The Architecture Shelf

RESIDENSITY: A Carbon Analysis of Residential Typologies
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
ORO Editions
31 Commerical Blvd., Suite F, Novato, CA 94949
www.oroeditions.com
9781954081390, $35.00, PB, 188pp

https://www.amazon.com/RESIDENSITY-Carbon-Analysis-Residential-Typologies/d= p/1954081391

Synopsis: With the publication of "RESIDENSITY: A Carbon Analysis of Reside= ntial Typologies", Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture investigates how=
much embodied and consumed carbon is used in each typology and how it affe= cts density and open space from the viewpoint of sustainability, carbon emi= ssions, and carbon sequestration.

A superbly organized and presented study that determines which building typ= ology is the most sustainable on a comparative basis. Nine prototypical bui= ldings were designed (Megatall, Supertall, High-Rise, Mid-Rise, Low-rise, C= ourtyard, Three-Flat, Urban Single-Family, and Suburban Single-Family) set = within nine prototypical communities. The informative study designates an a= rchetypal residential community of 2,000 units with an average unit size of=
150 sm as a reasonable and representative cross section of different housi=
ng typologies.

Critique: Simply stated, "RESIDENSITY: A Carbon Analysis of Residential Typ= ologies" is a seminal and ground breaking study that is an especially and u= nreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, college, and un= iversity library Contemporary Residential Architecture Studies and Urban La=
nd Use Planning collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture is dedicated to the=
design of high-performance, energy-efficient, and sustainable architecture=
on an international scale. The firm approaches each project, regardless of=
size or scale, with an understanding that architecture has a unique power =
to influence civic life. The firm was founded in 2006 by partners Adrian Sm= ith, Gordon Gill and Robert Forest. Today there are 100 employees in office=
s in Chicago and Beijing.

The Innovative Urban Workplace
Nina Rapport, editor
Stella Xu, editor
Yale School of Architecture
c/o Actar Publishers
440 Park Avenue S, 17th FL, New York, NY 10016
http://actar.com
9781638400806, $30.00, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Innovative-Urban-Workplace-Distinguished-Architectur= e/dp/1638400806

Synopsis: The Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Architecture Fellowship=
studio with Abby Hamlin (founder of Hamlin Ventures, Dana Tang '95, archit= ect and partner at Gluckman Tang Architects), and Andrei Harwell (senior cr= itic in architecture at Yale studio) investigated the role of the Brooklyn = Navy Yard in New York City in order to understand and meet the BNY's missio=
n and design distinctive solutions that speak to the type of workplace need=
ed in an urban development today.

Students in the studio identified potential urban business models that addr= ess future relationships between places of production and consumption. They=
looked at comparable waterfront development projects and addressed issues = including flood mitigation and environmental remediation in their proposals=
..

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and enhanced for the reader with ill= ustrations, "The Innovative Urban Workplace" is collaboratively compiled an=
d co-edited by Nina Rappaport and Stella Xu. Impressively informative, "The=
Innovative Urban Workplace" is a specialist and unreservedly recommended a= ddition to professional and academic library Contemporary Architecture coll= ections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Nina Rappaport (http://ninarappaport.com/main.html?id=3D=
1) is an architectural critic, curator, and educator. She is also the publi= cations director at Yale School of Architecture and editor of the biannual = publication Constructs (numbering 35), the exhibition catalogs (numbering 4= 8), as well as the school's book series (22 to date).

Barns of the St Croix Valley: An Architect's Sketchbook
Jim Lammers, FAIA
ORO Editions
www.oroeditions.com
9781954081673, $24.95, PB, 136pp

https://www.amazon.com/Barns-Croix-Valley-Architects-Sketchbook/dp/19540816=
77

Synopsis: With the publication of "Barns of the St Croix Valley: An Archite= ct's Sketchbook", architect Jim Lammers grounds you in the geography, geolo=
gy and biology of the region and introduces you to its original inhabitants=
, the Dakota and Ojibwe peoples, European explorers, fur traders and logger=
s and the settlers that followed them. It is a celebration of regional dive= rsity and architectural expression through a single type of building -- the=
barn.

Critique: Informatively illustrated with 200 barn sketches, diagrams, and m= aps, "Barns of the St Croix Valley: An Architect's Sketchbook" is a visual = journey showcasing the many and varied barns to be found throughout the Wis= consin/Minnesota St Croix River Valley. A pleasure to browse through one pa=
ge at a time, "Barns of the St Croix Valley: An Architect's Sketchbook" is = recommended for professional and academic library American Architectural Hi= story collections -- as well as the personal reading lists of Wisconsin/Min= nesota barn enthusiasts.

