Remarkable Structures: Engineering Today's Innovative Buildings - Hardcover

Lyall, Sutherland

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1568983301 ISBN 13: 9781568983301

Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002

Synopsis

In the revolution of form-making that has taken place in architecture during the last ten years-from the crumbled folds of Frank Gehry to the cantilevered structures of Santiago Calatrava-the unsung heroes are the engineers who actually build these fantastic constructions. Their underappreciated task is the transform the designer's vision-sometimes not much more than a cardboard model or computer rendering-into a built form of concrete, steel, glass, stone, or wood. In this balancing act between design and engineering, Remarkable Structures sets the record straight. It discusses and illustrates some of the best recent buildings from around the world, and looks at the relationship between architect and engineer, both from a practical and philosophical perspective. The buildings belong to a wide range of structural solutions that reflect both the architectural intention and the aesthetic sensibility of the engineer. Among others, the Japanese Pavilion (Shigeru Ban/Buro Happold), the Tokyo International Forum (Rafael Vinoly/Structural Design Group), the City of Science (Santiago Calatrava), the Guggenheim Museum (Frank Gehry/SOM), and the Dynamic Earth Centre (Michael Hopkins/Ove Arup) are presented in photographs, detailed architectural and engineering drawings, and clear prose.

About this title

About the Author

Sutherland Lyall is a freelance writer and the author of numerous books, including Santiago Calatrava: Dynamic Equilibrium: Recent Projects (1992) and Designing the New Landscape (1998).

Reviews

Freelance journalist Lyall (Designing the New Landscape) argues that the 1990s saw the quickening of a new direction in structural engineering. Through computer-aided design, more structures based on irregular geometry have become feasible, and architects and engineers are taking advantage of the possibilities. Lyall has selected 25 examples of this trend, mostly in Europe, and a diverse group they are, from a park pavilion in Japan to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. All are elegant and ingenious combinations of new and traditional materials, with superlatives that include the world's largest fabric structure, largest artificial plant environment, and largest single-span glass vault. The creativity of the engineering teams is self-evident throughout, and for once they get top billing. Each project is given a brief, articulate description, illustrated with sketches, graphics, and color photos. Full project credits are included. Highly recommended for libraries supporting architecture or engineering programs. David R. Conn, Surrey P.L., B.C.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1568983301
• ISBN 13: 9781568983301
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240