May 2023 MBR The Architecture Shelf

The Architecture Shelf

Sharing Tokyo: Artifice and the Social World
Mohsen Mostafavi, editor
Kayoko Ota, editor
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
440 Park Avenue S, 17th FL, New York, NY 10016
http://actar.com
9781638400608, $44.95, PB, 428pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sharing-Tokyo-Artifice-Social-World/dp/1638400601

Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Mohsen Mostafavi and Kayoko Ota, the contributors to "Sharing Tokyo: Artifice and the Social World" question how "artifice" and the "social world" can be mutually and constructively integrated so that the contemporary urban space can be shared by all.

A variety of innovative practices are presented by a diverse group of contributors including renowned scholars, architects, urbanists, and photographers from Japan and the US, and the research team at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. While the discourses and architectural works presented deal with the specificity of Tokyo, they were carefully selected to formulate together a collection of insights, new perspectives, and speculative experiments in urbanism and architecture that can also be used in other contexts.

The contributors include: Mustafa K. Abadan, Shin Aiba, Homi K. Bhabha, Kenta Hasegawa, Kozo Kadowaki, Hiroto Kobayashi, Masami Kobayashi, Japan Research Initiative Team at Harvard GSD, Jouji Kurumado, Seiji M. Lippit, Mitsuyoshi Miyazaki, Mayumi Mori, Mohsen Mostafavi, Jo Nagasaka, Erika Nakagawa, Don O'keefe, Yoshihiko Oshima, Kayoko Ota, Jordan Sand, Yoshihiko Sone, Tsubame Architects, Riken Yamamoto, and Shun Yoshie.

Critique: Nicely illustrated throughout, "Sharing Tokyo: Artifice and the Social World" is an original, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking contribution to the growing library of Architectural Criticism and Urban/Land Use Planning that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, corporate, college, and university library Architecture collections and supplemental curriculum Architectural Studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Mohsen Mostafavi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohsen_Mostafavi) is an architect and educator who served as dean of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. As a professor of design, he is now leading the Japan Research Initiative, among other programs. His books include Ethics of the Urban: The City and the Spaces of the Political (2017).

Editorial Note #2: Kayoko Ota (https://www.cca.qc.ca/en/cca-c-o/58179/tokyo) is an architectural curator and editor. Before joining the Japan Research Initiative at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, she curated Japan-based projects for the Canadian Centre for Architecture and was commissioner of the Japan Pavilion at the 2014 Venice Biennale.

A House Deconstructed
Mark Jarzombek, author
Vikramaditya Prakash, author
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
440 Park Avenue S, 17th FL, New York, NY 10016
http://actar.com
9781638400523, $44.95, PB, 260pp

https://www.amazon.com/House-Deconstructed-Mark-Jarzombek/dp/1638400520

Synopsis: With the publication of "A House Deconstructed", co-authors Mark Jarzombek and Vikramaditya Prakash contend that a huge proportion of what we 'know' about the house is actually unknowable -- not because our epistemological instruments aren't strong enough or calibrated precisely enough, but because things themselves are indeterminate, uncertain.

This begs the question about agency. If we are to critique our profession and even improve some of its claims about Sustainability, then we must develop a more robust understanding of the building industry and the sourcing and making of materials. We must even develop a stronger awareness of the history of atoms and how architecture brings that history into a remarkable focus.

Critique: Intellectually challenging and ground-breaking, "A House Deconstructed" is a remarkably detailed, seminally ground-breaking study that is a unique, thought-provoking, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Architectural Studies collections and of particular value to students, academia, anyone with an interest in residential architecture, architectural materials, and architectural criticism.

Editorial Note #1: Mark Jarzombek (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Jarzombek) is Professor of the History and Theory of Architecture at MIT . He is Diplom Architekt, ETH (1980) and received his PhD. From MIT in 1986. He works on a wide range of topics - both historical and theoretical. He has published books and articles on the 13th century churches at Lalibela to the crisis of contemporary architectural education. He is one of the country's leading advocates for global history and has published several books and articles on that topic, including the ground-breaking textbook entitled A Global History of Architecture (Wiley Press, 2006) with co-author Vikramaditya Prakash.

Editorial Note #2: Vikramaditya Prakash (https://arch.be.uw.edu/people/vikram-prakash) is Professor of Architecture at the University of Washington with adjunct appointments in Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and Planning, and Digital Arts and Media. He received his B. Arch. From India and his M.A. and PhD from Cornell University. His books include Chandigarh's Le Corbusier: The Struggle for Modernity in Postcolonial India, Colonial Modernities (co-edited with Peter Scriver), The Architecture of Shivdatt Sharma, Chandigarh: An Architectural Guide, and One Continuous Line: Art, Architecture and Urbanism of Aditya Prakash. He is also the host of the ArchitectureTalk podcast.