Editorial Note: Jim Lammers (https://jimsketcher.com) was trained as an arc= hitect back when freehand sketching was an integral part of the curriculum.=
He is a tireless writer and relentless sketcher. Jim has been published in=
professional journals, and his sketches have been exhibited at fine art ve= nues. His first book, "Capture the Moment: An Architect's Guide to Travel S= ketching" has been published by ORO Editions. Jim also teaches sketching at=
Marine Mills Folk Art School.

Unidentified Flying Object for Contemporary Architecture
Beatrice Lampariello, editor
Andrea Anselmo, editor
Boris Hamzeian, editor
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
440 Park Avenue S, 17th FL, New York, NY 10016
http://actar.com
9781638409922, $34.95, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Unidentified-Flying-Object-Contemporary-Architecture= /dp/1638409927

Synopsis: The contemporary context is defined by a unique conjuncture. On o=
ne hand, we witness the revival of the Radical Architecture that from the a= vant-garde experiments of the origins recovers creative processes and icono= graphic fragments while nullifying the original ideological and political v= alues. On the other hand, we see social protests in defense of fundamental = rights of democracy, as in 1968. With these premises, Architecture is now r= einvestigating those ephemeral experiments that have endured half a century=
as new "stone monuments" capable of indicating new perspectives for both r= esearch and design.

Placing UFO group, one of the authors of those still poorly known "monument= s", at the core of the contemporary debate means investigating their formal=
and seductive aspects, but also the ideological, political and social valu=
es with which objects, installations and happenings have been innervated, t= ransforming them into devices of an architecture nourished by literature, a=
rt and political commitment for the foundation of an eloquent and activist = project even more radical than the well-known Superstudio and Archizoom.

The collaboration between Beatrice Lampariello, an architecture historian s= pecialized in the 1960s and 1970s, and False Mirror Office, a group of hist= orians and designers engaged in the rediscovery of UFO group, has led to th=
is monograph which focuses on the UFO's work and an evaluation of their leg= acy relative to contemporary architecture.

Co-edited by the team of Beatrice Lampariello (Architect and Professor of H= istory of Architecture at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, BE), Anna R= osellini (Professor of History of Architecture at the University of Bologna=
, IT), and Ecole d'architecture de la ville & des territoires Paris-Est, FR=
, and False Mirror Office (Andrea Anselmo, Gloria Castellini, Filippo Fanci= otti, Giovanni Glorialanza, Boris Hamzeian), design and research group, Gen= oa, Lausanne, Brussels, IT, CH, BE., "Unidentified Flying Object for Contem= porary Architecture: UFO's Experiments Between Political Activism and Artis= tic Avant-garde" composed of three sections:

1) History, a first-ever study of UFO by False Mirror Office via analysis o=
f all archival and bibliographic sources, as well as a series of interviews=
with UFO members and a collection of its writings (published and unpublish= ed), for the first time translated into English.

2) Context, composed of essays by historians and architectural theorists (B= eatrice Lampariello, Simon Sadler, Anna Rosellini, Giovanni Galli, Jacopo G= alimberti) intended to place UFO's work in the context of the avant-garde t= hat influenced its work, from the experience of Florentine Radical Architec= ture to Umberto Eco's theories on semiotics and the American experiences be= tween Pop Art, Video Art and Happening.

3) Legacy, articulated through graphic contribution and essays by young des= igners, as False Mirror Office, Parasite 2.0, Point Supreme, Jimenez Lai, A= ndrew Kovacs, Adam Nathaniel Furman, Traumnovelle, (ab)Normal and Peter Beh= rbohm, to investigate UFO's legacy relative to the contemporary revival of = the most distinguishing creative processes and obsessions that shaped the s= o-called Radical Architecture.

Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a ten=
page Bibliography, seven pages of Biographical Notes, and a one page listi=
ng of Credits, "Unidentified Flying Object for Contemporary Architecture: U= FO's Experiments Between Political Activism and Artistic Avant-garde" is th=
e first monographic publication focused on the Florentine UFO group (1968-1= 978), that conducts a historical analysis of its work, reveals its close re= lationship with the contemporary artistic, literary and architectural avant= -garde and, finally, investigates its legacy for the contemporary project. = While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.95), "Unidentifi=
ed Flying Object for Contemporary Architecture" is a unique and unreservedl=
y recommended addition to personal, professional, corporate, college, and u= niversity library Architectural Studies collections and supplemental curric= ulum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: The contributors to "Unidentified Flying Object for Cont= emporary Architecture" include: Beatrice Lampariello, Boris Hamzeian and An= drea Anselmo (False Mirror Office), Gloria Castellini (False Mirror Office)=
, Simon Sadler, Anna Rosellini, Giovanni Galli, Jacopo Galimberti, Filippo = Fanciotti and Giovanni Glorialanza (False Mirror Office), Parasite 2.0, Poi=
nt Supreme, Jimenez Lai (Bureau Spectacular), Andrew Kovacs, Adam Nathaniel=
Furman, Traumnovelle, (ab)Normal, Peter Behrbohm

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