politics and the economy.

The first of two volumes that together present a comprehensive account of architecture's autopoiesis, this book elaborates the theory of architecture's autopoeisis in 8 parts, 50 sections and 200 chapters. Each of the 50 sections poses a thesis drawing a central message from the insights articulated within the respective section. The 200 chapters are gathering and sorting the accumulated intelligence of the discipline according to the new conceptual framework adopted, in order to catalyze and elaborate the new formulations and insights that are then encapsulated in the theses. However, while the theoretical work in the text of the chapters relies on the rigorous build up of a new theoretical language, the theses are written in ordinary language ? with the theoretical concepts placed in brackets. The full list of the 50 theses affords a convenient summary printed as appendix at the end of the book.

The second volume completes the analysis of the discourse and further proposes a new agenda for contemporary architecture in response to the challenges and opportunities that confront architectural design within the context of current societal and technological developments.

Parametricism is an avant-garde architecture and design movement that has been growing and maturing over the last 15 years, emerging as a remarkable global force. The tendency started in architecture but now encompasses all design disciplines, from urban design to fashion. In architecture, the style has an international following and is currently progressing beyond its experimental roots to make an impact on a broader scale, with practices like Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) winning and completing large-scale architectural projects worldwide. Parametricism implies that all elements and aspects of an architectural composition or product are parametrically malleable; and the style owes its original, unmistakable physiognomy to its unprecedented use of computational design tools and fabrication methods. All design parameters are conceived as variables that allow the design to vary and adapt to the diverse, complex and dynamic requirements of contemporary society. Although Parametricism has been talked about and hotly debated for a number of years, so far there has been no publication dedicated to Parametricism. The issue is guest-edited by Patrik Schumacher, partner at ZHA, and one of the world s most highly renowned advocates of Parametricism. Contributors: Philippe Block, Shajay Bhooshan, Mark Burry, Mario Carpo, Manuel DeLanda, John Frazer, Mark Foster Gage, Enriqueta Llabres and Eduardo Rico, Achim Menges, Theo Spyropoulos, Robert Stuart-Smith, Philip F Yuan. Featured architects and designers: Arup, MARC FORNES/THEVERYMANY, Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) and Ross Lovegrove.

Take a theoretical approach to architecture with "The Autopoiesis of Architecture," which presents the topic as a discipline with its own unique logic. Architecture's conception of itself is addressed as well as its development within wider contemporary society.

Author Patrik Schumacher offers innovative treatment that enriches architectural theory with a coordinated arsenal of concepts facilitating both detailed analysis and insightful comparisons with other domains, such as art, science and politics. He explores how the various modes of communication comprising architecture depend upon each other, combine, and form a unique subsystem of society that co-evolves with other important autopoietic subsystems like art, science, politics and the economy.

The first of two volumes that together present a comprehensive account of architecture's autopoiesis, this book elaborates the theory of architecture's autopoeisis in 8 parts, 50 sections and 200 chapters. Each of the 50 sections poses a thesis drawing a central message from the insights articulated within the respective section. The 200 chapters are gathering and sorting the accumulated intelligence of the discipline according to the new conceptual framework adopted, in order to catalyze and elaborate the new formulations and insights that are then encapsulated in the theses. However, while the theoretical work in the text of the chapters relies on the rigorous build up of a new theoretical language, the theses are written in ordinary language ? with the theoretical concepts placed in brackets. The full list of the 50 theses affords a convenient summary printed as appendix at the end of the book.

The second volume completes the analysis of the discourse and further proposes a new agenda for contemporary architecture in response to the challenges and opportunities that confront architectural design within the context of current societal and technological developments.

Since 1955, we have conducted an annual one-week ECG course at Innsbruck. This book represents a summary of our didactic experience. This English translation follows the enlarged sixth German edition. It contains many diagrams and new examples of tracings, such as the orthogonal leads system of Frank, explanation of extreme axis devia tion by the hemiblock concept, atrioventricular conduction disorders (His bundle electrogram), re-entry mechanisms, and the exercise ECG. The limits and dangers of ECG interpretations that, in our opinion, should be emphasized in an introductory presentation, are summarized in a final chapter. Our main aim was to make indigestible material palatable to the beginner; to provide him with a red thread through the labyrinth of ECG patterns by adopting a uniform approach, namely vectorial interpretation, in order to understand especially difficult areas (e. g. the differential diagnosis of infarction) by means of simplified diagrams; and to prepare him for the study of systematic textbooks. We believe that many such books should be read in order to comprehend a subject that is generally considered difficult by physicians and at the same time to promote critical understanding when called upon to evaluate an ECG in practice. The following publications to which we ourselves owe valuable suggestions, even if they are not explicitly mentioned in our text, are recommended: BELZ, G. G., STAUCH, M.: Notfall-EKG-Fibel, 2nd ed. Berlin, Heidel berg, New York: Springer 1977 BUCHNER, C. H., DRAGERT, W.: Schrittmachertherapie des Herzens.

Seit 1955 halten wir alljiihrlich in Innsbruck einen einwochigen EKG- Kurs. Dieses Buch ist die Zusammenfassung unserer dabei gewonnenen didaktischen Erfahrungen. Fiir die 5. Auflage wurden aile Kapitel iiberarbeitet, ein Teil wurde neu geschrieben, andere ergiinzt oder erweitert. Mehrere schematische Zusammenfassungen und Kurvenbeispiele wurden neu aufgenommen, so die orthogonalen Ableitungen nach Frank, die Deutung sogenannter "iiberdrehter" Lagetypen durch Hemiblockbilder, die atrioventrikuliiren Uberleitungsstorungen (His-Elektrogramm), die Reentry-Mechanismen und das Belastungs-EKG. Die jetzt vorliegende 6. Auflage wurde an einigen Stellen korrigiert und ergiinzt, blieb aber ansonsten unveriindert. Die Grenzen und Gefahren der EKG-Befundung, auf die unserer Meinung nach in einer Propiideutik hingewiesen werden muB, sind in einem SchluBkapitel zusammengefaBt. Es blieb unser Hauptbestreben, dem Anfiinger die schwer verdauliche Materie mundgerecht zu machen, ihm durch eine einheitliche Betrach- tungsweise, niimlich die vektorielle Deutung, einen roten Faden durch das Labyrinth der EKG-Morphologie in die Hand zu geben, besonders schwierige Bereiche (z. B. die Differentialdiagnostik des Infarkts) durch gerade noch zulassige schematische Vereinfachungen verstandlich zu machen und ihn dadurch auf das Studium systematischer Lehrbiicher vorzubereiten. Wir glauben, daB man mehrere Lehrbiicher lesen muB, urn in die fiir den Arzt erfahrungsgemiiB besonders sprode Materie ein- zudringen und bei der EKG-Arbeit in der Praxis Verstiindnis und Kritik in gleicher Weise zu fOrdern. Wir empfehlen folgende Werke, denen wir seIber wertvolle Anregungen verdanken, auch wenn sie nicht ausdriick- lich im Text zitiert sind: BORGER, H. H.: EKG-Information. Darmstadt: Steinkopff 1974. BUCHNER, CR., DRAGERT, W.: Schrittmachertherapie des Herzens. Mannheim: Boehringer 1973. CABRERA, E.: Electrocardiographie clinique. Paris: Masson 1959.