21st Century Houses

Looking at diverse visions of the modern house, before placing them in the context of the technological and aesthetic concerns of architects, this text features illustrations and architectural drawings for every project, covering various aspects of contemporary house architecture.

Offers a selection of contemporary house designs in colour spreads. From modest to massive, this title features 150 of the world's most prominent architects, including US architects Swatt Miers, Marmol Radziner, OSKA, and LPA Inc; European architects Jarmund Vigsnaes; and, South American architects Marcio Kogan, Una Arquitectos, and FGMF.

Presenting a variety of acclaimed, contemporary beach houses from regions including Australia and New Zealand, North and South America, Europe, and Asia, each beach house is illustrated by stunning full-colour photography.

Includes more than 60 homes illustrating the best in innovative and stylish modern living.

Latest in sustainable housing design trends from around the world.

Winner of the 2014 John Collier Jr. Award Winner of the Jo Anne Stolaroff Cotsen Prize Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century cross-cuts the ranks of important books on social history, consumerism, contemporary culture, the meaning of material culture, domestic architecture, and household ethnoarchaeology. It is a distant cousin of Material World and Hungry Planet in content and style, but represents a blend of rigorous science and photography that these books can claim. Using archaeological approaches to human material culture, this volume offers unprecedented access to the middle-class American home through the kaleidoscopic lens of no-limits photography and many kinds of never-before acquired data about how people actually live their lives at home. Based on a rigorous, nine-year project at UCLA, this book has appeal not only to scientists but also to all people who share intense curiosity about what goes on at home in their neighborhoods. Many who read the book will see their own lives mirrored in these pages and can reflect on how other people cope with their mountains of possessions and other daily challenges. Readers abroad will be equally fascinated by the contrasts between their own kinds of materialism and the typical American experience. The book will interest a range of designers, builders, and architects as well as scholars and students who research various facets of U.S. and global consumerism, cultural history, and economic history.

There is no one way to design a modern urban house. Demand for space in cities the world over is higher than ever and new buildings must meet stringent energy saving requirements and negotiate a myriad planning regulations. But the best new urban architecture suggests invention and innovation are as critical as ever. The Contemporary House brings together seventy solutions, drawn from cities around the globe to explore the many ways in which architecture can enhance the experience of living in the city. Organized geographically, The Contemporary House offers a fascinating insight into the sheer variety of contemporary approaches to urban design, from reinventions of longstanding vernacular forms like terraces and townhouses, through to the fastchanging suburbs and inner cities of modern Japan, where the short lifespan of family houses provides architects with a template for aesthetic and technical experimentation. The book also provides an insight into the conditions that shape the architecture of some of the world's major cities, through recent history, signature styles, and current conditions on the ground. The Contemporary House is an essential guide to design in the modern city.

This Japanese architecture and design book is a wonderful source of new styles and ideas for those looking to add a distinctively Zen flair to their home. Limited spaces, unlimited technology, a tradition of innovation, and sheer Japanese panache have combined to inspire the 26 stunning homes featured in Japan Houses. Conceived by 24 of Japan's leading architects and designers, each of the houses forecasts and defines a new trend in residential architecture, reinventing the meaning and use of space, material, and function. Traditional lifestyles are challenged, domestic functions such as cooking and entertaining are moved out of the house into the public domain, while laptops bring work back in. Zen minimalist is juxtaposed with comfortable opulence, time-honored workmanship is coupled with exciting new materials, resulting in a recognizable style that belongs to Japan, reflecting its culture and craftsmanship, while at the same time being avant-garde and international. The spirit of each of these astonishing houses is captured in beautiful photographs, plans and commentary.