This global examination of boundary-pushing architecture challenges our perceptions of how buildings ought to look--and reveals how even the most unusual constructions can achieve iconic status. In this fascinating exploration of 100 controversial buildings, readers will discover not only how each building wasconstructed, but also the motivation behind its design, and the ensuing debates. Readers will learn why erecting the Longaberger Basket Company headquarters was no picnic; why the Guggenheim Museum in New York City inspired hate mail from artists who would later display their works there;... View More...
How the father of wind engineering helped make the world's most amazing buildings and bridges possible With Wind Wizard, Siobhan Roberts brings us the story of Alan Davenport (1932-2009), the father of modern wind engineering, who investigated how wind navigates the obstacle course of the earth's natural and built environments--and how, when not properly heeded, wind causes buildings and bridges to teeter unduly, sway with abandon, and even collapse. In 1964, Davenport received a confidential telephone call from two engineers requesting tests on a pair of towers that promised to be the tallest... View More...
A dazzling dual portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright and early twentieth-century New York, revealing the city's role in establishing the career of America's most famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) took his first major trip to New York in 1909, fleeing a failed marriage and artistic stagnation. He returned a decade later, his personal life and architectural career again in crisis. Booming 1920s New York served as a refuge, but it also challenged him and resurrected his career. The city connected Wright with important clients and commissions that would harness his creative energy and def... View More...
A dazzling dual portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright and early twentieth-century New York, revealing the city's role in establishing the career of America's most famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) took his first major trip to New York in 1909, fleeing a failed marriage and artistic stagnation. He returned a decade later, his personal life and architectural career again in crisis. Booming 1920s New York served as a refuge, but it also challenged him and resurrected his career. The city connected Wright with important clients and commissions that would harness his creative energy and def... View More...
Exceptional Dwellings at the Edge of Design. There is a dream house in everyones mind, which is like the one drew in our naive drawing in childhood. Grown-ups also wish for a vomfortable niche, where to rest rom a tiring day of work grand or small ones, help escaping from the busy crowds and pollution of urbanization. Before high-rises era, houses served as safe shelters and protectors from rain, sunburn, and harms. Even today when skyscapers can be seen everywhere, houses stand still, and keep providing protection and dwelling place for human - though its appearance changed greatly. X-House i... View More...