October 15, 2013

Five Big Books for Fall


As every design (and book) junkie knows, with fall comes a fresh batch of design publications. We’ve collected some of our favorite upcoming titles for you to peruse, perfect for those chilly days when all you want to do is curl up with a book and seek inspiration.


In The City Cover 41


1.



In the City



by Nigel Peake

New York: Princeton Architectural Press

Urban landscapes, at times frenetic and other times serene, are compiled in this latest book by illustrator Nigel Peake. Traveling to the world’s great metropolises such as Shanghai, New York, Antwerp, London, Paris, and Oslo, the artist documented the complex geometries in his signature ink and watercolor medium. The book is divided into five chapters: Surface, Place, Fragment, Path (Margin), and Change. While some drawings are literal and easily recognizable (such as a New York water tower), many depict abstract amalgamations or sketches. Together, an imagined collective is built before our eyes.



OldBuildings NewForms Cover Copy1




2.

Old Buildings New Forms: New Directions in Architectural Transformation



by Françoise Astorg Bollack

New York: Monacelli Press

“Like most architecture students, I was taught that new was better, somehow more courageous, more moral,” reflects architect Françoise Astorg Bollack in her new book. But the buildings presented in her compilation incorporate old structures. From Alsop Architects’ Sharp Center for Design in Toronto, a pixilated metal box-like canopy dominating the entrance, to Ibos & Vitart Architects’ expansion of Le Museé des Beaux-Arts in Lille, each of the 29 projects displays modern interventions on historic buildings. Copious text and floor plans accompany beautiful photography.



Private Gardens COVER1




3.

Private Gardens of the Hudson Valley



by Jane Garmey

photography by John M. Hall

New York: Monacelli Press

Thumbing through this book, one almost forgets that the subject is Hudson Valley. The majority of the photographs are taken in the full-bloom of spring or as summer produce is on the vine, creating a perfect Eden free of the upstate winter months. Hall’s work walks through each garden so intimately that one can almost feel the warmth of the sunlight or the grass underfoot. Garmey’s prose introduces us to 26 landscapes, but she limits herself to only a few paragraphs. The stunning images hardly need qualification.



CARLO SCARPA Book Shot




4.

Carlo Scarpa



by Robert McCarter

New York: Phaidon Press

Scarpa, the 20th-century modern architect heralded by Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Kahn, passed away over 30 years ago, but this fall he is experiencing a bit of a resurgence. In November, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will host “Venetian Glass by Carlo Scarpa: The Venini Company, 1932-1947,” dedicated to the architect’s early work as a glassmaker. Unrelated, though certainly coincidental, the first monograph of his work is set for release a month before the opening. Featuring 15 detailed walk-throughs as well as a complete list of works, it sheds light on a truly multi-faceted designer.



The Library A World History 97802260928121


5.

The Library: A World History



by James W. P. Campbell

Chicago: University of Chicago Press

In the book’s preface, Campbell posits that due to public spending cuts and the rise of electronic publishing the library as a building form may be under threat. However, reading this thorough history of these buildings and looking at the stunning photographs by Will Pryce, one should hope not. Take the rococo Admont Abbey Library in Austria (1776), where the books were rebound in white to match the decorative scheme. Or the Liyuan Library (2012), clad in rustic twigs and almost blending into the natural surroundings. With 82 libraries spanning 21 countries, the book is ordered chronologically, starting in early Mesopotamia.


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