Period Homes - Styles & Original Features
Trevor Yorke
Countryside Books
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781846744020, $9.99, PB, 64pp

https://www.amazon.com/Period-Homes-Original-Features-Reference/dp/1846744024

Synopsis: Period homes are all around us. Not only are they charming homes for those lucky enough to live in them, but they also give the community in which they're set a distinguished character and a link with the past. Yet sometimes it's hard to know exactly which features to look at in order to date these buildings. Or what to look for if you need to replace an original fitting.

With the publication of "Period Homes - Styles & Original Features: An Easy Reference Guide", by artist and author Trevor Yorke aims to help the reader recognize the common styles and original features from each period, whether they just want to find out more about a particular property, or are trying to restore one.

If you're in the middle of a renovation, for example, and you want to know which original window style you should be installing, you'll find it here. All British styles and periods are covered ranging from graceful Regency terraces with elegant iron balconies, to muscular Victorian houses with colorful stained glass, to Edwardian homes with white patterned timber work, and stylish 1930s semis with curved suntrap windows.

From glasswork and doors to fireplaces and floors (plus everything in between) "Period Homes - Styles & Original Features" is an architectural and interior design treasure trove of information about the British period homes.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with black/white photography, "Period Homes - Styles & Original Features: An Easy Reference Guide" is an extraordinary and thoroughly 'reader friendly' compendium of British period house styles. While also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99), "Period Homes - Styles & Original Features: An Easy Reference Guide" is a unique, very special, and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Residential Architecture & Interior Design collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Trevor Yorke (http://trevoryorke.co.uk/index.html) is an experienced author and artist who specializes in period architecture. His many books include British Architectural Styles, Georgian & Regency Houses Explained, and The English Village Explained.

Practice with Purpose: A Guide to Mission-Driven Design
Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
ORO Editions
31 Commerical Blvd., Suite F, Novato, CA 94949
www.oroeditions.com
9781957183046, $39.95, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Purpose-Guide-Mission-Driven-Design/dp/1957183047

Synopsis: "Practice with Purpose: A Guide to Mission-Driven Design" is about designing buildings beyond their property lines to address some of society's most urgent challenges: the climate emergency, racial and ethnic injustice, chronic homelessness, educational crises, and the preservation of the embodied carbon and culture of existing buildings.

To successfully contend with these ecological and societal emergencies, the design values and practice of architecture must be rapidly transformed within the next decade. Architects must become creative agents of change, providing the vision and skill to lead our communities toward an equitable, climate-positive future for all.

Twenty years ago, San Francisco-based Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects rededicated its practice to focus on these urgent issues. Its mission-driven designs not only address the critical concerns of twenty-first century architecture, but also bring clients and users into the dialogue. LMSa's award-winning works show the creative potential of building a practice with purpose.

With the publication of "Practice with Purpose", Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects shares its experience and insight as a call to action to the architecture profession. Through case studies, data-driven essays, user testimonials, and thought-provoking questions, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects offers design strategies to architects who want to make an environmental and social impact.

Critique: Brilliant, inspiring, beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "Practice with Purpose: A Guide to Mission-Driven Design" by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects is unreservedly recommended as a valued and core addition to personal, professional, community, corporate, and academic library Contemporary Architecture Project Planning/Management collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects (https://www.lmsarch.com) is a diverse group of designers who share a common belief in the transformative power of architecture to help lead the way to a just, healthy and regenerative future for all. They work with leading non-profit, educational, housing and social justice organizations to marry poetry with performance, creating sustainable new environments that advance their important architectural missions.

Designing-Women's Lives: Transforming Place and Self
Toby Israel
ORO Editions
31 Commerical Blvd., Suite F, Novato, CA 94949
www.oroeditions.com
9781954081116, $29.95, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Womens-Lives-Psychology-Transform-Practice/dp/1954081111

Synopsis: With the publication of "Designing-Women's Lives: Transforming Place and Self ", Toby Israel calls for a place-making revolution based on women's culturally nurtured "feeling" sensibility.

Women too often have had to repress that sensibility in order to become designers. Now, rather than struggle to fit-in, women can break new ground by using "Design Psychology" as the foundation for creating emotionally satisfying place. To encourage such a heart/mind shift, the author discusses how she took architecture Gold Medalist Denise Scott Brown and interior design legend Margo Grant Walsh through a series of Design Psychology exercises.

The process revealed ways these renowned women unconsciously embedded their heroic struggles as minority females in their designs: Grant Walsh's journey from her Chippewa childhood home with only one green couch to her plush NYC residence reflected her embrace of her Native American + designing-woman's identity. Scott Brown grew up in a more privileged South African household, yet she translated the oppression she witnessed during Apartheid and the bias she experienced as a Jewish woman into the inclusive approach to architecture that made her famous.

Interweaving such designing-women's stories, feminist design thinking and her personal vignettes, Toby Israel inspires her readers to "design from within" their personal psychology as a form of personal liberation. Project case studies further demonstrate how Design Psychology helped women create a nurturing (even transformative) home during life-passages such as partnering or grieving. Such case studies provide inspiring examples of how color, shape, texture, space layout, and special objects can be catalysts for such personal evolution.

