There are only a handful of public spaces that I can think of that inspire awe, probably because most seem to default to a utilitarian outcome rather than lifting the bar to any higher aesthetic. Yet the large scale projects by Weiss/Manfredi show a different side to this particular architecture. Their interdisciplinary approach can be seen most recently in the completed Olympic Sculpture Park (above right), whose Z-shaped path moves visitors through three different land parcels over a busy street. The way the landscape is involved as the structure, and how that structure surrounds and promotes the activity shows a thoughtful regard for both function and form.

Plus, there's enough documentation of details, photographs, and drawings to make your head hurt, or at least expand alarmingly with the realization of just how huge some of these projects seem to be.

"For nearly two decades the architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi has practiced outside the traditional boundaries of architecture. Their work with complex sites and programs benefits from an interdisciplinary approach and a dynamic integration of architecture, art, infrastructure, and landscape design. Surface/Subsurface presents nine major projects that have been completed since their first monograph Site Specific, published in 2000.Their design process–exemplary of the best contemporary architectural practices–reveals potential in subsurface conditions with the goal of generating an entirely new language for the surface."

Hardcover, 208 pages, 300 color illustrations

$60.00, Available at PA Press or here.

[posted by katie]

In a seemingly surreal environment, Jimmy and Dena Katz have captured bizarre yet ordinary scenes from in and around the Salt Flats of northern Utah. The backdrop of such a unique landscape sets off characters and objects, saturating colors with sharp sunlight and providing the rare opportunity for an uncomplicated study of silhouettes.

"Again and again they discovered human possessions and personal obsessions flung onto the salt surface against undulating mountains and boundless sky. They became intrigued by the inventors who, with their hand-built hotrods, racecars, and rockets, participate in the annual rituals and races on the Salt Flats—making their own statement in the landscape."

Published by powerHouse Books

[posted by katie]

Photographs of the wounded in hospitals, empty playgrounds, and men crying over their dead children do little to assuage the overall feel of emptiness that is brought home with this book of photographs in Iraq. There's beauty to be found in the images of dusty landscapes, but the lonely streets, some scattered with trash, push the previous sense of beauty clear out of the way. The American soldiers outfitted in their layers of gear contrast roughly with the people living in such a war zone, especially since most Iraqis shown are captured, wounded, grieving or dead. There's an honesty that's painful to look at, a reality of immediate grief that we don't always see on the evening news channels, which, let's face it, by now if we watch at all we're mostly immune to that sort of stuff anyways. I'd like to think these images stir up some feelings that disregard personal political affiliations, and bring about some clear ideas of how horrible war is despite the reasons for it, and maybe even create some sense of compassion and understanding for those that go through it, but I'm sure there's someone somewhere who can prove me wrong.

“For me, this book is about distance. It describes the gap between different peoples and cultures in Iraq. It attempts to show the space between two wars, the American invasion and the Iraqi civil war, the space between us and them, my experience and your experience. The fear and mistrust between humans.” -Christoph Bangert

Photographs by: Christoph Bangert
Text by: Jon Lee Anderson

[posted by katie]

I've just finished looking through the new David Report bulletin called "I shop therefore I am" and I highly recommend taking a few moments to read through it. It might just make you a little more aware of your responsibilities as a consumer.

"Shopping has turned into a lifestyle. We consume as leisure and a way to pass time. But at the same time many are realizing that the power of consumption is stopping us from finding true and sincere happiness; and that shopping often works as a substitute for something that we´re missing in life. At what point does the accumulation of material goods become less fulfilling and more stressful and overwhelming... Our consumption grows in the same pace as our economic growth. Studies shows that in hundred years we consume eight times as much per capita as today. Can our globe take such a strain? The power of consumption is being questioned and there´s a change in attitude and way of life. We don´t want to be consuming goofs, we want to be considered aware and responsible. It is all about WHAT we buy and WHAT we choose to invest in, the world we live in will be the result of those choices."

[posted by katie]

With thoughtful watercolor drawings, Kate T. Williamson captures the many moments of her daily life after moving back in with her parents for what was thought to be a three-month stopover but soon became a twenty-three-month stay.

Small details and ordinary scenes amount to a personal memoir that catches all the joys and embarrassing episodes of living once again with one's own parents. From spending her twenty-fourth birthday at a Hall&Oates concert with her mother to hiding in the fridge at a floral shop to avoid the 'what are you doing with your life' question, there's a sense of self awareness captured in her own script that is alternately uncomfortable and funny. This would be a perfect gift for anyone who has ever moved back in with their parents (or might be tempted to) and for those who have experienced the strange period of 'in-between-ness' that occurs after college but right before finding one's own roots.

