Архітектура

China is fast becoming an economic power and with that comes fast development and changes in the people’s lifestyles, living standards and contemporary culture. This rapid development in a country with rich history and culture has brought about a unique evolution in Chinese design trends and styles. Traditions provide a strong background to new designs, bringing about a harmonisation of the old and the new, with the exploration of contemporary design concepts. Such contemporary Chinese designs that showcase a unique palette of textures, colours, and elements is representative of Chinese roots and at the same time presents a set of aesthetics that is appealing to the modern world. In recent years, contemporary Chinese designs have not only become popular in Asia, they have also gained a strong following in the western world. This book features a collection of projects from the Asian region including China, Hong Kong and Singapore which will hopefully inspire designers the world over to continue to bring this design phenomenon to a higher level. Turn the page and indulge yourself in a where acid jazz plays against traditional Chinese lanterns and antique furniture.

Concrete Heights. The most exciting projects behind the contemporary concrete trend

Once synonymous with eyesore highway bridges and crumbling, unloved walls, concrete has been reborn as adventurous and sexy. This Bibliotheca Universalis edition considers the elaborate feats and prodigious engineering of contemporary concrete architecture, from stars such as Tadao Ando and Herzog & de Meuron, to fresh new studios like the Russian SPEECH.

Concrete? That characterless stuff of parking lots or Communist tower blocks, right? Well, yes. And no. Concrete is actually a name applied to a remarkably wide range of building substances, and, when properly handled, is one of the noble materials of contemporary architecture. A kind of “liquid stone” at the outset, it is malleable, durable, and capable of prodigious feats of engineering.

This Bibliotheca Universalis edition highlights the best work done in concrete of recent years. It includes such stars as Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, and Steven Holl, but also surprising new architects like the Russians SPEECH and artists such as James Turrell, who turned the famous concrete spiral of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim in New York into the setting of one of his most remarkable pieces.

About the Author:

Philip Jodidio studied art history and economics at Harvard, and edited Connaissance des Arts for over 20 years. His TASCHEN books include the Architecture Now! series and monographs on Tadao Ando, Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel, Shigeru Ban, Oscar Niemeyer, and Zaha Hadid.

About the series:

Bibliotheca Universalis — Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe at an unbeatable, democratic price!

Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible, open-minded publishing. Bibliotheca Universalis brings together more than 100 of our all-time favourite titles in a neat new format so you can curate your own affordable library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia.

Bookworm’s delight — never bore, always excite!

400 color photos/illustrations

A visual look at the architectural details of smaller residential spaces

The Contemporary Design Details series takes a highly visual look at architectural design details that are more often dealt with in a technical textbook format. The books take readers on a tour of the best details designed by great architects around the world. The series provides a powerful presentation of the most challenging and evolving architectural and design categories.

Small Environments focuses on the type of architectural details that make up distinctive residential spaces under 1,200 square feet [120 square meters]. It presents recent work by architects from around the globe in color photographs and architectural drawings. Rather than simply another compendium of small projects, the book is structured according to categories of architectural detail. It includes sections on components essential to the design of small spaces, such as built-in pieces, mobile systems, storage, outdoor rooms, siting strategies and daylighting details.

400 color photos/illustrations

A visual look at the architectural details of sustainable residential spaces

The Contemporary Design Details series takes a highly visual look at architectural design details that are more often dealt with in a technical textbook format. The books take readers on a tour of the best details designed by great architects around the world. The series provides a powerful presentation of the most challenging and evolving architectural and design categories.

Sustainable Environments focuses on the type of architectural details in distinctive, sustainable residential spaces. It includes sections on components such as cooling or shading devices, building techniques that create minimal impact on the land, active systems, and the use of new sustainable materials as well as those that are salvaged or recyclable. The book presents recent work by architects from around the globe in color photographs and architectural drawings, and is structured according to categories of architectural detail.

'Contemporary Designers' Own Gardens' offers a rare opportunity to view twenty gardens not generally open to the public.

The outstanding gardens featured in 'Contemporary Designers' Own Gardens' are all designed by innovative, influential, award-winning designers. Fascinating text and sumptuous photography profile each garden, analysing the relationship between the garden and its setting, planting schemes, the aims of the designers, and their achievements. In addition, the book examines the ways in which the designers' personalities affect their creations, and how their own gardens differ from those of their clients.

