European Architecture

The theme of the book is the origin of Late Gothic architecture in Europe around the year 1300. It was then that Gothic ecclesiastical architecture graduated from a largely French into a wholly European phenomenon with new centres of art production (Cologne, Florence, York, Prague, Krakow) and newly-empowered institutions: kings, the higher nobility, towns and friars. Profound changes in spiritual and devotional life had a lasting effect on the relationship between architecture and liturgy. In short, architecture around 1300 became at once more cosmopolitan and more heterogeneous. The book addresses these radical changes on their own terms- as an international phenomenon. By bringing together specialists in art, architecture and liturgy from many parts of Europe and from the USA it aims to employ their separate expertise, and to integrate each into a broader European perspective. Dr. Zoe Opacic is lecturer in the history and theory of architecture at Birkbeck College, University of London. She specialises in the field of late medieval architecture and art, particularly in Central Europe.Dr. Alexandra Gajewski, FSA is visiting assistant professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She works on Burgundian Gothic architecture and on Cistercian art in medieval France and the Empire.

What does a collective process in architecture entail and how does it influence the planning of our built environment? Although the hierarchically organized office with its claim to individual authorship is still the dominant form of architecture firm, more and more horizontally organized collectives with alternative approaches to architectural planning are emerging. In this insightful survey of renowned European collectives, Natalie Donat-Cattin offers an overview of their working methods, organizational forms, goals, and projects. The book includes statements and projects by: A-A Collective, (ab)Normal, Assemble, baukuh, CNCRT, Colectivo Warehouse, Collectif Etc, constructLab, false mirror office, Fosbury Architecture, la-clique, Lacol, n'UNDO, orizzontale, raumlabor, X=(T=E=N), and Zuloark.

Typically one third of the energy used in many buildings may be consumed by electric lighting. Good daylighting design can reduce electricity consumption for lighting and improve standards of visual comfort, health and amenity for the occupants.As the only comprehensive text on the subject written in the last decade, the book will be welcomed by all architects and building services engineers interested in good daylighting design. The book is based on the work of 25 experts from all parts of Europe who have collected, evaluated and developed the material under the auspices of the European Commission's Solar Energy and Energy Conservation R&D Programmes.

Drawing together case studies from all over Europe, this text explores the relationship between the overall idea of the landscape architecture for a site and the design of details. Examining concept sketches and design development drawings in relation to the details of the design, the book offers a more profound understanding of decision making through all stages of the design process. The book includes the study of the choice of materials and techniques of construction, and explores the cultural and symbolic significance of such choices, as well as questions of environmental sustainability. With projects analyzed and evaluated here that have won international acclaim, or have been awarded national prizes, European Landscape Architecture is a core book in the study and understanding of the subject.

Since the release of the first edition of 1000 x European Architecture in 2006, the world of architecture has gone through some major changes: in the midst of an seemingly unstoppable building boom the banking crisis descended on the world economy in 2008, but since 2010 a spirit of optimism has taken hold again. A completely new impact for the world of architecture, which is gaining in significance, is the Web 2.0 and the rapidly increasing influence of social media.The vehement debates about style at the end of the 20th century have faded away, instead the questions of quality in execution, valence of the material and especially ecological sustainability have moved to the foreground of the discussions. The new edition of the bestseller 1000 x European Architecture presents the European building culture during this tumultuous time with 1000 projects from the last five years.

it has an unrivalled consistency of argument... this book makes a substantial contribution to present knowledge and provides a clear window on the one art form you cannot ignore.