[posted by katie]

Full of details that would make the most of a smaller space, this book has many photos that will help jog your creative juices. My favorites: Small House by Kazuyo Sejima & Associates, Healy/Kaplow Loft by Matthew Baird Design, and Anderson House by Jamie Fobert Architects.

"Small Environments focuses on the type of architectural details that make up distinctive residential spaces under 1,200 square feet [120 square meters]. It presents recent work by architects from around the globe in color photographs and architectural drawings. Rather than simply another compendium of small projects, the book is structured according to categories of architectural detail. It includes sections on components essential to the design of small spaces, such as built-in pieces, mobile systems, storage, outdoor rooms, siting strategies and daylighting details."

[posted by katie]

Even though this was published back in '06, there were quite a few homes in this book I had not seen featured before. My favorites: Cell Brick House, Castle Groenhof, and, of course, Denis House.

"Popular demand has led IMAGES' team of researchers to scour the world for yet another stunning collection of homes. The 100 fabulous homes carefully selected for this volume represent contemporary residential architecture in all its myriad forms. Vast differences in location, climate, culture, style, materials, interiors, and even furniture result in a collection that showcases, with full-colour photographs, plans and drawings, the best in international residential architecture. This is a book that can be browsed through time after time, with each viewing guaranteed to inspire, delight and surprise."

[posted by katie]

With so many intriguing details, this book leaves you with wanting more. Each section does an excellent job of focusing on particular issues concerning sustainable architecture, and there's a wide variety of building and design ideas to jump start your creativity. I kept wanting to see more of each home- more interior shots, more close ups on building materials, floorplans, etc.- but thorough exhaustive overviews is not what this book is about. Instead it zooms in on particular topics, highlighting how each home showcases the subject at hand. There's quite a few homes that shine- way too many to name.

"Sustainable Environments focuses on the type of architectural details in distinctive, sustainable residential spaces. It includes sections on components such as cooling or shading devices, building techniques that create minimal impact on the land, active systems, and the use of new sustainable materials as well as those that are salvaged or recyclable."

[posted by katie]

This little book is chock-full of modern interiors (just as the title suggests). Each residence is given 3 to 10 pages of coverage, mostly pictures but sometimes floorplans and cross sections are included as well. There are too many lust-worthy ones to name, but the crazy staircase of the XXS House stands out (shown top right). Overall, it's a spectacular resource to help inspire your home interior projects.

pictures:
(top right) XXS House by Dekleva Gregoric Arhitekti
(bottom) smart.space by AvroKO

[posted by katie]

Man, if you want to know more about the issues surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border, this book is for you. Sure, we  hear about illegal immigration, from occasional media sources to the debates of recent political primaries, and unfortunately that's probably the extent to which we bend our ear to the whole messy subject. This might be fine for some members of the general public, but for those of you that want a much broader overview of the concerns, Hyperborder is a good place to start.

With a staggering amount of facts and figures, it provides a thorough nonpartisan look at issues surrounding this region and how each country has become increasingly interdependent on the other. Future scenarios highlight possible outcomes (good and bad) while visual graphics help streamline data; making information more applicable and easier to absorb. Perhaps it's not bed or beach side reading, but it is a valuable source of information surrounding border issues, which is fast becoming a subject too large to ignore.

"The U.S.-Mexico border is the busiest, and among the most contrasting international borders in the world with over one million crossings daily. It is a dynamic site that encompasses modern global issues that range from migration to trade to international relations to national sovereignty, making it a HYPERBORDER. Considering the United States and Mexico are the leading immigration and emigration countries in the world and that by 2050 Hispanics will represent 25% of the U.S. population, both nations will need to re-evaluate their political, economic, and cultural relations as this demographic shift takes place." -hyperborder.net

a couple of quotes:

"More than 3,000 registered deaths are estimated to have occured in the ten-year time frame beginning in late 1994 when Operation Gatekeeper began...and around 1,000 unidentified migrants. About 1.5 times as many people have died on the border since its militarization process becan in 1994 than those who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks."-pg.181

"Currently the Latino community in the United States is growing at a rate almost five times that of the general population, a demographic explosion that is further increasing the group's economic clout."-pg.108

Also, check out Judi Werthein's Brinco [Sneakers], which were designed especially for migrant workers crossing the border between Mexico and the U.S.

[images on right via metropolismag.com]


[posted by katie]