This is a comprehensive view of contemporary architecture, presenting the work of 100 exceptional international architects. It provides an opportunity to see a diverse, inspirational collection of recent work, selected by 10 of the world's best informed architectural critics. The architects are presented in A-Z order, with four pages allocated to each practice, including an accompanying text by one of the ten critics. It is intended to be a global selection. Some of the architects have yet to gain recognition worldwide, but among the names are those who have achieved international publicity and acclaim for their work during the mid-1990s. The work shown here features over 250 buildings and projects, including recent built work as well as projects currently under construction, due for completion in the 21st century. The work also features 10 essays written by the critics specially for this publication, which give their view of current architectural issues. In addition, they have chosen 10 cultural references, from designed objects to film, theory and literature, which show the range of influences in today's rapidly changing design environment. Works reproduced in this volume include writings by Italo Calvino, David Mamet and Peter Weibel, among others.
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Phaidon's 10 x 10 showcases the present and future of architecture in a dazzling, optimistic light. From its hologram cover to the multimedia representations within, this panoramic survey explores the fresh innovation, experimentalism, wit and intellectual ambitions of the discipline worldwide (with the possible exception of Africa, which seems under-represented). After decades of insular vision, unable to connect the drawing-board with the plot, so to speak, the Young Turks of modern architecture are finally designing the "global village" along the lines of national concerns expressed internationally, an emphasis on sustainable resources, and contextual awareness. Whether in an urban, rural or cyberspace setting, these selections of photographs, plans and virtual representations are crammed with inter-disciplinary ideas which, as one writer puts it, seek to unite the dreams of architects with those of the rest of the world.
Some of the dwellings (both private and social housing), churches, colleges and many museums may be familiar, but in abstraction they acquire new focus, while some designs will remain purely that, never to progress beyond a virtual reality. From the artisan sculpture of Shin Egashira's pavilions, to the barbed, aggressive fins of Hitoshi Abe's Shirasagi Bridge, the eternal struggle to harmonise Utility and Philosophy, Expressionism and Functionalism, is brilliantly laid bare. To this end, the reproductive images are varied and to Phaidon's consistently faultless standard, and the critical comment, rationed to a paragraph, is supplemented in each case with a helpful tag line of specific comment on the exemplary structure. On balance, the comments of Terence Riley, Aaron Betsky and their co-contributors are enlightening, though not without the customary surfeit of compound-nouns and, well, just nouns. The day is still some way off when architects consider sentence construction sensitively. One of the 10 critics lists Ridley Scott's Bladerunner as one of her 10 influences; viewing that 1982 classic in the context of this exhilarating book shows how far architecture has come in under 20 years, but also the battle it still has to fight with its "horrorvision" commercial sibling. --David Vincent
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
10 western world critics (no Africa, Middle East,or Asia exept for Tokio) made an interesting selection of the latest architectural aesthetics. Good loking book: good cover, good graphics, good photos, but I find enervating that although the 10 critics chose 10 architects each, and write about them in their essays, the architects are ordered alphabeticalty, making it nearly impossible to leaf back and forth trying to find them following the critics dissertations. You lose control of the written contents. It turns the book into a compendium of trendy, visually stunning architecture: a coffe table book with an intelectually pretentious title. It is too superficial for insider information (architectural trade) and too complicated to follow for outsiders. It is all in there, but is it worth searching? I bought it for the looks.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
This is possible the best inspirational architecture book yet. It's great to find a book which covers such a wide range of 'new architecture'. The book has something for everyone - a visual delight!
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
This book is a triumph of style over substance. The graphics make it difficult to read. Drawings are often too small to be useful and frequently superimposed on other graphics. Images are sometimes beguiling, but the book provides too little information for anyone to interpret the buildings for themselves...
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