After the Middle Ages, concrete fell into oblivion and was only rediscovered around 1700. Through constant further development and improvement, it became the most widely used building material of our time. New and innovative applications make it an incredibly valuable design tool for contemporary architectural conceptsas its properties and appearances can be influenced by the respective mixture of components.

The creative potential is almost inexhaustible. As versatile as this malleable material presents itself, it requires the skill and passion of its planners to create esthetically convincing solutions. The publication shows the enormous relevance and inimitable fascination of concrete in impressive imagery and versed texts with all relevant facts.

The purpose and primary function of wayfinding and signage design is to provide spatial orientation as quickly and clearly as possible. Respective concepts and systems can be designed for individual buildings, for example corporate headquarters, museums or hospitals, for areas such as a university campus or distinct municipal district, or for entire systems like a city’s public transport. In addition to communicating direction, the interplay of typography, pictograms, materials, colors and shapes in these systems also delineates a particular identity of the location. On the basis of international realizations this title shows the range of different approaches and implementation possibilities of environmental graphics. No matter what kind of spatial context, the focus is always on visual communication that is understandable for every user. This volume is an indispensable reference work for anyone involved in communications, as well as for architects, interior designers, graphic designers, and indeed creative minds of any sectors.

This title is dedicated to a common and very frequent construction task in Switzerland and Austria: the detached house. Current design trends and new interpretations of alpine building cultures, different life forms and realities, changed demands and needs can be discovered in what architects and designers have created in recent years. A particularly exciting phenomenon in this context is the creative handling of room arrangements and the spatial partitioning, for which very different solutions are found.

For this volume, the author has selected outstanding contemporary concepts and designs that deserve to be noticed and appreciated much more. Between prefabricated houses on the one hand and fancy villas on the other, all presented homes are within a middle-class budget. Floor plans and elevations, key figures on square feet, facts on ecological aspects, materials used and, last but not least, the respective designers offer the potential builder an extremely practical benefit.

After the success of "Architectural Visions", with its focus on the German speaking countries, this volume is devoted to the individual "handwriting" of architects and designers from around the world. As computer aided design becomes ever more prevalent, the handmade drawing is experiencing an amazing Renaissance. In its characteristic touch it often shows much more clearly which aesthetic impression the planned building finally leaves behind than any number of computer aided visualisation techniques. What is striking here is the concentration on the main characteristics of the buildings, which in turn mark the appearance. In contrast, in the rendering, the love of detail and alleged approximation of reality often overshadows those characteristics. This volume unifies the most varied painting and drawing techniques, counterposing realized drafts to photos of the execution, so that the viewers can recreate for themselves the connection between architectural will and effect.

Pharmacies constitute a special form of commercial architecture. The market for medicines, which is heavily regulated in most countries, has led to a veritable competition of the "atmosphere of space": since where product and price can no longer provide a competitive advantage, customer loyalty must be created with other means. In addition to professional competence and familiarity with the customers, that becomes above all the ambiance. That in turn translates to the modern and hygienic pharmacy, together with a friendly and assuring spatial experience. The selected examples show the design sophistication with which pharmacies today, from a functional as well as atmospheric standpoint, set themselves apart from the historical chemists' shelves - and the competitors.

Water is the scarcest of all natural resources. It is a global challenge to develop, produce and deploy technologies, systems and products for sustainable water consumption. The model for this approach is the world leader GROHE, which has been working for some time in the field of ecological solutions for water resources. The GROHE idea is not simply to deal with the economical and functional side of water supply but also to consider the pleasurable aspects of water and to reflect that consideration with the high design requirements of many architects. This volume presents buildings of different typologies with GROHE water technology solutions. The book also features interviews and essays by experts who explain the current state of sustainable water use water developments as well as the interaction of water technology and design.