Critique: A unique and seminal architectural study, "Designing-Women's Lives: Transforming Place and Self " is exceptionally well presented and informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an eight page Bibliography, twelve pages of Endnote, and interviews with Julia Morgan, Margo Grant Walsh, Denise Scott Brown, Gloria Steinem, and Esther Sternberg. Nicely illustrated throughout, "Designing Women's Lives" must be considered as a core and invaluable addition to personal, professional, corporate, college, and university library Contemporary Architecture collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Toby Israel (http://www.designpsychology.net) is the founder of Design Psychology, a field that's gained international attention in the LA, NY and Financial Times, CBS Sunday Morning, and NPR's "Talk of the Nation". Trained as an environmental psychologist, she is a multi-disciplinary design, psychology, arts, and education professional who applies scholarship to the "real-world" practice of place-making.

The ReView: How & What For
Andrea Bardon de Tena, editor
Tulane School of Architecture
c/o Actar Publishers
440 Park Avenue S, 17th FL, New York, NY 10016
http://actar.com
9781638400707, $39.95, PB, 400pp

https://www.amazon.com/ReView-What-Tulane-School-Architecture/dp/1638400709

Synopsis: This edition of "The ReView: How & What For" tries to communicate the pedagogical project and some of the lines of research of the Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA) through the work, mostly visual, of its students and professors. As in any educational project, the essential questions are "what for?" and "how?".

Deftly edited by Andrea Bardon de Tena, "The Review: How & What For", presents the pedagogical project of the Tulane School of Architecture through the work (mostly visual) of both students and faculty over the past few years. "The Review: How & What For" is organized into two main blocks, "how" and "what for".

On the one hand, "how" exposes the sequence of studies and theoretical courses with exceptional pedagogical methodologies. On the other hand, "what for" shows the connection of the TuSA's academic work with the social, economic, and environmental reality we face today.

The conceptual link that connects the "How?" and the "What for?" is the idea of innovation. In a time of global crisis, the Architecture (and our educational systems) needs to be revised. This revision of academic programs is crucial to educate new architects to address social and environmental challenges from an innovative perspective.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "The Review: How & What For" showcases the work being done at the Tulane School of Architecture. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "The Review: How & What For" is an ideal architectural studies textbook and especially recommended for professional and academic library Architectural Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Andrea Bardon de Tena is a Spanish architect who develops her PhD in Advanced Architectural Projects at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Her research focuses on the impact of cultural hybrization on local architecture and spatial transformations. (https://architecture.tulane.edu/faculty/andrea-bardon-de-tena)

Editorial Note #2: The Tulane School of Architecture is the school of architecture at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school has a student body of approximately 442 students. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulane_School_of_Architecture)

Folio 2: The Elements of Design
Clare Jacobson
ORO Editions
31 Commerical Blvd., Suite F, Novato, CA 94949
www.oroeditions.com
9781957183206, $40.00, PB, 100pp

https://www.amazon.com/Folio-Elements-Design-Publication-Glen-Gery/dp/1957183209

Synopsis: From antiquity to the present day, the Brick has long been a trusted material, used worldwide by builders who appreciate its strength and versatility. It offers proven value to both traditional works and contemporary designs. The venerable material has even become a trendsetter; as the New York Times recently reported, "Bricks Return with Style in New High-End Buildings."

Following the popular first volume of Folio, "Folio 2: The Elements of Design, A Publication by Glen-Gery " features the most inspiring new brick buildings in North America and Australia. Here single-family homes, university buildings, cultural centers, showroom interiors, and more show the possibilities of brick.

Each project uses material manufactured by Glen-Gery in a variety of shapes, colors, and textures, from conventional brick to glass brick to custom-designed brick for unique implementations. The buildings are thoroughly documented in photos and drawings, and with texts based on new interviews with their designers -- a veritable who's who of both up-and-coming and established architecture firms.

Critique: "Folio 2: The Elements of Design, A Publication by Glen-Gery" by Clare Jacobson is a coffee-table style (9.5 x 0.4 x 12.3 inches, 1.29 pounds) paperback volume that will have a very special value for readers with an interest in architectural materials and criticism. Profusely illustrated with full color photography and black/white schematic drawings, "Folio 2" is a significant and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, corporate, college, and university library Architectural Studies collections and supplemental curriculum Contemporary Architecture reading lists.

Editorial Note: Clare Jacobson (https://www.clarejacobson.com) is a San Francisco-based writer and editor on architecture and design. She is author of the books Folio and New Museums in China and co-author of Jigsaw City and Karlssonwilker Inc.'s Tell Me Why. Jacobson was a contributing editor to Architectural Record, and her articles have also appeared in Interior Design, Engineering News Record, Landscape Architecture, and other magazines.

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