'Contemporary Designers' Own Gardens' is an inspirational, informative and beautiful work, which will appeal to anyone who is interested in landscape architecture or garden design, be they a beginner or a professional.

The gardens featured belong to and have been designed by: Patrick Blanc, Fernando Caruncho, Kate Cullity, Jim Fogarty, Ludwig Gerns, Adriaan Geuze, Isabelle Greene, Bunny Guinness, Ron Lutsko, Shunmyo Masuno, Dan Pearson, Antonio Perazzi, Tony Smith, Ted Smyth, Tom Stuart-Smith, Andy Sturgeon, Jacques Wirtz, Ute Wittich, Made Wijaya and Stephen Woodhams. The book presents the gardens of designers from the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, The United States, Japan, and Indonesia.

Here's a chance for traditional stained glass artists to expand their craft with a dynamic modern look. Mixing abstract shapes with elements from nature, this array of seventy exquisite black-and-white patterns includes "Butterfly Breeze," "Life in a Fish Bowl," "Peonies," and other designs for every taste and occasion.

Full color images offering vivid depictions of every design appear on the inside covers. Presented in a variety of shapes and sizes, the patterns can be easily reduced or enlarged to fit any project. A splendid source of design inspiration, these royalty-free images can be adapted to print, textile, needlework, and other craft projects.

This book presents the latest developments in the field of architecture as it has been reshaped by the use of digital technologies. The last few years, technological developments in both hardware and software have enabled the realization of ideas that until now were only presented as theories, and have also opened new and unexpected areas of experimentation. The new digital technologies are influencing every stage of the creative process from the initial exploration of ideas to the construction of the final work and its interaction with the user. These developments are presented in four chapters, each one including detailed presentation of the most important relevant projects and general theoretical-technical information.

Commercial and trade show exhibits are more than merchandise showcases. A trade show exhibit must do more than provide an environment for the products’s presentation. The total design has to sell the brand and image of the exhibiting firm. Contemporary Exhibit Design No. 2 showcases over 80 different exhibits and 250+ color photos - the work of top exhibit designers from trade show venues across the U.S. Featured exhibits range is size from 300 sq. ft. to 45,000 sq. ft. The exhibits are representative of a plethora of industries. The reader will learn how these specialized designers have used signage, color, lights, animation and props to make their exhibits “show and sell.”

Modern private gardens from around the world and little hideouts, generally closed off to the public eye, are here unveiled. The stylistic diversity is illustrated by a number of plans and illustrations.

200 colour illustrations

In our fast-paced lives many of us seek a sanctuary of order, calm and comfort in which to relax. This compact book brings together a stunning selection of contemporary interiors, from a coolly minimalist penthouse apartment in London to a Mallorcan retreat employing local materials, and from a clapboard house in New England to a steel-and-glass new-build in Hanover. Such diversity reflects the variety found in contemporary living spaces, yet these interiors share many of the qualities we find most appealing when planning – or simply imagining – our own ideal home. The creative yet restrained use of materials, colour, texture and light combine with an attention to detail and quality in these homes to offer the perfect source of inspiration.

A visual feast of inspirational interiors, with engaging descriptions that shed light on the ideas and influences that have shaped them

Illustrated with over 200 beautiful photographs by world-renowned interiors photographer Andreas von Einsiedel

An ideal sourcebook for anyone looking to realize the potential of their own home

This book illustrates trends in contemporary living on the basis of around twenty projects carried out by leading architects and interior designers.

The reports demonstrate that contemporary living nowadays calls for more than the harmonious integration of the latest designer furniture in a modern context.

Whether it’s a new building or a renovation project, all of these clients, architects and interior specialists have worked to create a fascinating mix of volumes and perspective, of light and atmosphere, of materials, texture, shapes and colours.

These are not purely cerebral architectural bravura pieces, but homes whose owners take great pleasure every day in the space that has been created.

There are many different examples of this kind of contemporary living: the modern atmosphere of a country estate with roots in the seventeenth century; the extraordinary metamorphosis of a distinctive long-fronted farmhouse; the serene, pure shapes of a modern home; the minimalist power of a glass-and-brick residential block; the perfect dimensions and colour harmony of some recently completed flats and apartments.