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Few figures in the American arts have stories richer in irony than
does architect Minoru Yamasaki. While his twin towers of New York's
World Trade Center are internationally iconic, few who know the
icon recognize its architect's name or know much about his
portfolio of more than 200 buildings. One is tempted to call him
America's most famous forgotten architect. He was classed in the
top tier of his profession in the 1950s and '60s, as he carried
modernism in novel directions, yet today he is best known not for
buildings that stand but for two projects that were destroyed under
tragic circumstances: the twin towers and the Pruitt-Igoe housing
project in St. Louis. This book undertakes a reinterpretation of
Yamasaki's significance that combines architectural history with
the study of his intersection with defining moments of American
history and culture. The story of the loss and vulnerability of
Yamasaki's legacy illustrates the fragility of all architecture in
the face of natural and historical forces, yet in Yamasaki's view,
fragility is also a positive quality in architecture: the source of
its refinement, beauty, and humanity. We learn something essential
about architecture when we explore this tension of strength and
fragility. In the course of interpreting Yamasaki's architecture
through the wide lens of the book we see the mid-century role of
Detroit as an industrial power and architectural mecca; we follow a
debate over public housing that entailed the creation and eventual
destruction of many thousands of units; we examine competing
attempts to embody democratic ideals in architecture and to
represent those ideals in foreign lands; we ponder the consequences
of anti-Japanese prejudice and the masculism of the architectural
profession; we see Yamasaki's style criticized for its arid
minimalism yet equally for its delicacy and charm; we observe
Yamasaki making a great name for himself in the Arab world but his
twin towers ultimately destroyed by Islamic militants. As this
curious tale of ironies unfolds, it invites reflection on the core
of modern architecture's search for meaning and on the creative
possibilities its legacy continues to offer. Beautifully
illustrated with over 100 color illustrations of Yamasaki's
buildings, this book will be of interest to students, academics and
professionals in a range of disciplines, including architectural
history, architectural theory, architectural preservation, and
urban design and planning.
Few figures in the American arts have stories richer in irony than
does architect Minoru Yamasaki. While his twin towers of New York's
World Trade Center are internationally iconic, few who know the
icon recognize its architect's name or know much about his
portfolio of more than 200 buildings. One is tempted to call him
America's most famous forgotten architect. He was classed in the
top tier of his profession in the 1950s and '60s, as he carried
modernism in novel directions, yet today he is best known not for
buildings that stand but for two projects that were destroyed under
tragic circumstances: the twin towers and the Pruitt-Igoe housing
project in St. Louis. This book undertakes a reinterpretation of
Yamasaki's significance that combines architectural history with
the study of his intersection with defining moments of American
history and culture. The story of the loss and vulnerability of
Yamasaki's legacy illustrates the fragility of all architecture in
the face of natural and historical forces, yet in Yamasaki's view,
fragility is also a positive quality in architecture: the source of
its refinement, beauty, and humanity. We learn something essential
about architecture when we explore this tension of strength and
fragility. In the course of interpreting Yamasaki's architecture
through the wide lens of the book we see the mid-century role of
Detroit as an industrial power and architectural mecca; we follow a
debate over public housing that entailed the creation and eventual
destruction of many thousands of units; we examine competing
attempts to embody democratic ideals in architecture and to
represent those ideals in foreign lands; we ponder the consequences
of anti-Japanese prejudice and the masculism of the architectural
profession; we see Yamasaki's style criticized for its arid
minimalism yet equally for its delicacy and charm; we observe
Yamasaki making a great name for himself in the Arab world but his
twin towers ultimately destroyed by Islamic militants. As this
curious tale of ironies unfolds, it invites reflection on the core
of modern architecture's search for meaning and on the creative
possibilities its legacy continues to offer. Beautifully
illustrated with over 100 color illustrations of Yamasaki's
buildings, this book will be of interest to students, academics and
professionals in a range of disciplines, including architectural
history, architectural theory, architectural preservation, and
urban design and planning.
Providing a concise and accessible introduction to the work of the
celebrated twentieth century German philosopher, Hans-Georg
Gadamer, this book focuses on the aspects of Gadamer's philosophy
that have been the most influential among architects, educators in
architecture, and architectural theorists. Gadamer's philosophy of
art gives a special place to the activity of "play" as it occurs in
artistic creation. His reflections on meaning and symbolism in art
draw upon his teacher, Martin Heidegger, while moving Heidegger's
thought in new directions. His theory of interpretation, or
"philosophical hermeneutics," offers profound ways to understand
the influence of the past upon the present and to appropriate
cultural history in ever new forms. For architects, architectural
theorists, architectural historians, and students in these fields,
Gadamer's thought opens a world of possibilities for understanding
how building today can be rich with human meaning, relating to
architecture's history in ways that do not merely repeat nor
repudiate that history. In addition, Gadamer's sensitivity to the
importance of practical thinking - to the way that theory arises
out of practice - gives his thought a remarkable usefulness in the
everyday work of professional life.
Providing a concise and accessible introduction to the work of the
celebrated twentieth century German philosopher, Hans-Georg
Gadamer, this book focuses on the aspects of Gadamer's philosophy
that have been the most influential among architects, educators in
architecture, and architectural theorists. Gadamer's philosophy of
art gives a special place to the activity of "play" as it occurs in
artistic creation. His reflections on meaning and symbolism in art
draw upon his teacher, Martin Heidegger, while moving Heidegger's
thought in new directions. His theory of interpretation, or
"philosophical hermeneutics," offers profound ways to understand
the influence of the past upon the present and to appropriate
cultural history in ever new forms. For architects, architectural
theorists, architectural historians, and students in these fields,
Gadamer's thought opens a world of possibilities for understanding
how building today can be rich with human meaning, relating to
architecture's history in ways that do not merely repeat nor
repudiate that history. In addition, Gadamer's sensitivity to the
importance of practical thinking - to the way that theory arises
out of practice - gives his thought a remarkable usefulness in the
everyday work of professional life.
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