A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books

Portraits of the New Architecture 2 by Richard Schulman, published by  Assouline , 2015. Hardcover, 170 pages. ( Amazon ) As the title to this coffee table book makes clear, it is the second Portraits book by photographer Richard Schulman ; the first was released in 2004 . Paul Goldberger, in his introduction, states Schulman didn't intend that book to be the first in a series, and when my sister got me the book for my birthday a decade ago, I can't say I considered it the first installment of a series either ( in my review , though, I did say a future update would be good, to make up for a geographical bias). But it makes sense to do it again. The format – portraits of well known architects paired with photographs of one of their recent buildings – is a unique and compelling way of presenting contemporary architecture and the personalities creating it. A good deal has changed in the eleven years since the first Portraits , be it in terms of architectural form makin...

February is Book Month on A Daily Dose of Architecture. The " 28 in 28 " series features a different book every day of the month. Modern Views Assouline , 2010 Hardcover, 200 pages For the month of February I'm hosting a debate at Glass House Conversations on traditional versus modern architecture. My participation prompted me to flip through my copy of the companion book to Modern Views , a 2010 project that benefited Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House and Philip Johnson's Glass House , both operated and maintained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  For Modern Views, "One hundred contemporary artists, architects, and designers created and donated works of art and written statements, capturing their inspiration about these iconic buildings and the architects who created them." Beyond the National Trust connection, the two buildings are obviously linked by their form (rectangular boxes), material (glass), and timing (1949 for...

Portraits of the New Architecture by Richard Schulman with Paul Goldberger, published by  Assouline , 2004. Hardcover, 215 pages. ( Amazon ) Richard Schulman's color photographs highlight fifty international architects and their buildings. In some ways a product - and critique - of the celebrity status of architects, the candid images of each (mainly individuals but sometimes firms) are the most illuminating aspect of the book. Mainly taken in offices and homes, the portraits don't have a stylistic theme, instead finding their inspiration in the architects themselves. For example, Rem Koolhaas is the only focused head among a sea of blurry OMA-ers - exhibiting the teamwork of his practice - and Daniel Libeskind...