Монографии и сборники работ известных архитекторов

The dream of a world of peace

"A world full of color," says Friedensreich Hundertwasser, "is synonymous with paradise." With his demonstrations and actions, his manifestos for nature, for more human-oriented architecture and for the improvement of the quality of life and living conditions, Friedensreich Hundertwasser is one of the most fascinating artists of the 20th century. He became a symbolic figure, not only as a painter but also as an architect, ecologist and philosopher, in particular for all those who are searching for a life tuned to the natural and the human.

This anniversary edition consists of the first volume of TASCHEN’s limited edition Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 1928–2000, and offers a complete presentation of Hundertwasser's work, personality and life, with detailed texts by Hundertwasser's longtime friend Wieland Schmied.

The author:
Wieland Schmied has been President of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts in Munich since 1995. He has organised over one hundred art exhibitions and is the author of many books on 19th- and 20th century art, including monographs on Caspar David Friedrich, Alfred Kubin, Giorgio de Chirico, Edward Hopper and Francis Bacon.

Friedrich Stowasser (1928, Vienna – 2000, New Zealand), better known by the name of Friedrich Hundertwasser, was a painter, thinker, and architect, or rather a "doctor of architecture", as he declared in his manifesto of the 24th of January 1990.

His architectural creations, organic and full of imagination, may have been influenced by the works of Antoni Gaudí. Yet, Hundertwasser was more radical in his philosophy. As expressed in his remarkable eco-artistic manifestos, and other achievements (paintings, posters, stamps, houses, and architectural designs), his message remains profoundly and viscerally ecological.

His pictorial work is characterised by an organic abundance of forms and by the brilliance of its colours.
Hundertwasser is an artist who is difficult to classify. With his tremendous love of nature, he is one of the pioneers of humanist and environmentalist architecture, which attempted to reconcile creativity and ecology. This vision has been shared by many young artists all over the world and by the founders of eco-villages.

In the past, buildings and other constructions representing singular moments for the community were called monuments. Their origin was expression of power, celebration of ritual or collective affirmation. In the contemporary world, a project that aspires to be exceptionally expressive is commonly called an icon. This book claims that star-architects and their “iconic” architecture are no longer valid today, as these projects are all driven by marketing machineries. Architecture should re-emerge as a credible artefact and fulfill the transcendent demands of our time.The publication begins with a series of general texts on themes that vary but all share a common critical look at the role of the iconic on the recent architecture scene.

The HawkinsBrown architectural firm in London, founded in 1988 by Roger Hawkins and Russell Brown, is one of the up-and-coming offices on the international architecture scene. The spectrum of the firms works ranges from residences and interior design by way of office buildings and various public buildings such as theaters and university buildings all the way to urban planning, such as designs for squares and subway stations. HawkinsBrown strives to come to an optimal result in a process that integrates all of the players. HawkinsBrown has received numerous awards for various projects, such as the RIBA Award for its Wysing Arts Centre (2008), the New Chemistry Building of the University of Oxford (2009), and the New Art Exchange art center in Nottingham (2009) and the BREEAM Award for Eltham Hill Technology College (2008). This book documents some twenty-five buildings from the past five years. The projects presented include the Tottenham Court Road Underground Station, one of the busiest Tube stations in London with a hundred thousand passengers daily (to be completed in 2011); the Stratford Regional Station in London, an access platform for one of the major sites for the Olympic Games (to be completed in 2010); Park Hill, the master plan for a neighborhood in Sheffield (to be completed in 2011), and the Dubai Arts Pavilion in the United Arab Emirates.

Is there a signature Rochon style? At first, it is difficult to tell because the designer always adapts his work to the environment in which it unfolds, bringing out the locations unique spirit. A great traveler, he blends international styles, borrowing from both modern and classical influences. Hailed as a visionary designer and master of grand luxe by the Financial Times How To Spend It, Rochons most prestigious commissions include Four Seasons Hotelsin Paris, Florence, Washington, and Cairo, for exampleand restaurants for several Michelin-starred chefs. This monographRochons firstreveals the designers trademark approach to interior splendor. For him, the quality of the object and the hand that made it is essential for creating a sumptuous interior. He devotes attention to every detail, from the architecture, to the furniture, the lighting, the fabrics, and art objects. Where he inserts a new structure into a space, such as a fireplace or a column, it feels like it has always been there. His interiors thus exude harmony and comfort, while retaining a strong sense of the locations culture, geography, and history. The genius of this designer lies in his ability to make each interior feel like a second home. From bedrooms to living rooms, and from bathrooms to spas, Pierre-Yves Rochon creates comfortable and intimate interiors that show us how we might create our own luxurious décors in our homes. The address book compiled by Rochon brings together the very best artisans with whom he has worked for many years: cabinet makers, bronze makers, lighting experts, upholsterers, and more.

For the last two decades, Mona Hajj has been crafting interiors that combine a global vision with an American emphasis on elegance, comfort, and simplicity. Hajj’s body of work is grounded in classicism yet influenced by the contemporary; her international upbringing - she was born in Africa and educated in Europe, Lebanon, and the United States - is evidenced in exceptional rugs, antiques, and fixtures.

Interior Visions showcases Hajj’s distinct and distinctly original aesthetic voice. Beautifully photographed projects - from a beach house in Delaware to a John Russell Pope–designed house in Baltimore, from an apartment in New York City to the Embassy of Luxembourg in Washington, D.C. - display a thoughtful treatment of architecture, color, and lighting, as well as an eye for the defining detail. Among the myriad culturally and historically diverse adornments are Persian rugs, Flemish tapestries, Japanese screens, Italian chandeliers, and Chinese chargers. Finally, two residences presented in great detail - the author’s own apartment in a historic Baltimore building and an expansive horse farm in Kentucky - demonstrate a vision that is at once specific and inclusive, personal and grand, intimate and sumptuous.

Martyn Thompson's book, Interiors, is a selection of the homes he has photographed over the years. He has managed to assemble a stunning collection from the most well-known figures in the design world. Featuring people such as Francisco Costa (Creative Director of Calvin Klein), Elsa Peretti (Italian jewellery designer) and Anna Sui (US fashion designer), this book is a sneak-peak into the interiors of the style-makers. Perfect for any fan of design, Martyn Thompson Interiors is an aspirational interiors book people will reference time and time again, collecting ideas and inspiration for their own homes.

About the Author

Martyn Thompson's work as an internationally acclaimed photographer spans over twenty years. His portfolio includes editorial features in the most prominent magazines such as Vanity Fair, British Vogue. W and House and Garden. Martyn's work also features in high profile advertising campaigns for Gucci, MAC Cosmetics and Vera Wang. English-born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Thompson has travelled the world, living in London and Paris. He now resides in New York.

Atelier Ten is a London-based engineering practice with offices around the world. For twenty-five years they have specialized in sustainable design, collaborating with such architects as Grimshaw, Hopkins, Wilkinson Eyre and Robert A. M. Stern. Among their most famous projects are Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, Tour Carpe Diem near Paris, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Federation Square in Melbourne.

A wealth of photographs, drawings and diagrams, combined with explanatory text, provide a fascinating insight into Atelier Ten's pioneering green engineering.

About the Authors:

Patrick Bellew is an environmental engineer, one of United Kingdom’s Royal Designers and a Chartered Building services engineer. He is a founding Director of Atelier Ten.
Charlotte and Peter Fiell are the authors of over 20 books on design and the visual arts, including Scandinavian Design, The Story of Design, Designing the 21st Century and the bestselling 1000 Chairs.