James Turrell. Dipinto con la luce

Colin Davies
Giulio Einaudi Editore

La riflessione contemporanea relativa all'architettura si segnala oggi per due elementi ricorrenti: un linguaggio spesso astruso e un'elitaria auto-referenzialità che la distacca dalla realtà come dall'effettiva pratica architettonica. "Il primo libro di architettura" si propone di illustrare in termini chiari e accessibili i concetti teorici fondamentali del linguaggio architettonico, come rappresentazione, forma, natura, città e spazio, dimostrando come un nucleo di parole-chiave possa essere innanzitutto impiegato per spiegare in tutti i loro aspetti costruzioni e monumenti del presente e del passato. Isolando le idee che da sempre sono al centro delle riflessioni di teorici e filosofi, questo libro, riccamente illustrato da tavole a colori e in bianco e nero, costituisce una preziosa, demistificante introduzione all'universo dell'architettura, ideale per studenti, designer, architetti praticanti e il pubblico generale interessato a uno degli ambiti più importanti della storia della cultura e del dibattito culturale contemporaneo.

s.a.
s.e.

Herzog & de Meuron
Fondazione Prada

"Recounts the creative process that led to the realization of the Prada Aoyama Tokyo project executed by the Swiss architectural studio Herzog & de Meuron on behalf of Prada. The building's present appearance, the conception of which began at the end of 1999, is the result of a rigorous analytical study carried out on a number of fronts: on one side with an examination of the territory of the city and in particular the specific area involved, and on the other with an investigation of the type of objects that the structure would subsequently accommodate. The interlacing of these varying dynamics gave rise to the creation of the definitive shape of the edifice inaugurated in Spring 2003, which is documented in this volume in all its different phases of the elaboration process"--p. [5].

Gianfranco Spagnesi, Marcello Fagiolo
Istituto della enciclopedia italiana

Konstantin Malinovskij
Il polifilo

Adrian Snodgrass
Paravia Bruno Mondadori editori

Una storia dell'architettura comparata dell'Oriente e dell'Occidente che analizza le costruzioni, soprattutto religiose, dal punto di vista del rapporto tra le loro collocazioni e i movimenti del sole e dei pianeti. Le grandi architetture del mondo - Stupa, templi in forma di Mandala, piramidi, edifici a pianta centrale, moschee e cattedrali - vengono mostrate come simboli, riflesso e miniatura dei fenomeni cosmici. Snodgrass spiega, con chiarezza esemplare, la precisione del rito, la potenza del mito e la sede stellare di ciò che è grande e perfetto.

AA.VV.
Editore Ulrico Hoepli

AA.VV.
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

Z. S. Makowski
Ufficio Italiano Sviluppo Applicazioni Acciaio

Casey C. M. Mathewson, Ann Videriksen
ORO Editions

The a5 Architecture Series, edited by Berlin-based architect Casey Mathewson, is our new book series focusing on architecture, interiors, and landscapes in selected global metropolises. The a5 Series is planned for publication in the coming years to showcase the world of architecture in such diverse metropolitan cities as Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Copenhagen, Shanghai, Berlin and Singapore. The series portrays the very best work done in the world's creative capitals, and also focuses on visionary designs slated for construction over the coming years. Detailed working drawings are also included to enrich the contents and make the series even more relevant for all those interested in architecture and design.a = Architecture
5 = examples from the past five year time period
a5 = Worldwide Documentary Series on premier Architecture of the past 5 years. The second edition of the a5 Series is devoted to the intensely creative and vibrant Copenhagen metropolitan area and showcases the most innovative architecture, interior design, and landscape projects created in Copenhagen since 2005.

Featuring the following firms -3XN, aart, Arkitema, Bjarke Ingels Group- BIG, COBE, Dissing Weitling arkitektfirma, Entasis, Henning Larsen Architects, Vilhelm Lauritzen, Lundgaard & Tranberg, Arkitektfirmaet C.F. Moller, Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter, ONV, PLH Arkitekter, Schmidt/Hammer/Lassen Architects, SLA, Tegnestuen Vandkunsten.

Gilles Plum
Éditions du Patrimoine - Centre des Monuments Nationaux

Construit pour l'Exposition universelle de 1900 et récemment restauré, le Grand Palais est un bâtiment audacieux dans son éclectisme, combinant, avec ses façades de pierre, la transparence de sa nef et son ornementation Art nouveau, une tradition néoclassique et une innovation esthétique qui annonçaient le XXe siècle. Cet ouvrage restitue le Grand Palais dans tous ses aspects : naissance, construction, décor, place dans l'urbanisme parisien, chronique de ses diverses métamorphoses. Illustré par une iconographie ancienne et contemporaine, il retrace l'histoire complète de ce monument majeur et offre de merveilleuses vues de la nef de verre et d'autres angles inaccessibles au public.

Philip Jodidio
Taschen

From a house without walls to exhibition spaces in shipping containers, Shigeru Ban has constantly challenged architectural rule and expectation. In the age of the "starchitect," he has also demonstrated a commitment to humanitarian practice: Over the course of his esteemed career, his inventive, elegant designs have been applied as much to private commissions as to emergency relief work at the sites of natural and man-made disasters around the world, from Kobe to New Orleans.

For the Pritzker Prize jury, which chose Ban as its 2014 winner, the architect manifests "total curiosity and commitment; endless innovation; an infallible eye; an acute sensibility." This updated monograph, compiled with the architect's collaboration, brings together every one of Ban's built works, including such recent projects as the Tamedia headquarters in Zurich, the Aspen Art Museum, and the Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch.