References:
Books referenced in this book review.


What I Hate About This Book
One of the big misses in this book is the lack of quick reference tables and charts that would quickly enable students or architects to quickly make assumptions that will aide them in early conceptual design stages. For instance, a simple chart could illustrate the number of elevators per occupant load, or a diagram similar to the many in The Architect’s Studio Companion that illustrates the size of the core as compared to the overall footprint of the building. It is this extra level of information that prevents this book from becoming a staple to every architect’s library.

Another weakness of the book is that the structure of the content is not functional. Although the Introduction and Future sections nicely introduce the history of the skyscraper and speculate upon its future development, it is the middle of the book that falls flat. For instance the chapter on Structure is far to brief, and many of the major ideas blur together in organization and graphics. One of the best chapters is on Elevators, the information is thoroughly covered and clearly organized in a logical manner and leaves me wanting every chapter to be produced with the same clarity.

What I Love About This Book
This book is a perfect primer for any architectural design student looking to gain a greater understanding of the major issues associated with the design problem of the skyscraper. There are some beautiful illustrations within the book that simply describe the complex issues associated with skyscraper design, although some of these graphics are a little “cartoony”, all of the images can be clearly understood, and no other book that I have found describes the inner workings of a skyscraper so completely.

Another aspect of the book that I found fascinating are the random tidbits of information that Ascher sprinkles throughout the book. On page 126 a beautiful diagram of the broadcast towers that rest atop the Sears Tower illustrates the multiple functions of the iconic structure, or the diagram of the Taipei 101′s tuned mass damper and how this important structural device becomes a design feature found on page 60. Unfortunately these random stories are not integrated well and disrupt the organization of the book.

Who is this book for?
Ascher addresses a major issue that plagues many design studios across the United States that focus on the design of a specific building program or typology, and that is that many of these design studios lack a definitive resource that defines the extents of the design problem and associated best practices. University professors that teach skyscraper design studio will find this to be a required text for introducing the design problem of the skyscraper, and there is no doubt that this text will become an integral part to their syllabus.

Although Ascher extensively outlines the design problem of the skyscraper, The Heights lacks the depth required to become an essential reference (as noted above) for the seasoned skyscraper designer. This book is for young architects or anyone interested in discovering more about what makes a skyscraper work.

Hopefully, The Heights is the first of a series of books that fills an obvious void in the literature needed by academia, and Ascher continues her series with titles such as The Stadium, The Hospital, and The Airport.

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Louis I. Kahn: Beyond Time and Style: A Life in Architecture is not a monograph containing photos of Kahn’s masterpieces. Although it is technically a biography, Carter Wiseman offers readers something more. Wiseman manages to bring Kahn to life through his words.  It is a book that is about more than architecture, it’s about the life of Kahn, his pain, anguish and tortured relationship with architecture. For any student or architect that has fallen in love with Kahn’s work, and his religion of architecture, then this book is a must read. For anyone that is a skeptic or hater, this book gives an invaluable insight into the spirit of Louis Kahn. Wiseman uniquely organizes the book not around the projects that Kahn completed in his illustrious career, but around Kahn’s relationship with his clients. Each masterpiece designed and built by Kahn is as much a result of Kahn’s talents and perseverance, as its clients whom are Kahn’s greatest disciples. Many books about Kahn focus on Kahn and his work, but Wiseman tells the story of an architect, who had the fortune of having a succession of clients that made his career possible, and how the masterpieces that are loved by all would not have been built if not for the blind loyalty of Kahn’s patrons . I used to think an architect was only as good as his library of books, but in Louis I. Kahn: Beyond Time and Style: A Life in Architecture we learn that an architect is only as good as his clients. An important lesson for any young aspiring architect.

Book Statistics:

Author: Carter Wiseman
Price: $22.00-$40.00
Publication Date: March 2007
Format: Hardcover
Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
ISBN: 0393731650
ISBN-13: 9780393731651

Quotes from the Critics:

“It is not merely a collection of Kahn’s architectural works….it gives…a richness and layering not usually associated with architecture books.” (Urban Land, Howard Kozloff)

“Louis I. Kahn is lavishly illustrated…and contributes the most comprehensive analysis of the architect’s life and works to date.” (DocoMomo, Olivia Klose)

Publisher Synopsis:
The first in-depth biographical study of the brilliant but elusive architect who fundamentally redefined twentieth-century architecture. Now ranked with Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, and Mies van der Rohe, Louis I. Kahn brought a reverence for history back into modern architecture while translating it into a uniquely contemporary idiom.

Drawing on more than one hundred interviews with colleagues, coworkers, clients, and family members and illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs this book documents the uniquely American rise of a poor immigrant to the pinnacle of the international architectural world.

It illuminates the richly diverse personal relationships Kahn had with such clients as Jonas Salk and Paul Mellon, and the romantic entanglements that mystified even those closest to him. While celebrating the genius of Kahn’s art, the book provides an invaluable portrait of the man who created it.

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Everyone should own this book and I’ll tell you why, below.

The first Renzo Piano project that I was introduced to in college was the Maison Hermès and instantly fell in love with Piano’s work, because  unlike other signature architects, he has the ability to produce architecture devoid of stylistic trends. His work does not bear the burden of a heavy handed signature like other famous architects. Piano’s work responds to the local culture, contextual forces and functional requirements of the program, and this is why Piano’s work is consistently new and fresh. The first reason that every architect should own this book is because Piano teaches us that the solution to architectural problems is extracted from what already exists. Architectural style and computer driven forms should not be forced upon a building. The solution is there, you just have to find it.

The state of architecture today in the United States is the many vs the few, style vs substance, black vs white, and if there were two figureheads that lead each camp, Piano would lead the white league, and let’s say Daniel Libeskind would lead the black. It is unfortunate that Philip Jodidio does not write about the value and integrity that Piano’s work gives the profession of architecture. It is unfortunate that Jodidio does not analyze each building and Piano’s process and avoidance of a particular style or design signature. In fact, Jodidio writes very little in this book, especially since the text includes German and French translations. If you are looking for a book that critiques the buildings designed by Renzo Piano, or analyzes the importance that Piano’s work plays in leading the architectural profession, then this is not the book for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a book which documents a nearly complete body of Renzo Piano’s work with high quality photographs, then this is a must have for your library. This brings me to the second reason that you should own this book and that is that the number of color photographs printed in this book trumps all other books on the subject of Renzo Piano. This is by far the largest collection of Renzo Piano architectural imagery, and is a necessary supplemental text to support other books which discuss the design philosophy of Piano.

The third, and most important reason to own this book, is that Jodidio has created a text which fully documents the career of Piano and allows any student of architecture to track the evolution of Piano’s work and discover buildings that did not make it to the cover of Architectural Record, but remain exceptional works of architecture. One of the two projects that I find to be anexceptional example of Piano’s ability to produce architecture at a high level of design is the Maison Hermès. The Maison Hermès could easily be considered one of Piano’s many architectural masterpieces, yet is unknown to many, pictured on the left. The other project which is featured in the book is IRCAM, and is another work unknown to most, but is an example of Piano’s ability to quietly produce great architecture without a heavy handed signature, pictured on the right. This book is a record of all buildings produced by Piano, and these are only two examples of works documented in this book that remain unknown to much of the architectural public. Jodidio also documents Piano’s more famous buildings, like the recently completed New York Times building, photographed and printed in full color 8″ x 10″ prints.

Image 1: Above are two images taken from Piano: Renzo Piano Building Workshop 1966-2008. The project features many of Piano’s more famous buildings, but also supplies imagery related to forgotten projects like the Maison Hermes and IRCAM.

The book does fall short in a couple of key areas.  Like many architectural magazines and blogs, there are few plans, diagrams, sections or details featured in the book. The few that are featured are very informative and interesting, leaving the reader thirsty for more. The book only offers a superficial discussion of each building. Remember this should be viewed as a supplemental text to serious students of Piano’s work.

If you are a fan of Piano, this book is a must have, and if you have not looked at a Piano building in awhile this book will make you a fan. It is incredible to flip through 528 pages of architecture that is produced with such a high level of craft. The other incredible thing about this book is the price, thank you Taschen for somehow always finding a way to print great books at affordable prices. And thank you to those that decide to purchase Piano: Renzo Piano Building Workshop 1966-2008 from the link supplied on this site. Your support allows this site to continue to produce critical content with minimal advertisements.

Book Statistics:

Author: Philip Jodidio
Price: $26.39
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Format: Hardcover
Length: 528 pages
Publisher: TASCHEN
ISBN: 3836503220
ISBN-13: 978-3836503228

Publisher Synopsis:
The array of buildings by Renzo Piano is staggering in scope and comprehensive in the diversity of scale, material, and form. He is truly an architect whose sensibilities represent the widest range of this and earlier centuries.” Such was the description of Renzo Piano given by the Pritzker Prize jury citation as they bestowed the prestigious award on him in 1998. Whereas some architects have a signature style, what sets Piano apart is that he seeks simply to apply a coherent set of ideas to new projects in extraordinarily different ways. “One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again,” Piano says. “Like a movie director doing a love story, a Western, or a murder mystery, a new world confronts an architect with each project.” This explains why it takes more than a superficial glance to recognize Piano`s fingerprints on such varied projects as the Pompidou Center in Paris (1971-77), the Kansai airport in Osaka, Japan (1990-94), and the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia (1993-1998). This stunning monograph, illustrated by photographs, sketches, and plans, covers Piano`s career to date.

The updated publication includes new photographs of projects completed since the previous edition, such as his The New York Times Building in New York, the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland, The Morgan Library in New York, as well as some sneak peeks at his current projects, including the 66-story London Bridge Tower, which is set to be Europe`s tallest building.

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WE ALL want to be proud of the company we work for:

It enhances our reputation, makes us look good, feel good and gives us access to the best people.

The majority of us want to work for companies with glamorous reputations.

If you work for one of these companies, you are probably working for them for what they can do for you.

But not everybody is fortunate enough to be able to work for the outfit that is currently favoured.

So, given that not everyone in your company is an idiot, what are you personally going to do to make it company of the year?
Start by talking it up.

Begin thinking and behaving like a winner.

It will stop the rot. It will temporarily halt negative thinking and a defeatist attitude.

If you find people talking it down, take issue with them, tell others about them. If it persists, get them fired or, as a friend of mine did, fight somebody for talking disparagingly about the company he worked for.

People will soon get the idea.

Don’t expect top management to lead the way. They are too busy running the company.

Decide you are going to make the company great; at least decide you are going to make a difference.

It is also important to note that Arden, aside from discussing his philosphy in the workplace, he also develops a series of strategies which are directly applicable to the design process in any profession. This is a must have and the kind of book you need to read from time to time when you are in need of a pep talk. If you wish to purchase It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be, please purchase the book through our site so that we can continue to bring you great content with minimal advertisements. Remember that a portion off all revenues generated from this site go towards our featured architectural charity. Used prices start at around $2.00 and new around $9.00.

Book Statistics:

Author: Paul Arden
Price: $1.00-$9.95
Publication Date: June 1, 2003
Format: Paperback
Length: 128 pages
Publisher: Phaidon Press
ISBN: 0714843377
ISBN-13: 978-0714843377

Publisher Synopsis:
The first in-depth biographical study of the brilliant but elusive architect who fundamentally redefined twentieth-century architecture. Now ranked with Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, and Mies van der Rohe, Louis I. Kahn brought a reverence for history back into modern architecture while translating it into a uniquely contemporary idiom.

Drawing on more than one hundred interviews with colleagues, coworkers, clients, and family members and illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs this book documents the uniquely American rise of a poor immigrant to the pinnacle of the international architectural world.

It illuminates the richly diverse personal relationships Kahn had with such clients as Jonas Salk and Paul Mellon, and the romantic entanglements that mystified even those closest to him. While celebrating the genius of Kahn’s art, the book provides an invaluable portrait of the man who created it.

Related Photos