Modern House 2

Description

This is an illustrated study of the world's most interesting and innovative contemporary houses. Organized into thematic sections, it features detailed appraisals of 30 contemporary houses by the world's leading architects, including Glenn Murcutt, Rem Koolhaas/OMA, Foster and Partners, Herzog and de Meuron, Williams and Tsien, Gunther Behnisch, Kazuyo Sejima, Marcos Acayaba and Gabriel Poole. The book examines issues such as ecological concerns, changing patterns of living, building with sensitivity in ever-increasingly populated cities, and respecting the environment when building in isolated rural areas.

Clare Melhuish is an architectural critic and anthropologist specializing in modern architecture and cultural identity. She contributes regularly to the Architects' Journal and was formerly reviews editor for Building Design. She is the author of Phaidon's Odile Decq: Benoit Cornette monograph (1996), and editor of Architecture and Anthropology (AD Profile 124, Academy Editions, 1996). She has written extensively for the Architectural Press and other publications.

"Love or loathe modern architecture, you can't deny this is an impressive book."-Self-Build "Due to the clarity and candour of the author's mind, you might call this volume hunky-dory, with its fine photographs and production values we expect to find from Phaidon... Melhuish's assiduous choice of material and her accompanying comments gave me hope what might happen in the next decade... Were I a young married parent toying with the idea of building a house, or especially an aspiring architecture student, I would hug anyone giving me this book for Christmas. It is so full of ideas about people as they happen to be, which is why I described Melhuish's choice as assiduous."-Architects' Journal "They should give out free spittoons with this book. After a few minutes gawping at the pictures in Modern House 2 you'll find a small pool of drool hanging from your lip. After a few minutes more you will have turned a fetching shade of green. If only we could all live in a modern house... See many definitive houses of the 90s... Feel free to daydream but try not to embarrass yourself."-Guardian "Well-illustrated and intelligently compiled... Modern House 2 is... excellent, both as a source book and as a broad brush survey of current architectural trends."-Royal Institute of British Architects "A highly enlightening book."-Frame, Netherlands