Rafael Pardo New Brutalism

The concrete, geometrically sculptural houses of Mexican architect Rafael Pardo The buildings of Mexican architect Rafael Pardo are almost sculptural--concrete prisms intersecting to form domestic spaces. This monograph presents eight projects built in Xalapa, Veracruz, including photographs, original sketches and an interview by Miguel Adrià.

Buildings designated brutalist in style were largely built in the 1960s and 1970s, exuding an aura of daring, uncompromising design today. Vilified for decades as the step-child of modernism, brutalist architecture is now enjoying an astonishing comeback by inspiring contemporary architecture. This book offers a sophisticated overview of post-war and contemporary brutalist buildings and of the relationship in appearance and design, in the grand concepts and the smallest details between brutalism today and its ancestors.

From luxury apartment towers to offices, places of worship to museums, brutalist architecture is having a 21st-century moment— and this book is here to explore the new interpretations of the style. Designed with the same bold aesthetic that informed Le Corbusier himself, this book features fifty recent examples of how architects around the world are embracing the principles of brutalism — simplicity, functionality, and rawness — reimagining them for today’s standards and tastes. Drawing from the radical approach of the controversial architectural movement, today’s Brutalist buildings are both sophisticated and elegant. As the hundreds of exterior and interior photos in this book reveal, architects have taken advantage of new technology to make concrete-based structures that are refined and alluring, as well as stylish and modish unlike their predecessors. Each chapter is dedicated to a different type of building and is introduced with a selection of iconic structures as an essential visual reference for Brutalism’s new look. In some instances the overall strength of the aesthetic is paired with equally forceful materials such as glass, metal and brick; other examples show how classically brutalist lines are integrated into generously proportioned, light-filled spaces. An informative celebration of Brutalist architecture’s legacy, this book is an exciting exploration of how today’s most innovative architects are discovering the inherent beauty of powerful concrete volumes that was at the heart of Le Corbusier’s original vision.

John Marx's watercolors, first published in the Architectural Review, are a captivating example of an architect's way of thinking. Subtle and quiet they are nonetheless compelling works in how they tackle a sense of place, of inhabiting space and time all the while resonating with the core of one's inner being. There is an existential quality to these watercolors that is rare to be found in this medium. Something akin to the psychologically piercing observational quality of artists like De Chirico or Hopper. As architects strive to communicate their ideas, it is interesting to explore the world of Marx's watercolors as an example of a humane approach to conveying emotional meaning in relation to our environment. Marx's subject matter read like "built landscapes" heightening the role of the manmade yet wholly in balance with the natural world. This is a message and sentiment that is perhaps more important than ever to relay to audiences.

Many areas of knowledge converge in the building industry and therefore research in this field necessarily involves an interdisciplinary approach. Effective research requires strong relation between a broad variety of scientific and technological domains and more conventional construction or craft processes, while also considering advanced management processes, where all the main actors permanently interact. This publication takes an interdisciplinary approach grouping various studies on the building industry chosen from among the works presented for the 2nd International Conference on Construction and Building Research. The papers examine aspects of materials and building systems; construction technology; energy and sustainability; construction management; heritage, refurbishment and conservation. The information contained within these pages may be of interest to researchers and practitioners in construction and building activities from the academic sphere, as well as public and private sectors.

This is a collection of provocative essays that journey into the vexed circumstance of contemporary architectural practice. The nature of the great cultural, social, political, environmental, and consumerist challenges facing the contemporary architect are explored, interpreted, and questioned, while drawing connections from architecture theory, philosophy, science, literature, and film sources in an attempt to negotiate the territory between the truth and lies in architecture. These essays written by a leading Australian architect represent a level of comprehensive critical awareness rarely found within the architectural profession and one would be hard pressed to find another comparable figure in contemporary architectural practice. The entire argumentation is impressive, challenging, intellectually at the highest level and beautifully written.

Immersed - The California Houses of Feldman Architecture is an in-depth look at 20 years of the firm's defining residential work spanning three areas: Urban, Suburban, and Rural. Feldman Architecture, a vibrant San Francisco-based studio, aims to create authentic, site-sensitive, sustainable spaces through a deeply collaborative process. This book, which includes commentary from Aaron Betsky and Daniel P. Gregory, as well as an interview with Vladimir Belogovsky, situates Feldman Architecture's work within the northern California design canon and illustrates how the firm's voice subtly translates across diverse geographies and contexts. Jonathan Feldman, in closing, reflects upon the values and aspirations that unify the firm's work and inform its vision for the future.

This book is a key reference for the study of English for Architecture. One of its main contributions is its methodology based on a purpose-made corpus. The study defines the character of Architecture language based on word-formation, loanwords and semantics, revealing a language as creative and varied as the very discipline it represents.