Chris van Uffelen

During many eras of architectural history, builders and architects aimed to construct buildings with pure shapes and clear geometry, while foregoing decorative elements. With the advent of Classical Modernity, minimalism has become a seminal architectural style. However, the approach of architects cannot be limited to Mies van der Roh’s dogma of “Less is more”, but corresponds rather to “Less is all you need”. Based on a select range of contemporary buildings, this book examines the question of how compelling esthetic impressions and expressions can be achieved with reduced shapes. Representing various types of structures, the chosen examples are mostly based on the concept of a simple comprehensive overall shape, focus on a few main materials as means of expression, and are comparatively simple to implement. Despite, or perhaps due to, the consistently applied limitations, the results are extremely remarkable.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the department store developed from markets and urban arcades, from which the shopping mall evolved in the post-war period. The operators of department stores and shopping centers are coming under increasing pressure from the competi - tion of the continuously growing internet trade. By the same token, however, there is also an increasing tendency for the internet trade to become involved with real shops. The challenge is to optimize the quality of the customer’s stay. This is accomplished by the interspersing of the offer by cultural institutions, a variety of dining opportunities and exciting leisure activities. The time spent in a depart - ment store or a shopping center must be conceived as an experience, separate from the consumption of goods, which engages all the senses. Which is where architectural quality as well as a targeted design can play an increas - ingly important role

After the success of “Architectural Visions”, with its focus on the German speaking countries, this volume is devoted to the individual “handwriting” of architects and designers from around the world. As computer aided design becomes ever more prevalent, the handmade drawing is experiencing an amazing Renaissance. In its characteristic touch it often shows much more clearly which aesthetic impression the planned building finally leaves behind than any number of computer aided visualisation techniques. What is striking here is the concentration on the main characteristics of the buildings, which in turn mark the appearance. In contrast, in the rendering, the love of detail and alleged approximation of reality often overshadows those characteristics. This volume unifies the most varied painting and drawing techniques, counterposing realized drafts to photos of the execution, so that the viewers can recreate for themselves the connection between architectural will and effect.

Product packaging has first of all to fulfill functional demands such as structural stability, air-tightness or air-permeability, information requirements and cost effectiveness. However, it is much more than just a kind of container made of glass, wood oder plastic protecting its contents: it is also the face of the product. Like the façade of a building, the package gives an impression of what lies behind it. Packaging is a crucial means to induce a consumer to try a product. Studies show that it has less than three seconds to grab the attention of the customer. Along with the classics of the age of mass-consumption, this title presents many examples of innovative contemporary solutions that are on a par with some of the packaging legends like the sculptural shape of a Coca-Cola bottle.

Over the last 20 years architecture in and from Berlin has emerged as a global brand. Like Vol. 1, this new edition of Architecture Berlin showcases the most interesting 70 new buildings in and outside of the German capital. Each project is presented on the basis of informative texts, the most important facts as well as insightful photographic and planning documents. The contextual essays for each of the eight sections in this volume cover a wide and interesting range of subjects. While Sarah Tschernigow compares metro systems in cities such as Berlin, Shanghai, Stockholm and Dubai, Falk Jaeger discusses the relevance of drawings and sketches for the contemporary work of the architect. In his contribution Gerwin Zohlen analyses the urban functions of the current and future government buildings in Berlin and the different impacts they have on the city.

The Golden City has always been one of the most important architectural centers of Europe. The architectural history of Prague reached its first peak during the Gothic period. The Renaissance and Baroque period are still very much in evidence today as part of the cityscape. After the Habsburg monarchy influenced Jugendstil, the national identity finds its expression in the architectonically unique Prague Cubism. In the 1920s and 30s the city maintained contact with the International Modern Style, while after World War II the socialist building culture held sway. After the end of the cold war the city made the connection to contemporary architecture in the form of extraordinary buildings. The chronologically sequence and the high-quality photos graphically display the typical characteristic of each era. In addition to several hundred individual buildings, significant ensembles as well as the influential architects of Prague and each epoch are portrayed.

Public urban spaces vary widely in type, form and size, encompassing plazas, squares and streetscapes. They serve pedestrians and flaneurs, accommodate street life in all its vibrant variations and represent the cities and towns themselves. On the one hand they are transit spaces or crossroads, while on the other hand they provide opportunities to linger or stage events. This volume features recent projects from all continents, showing the different approaches and solutions to this sophisticated design task at the intersection of architecture, landscape design and urban planning. Hardly any other area of spatial design offers such functional and formal diversity as does the design of urban spaces.

We are living in a time of constantly changing global perspectives. This compendium presents a global perspective for contemporary architecture. It is both a reference work and source of inspiration, with 500 carefully chosen projects from Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas from the past five years which are portrayed with texts, drawings and photos. The Atlas of World Architecture gives a detailed overview of today’s architecture between international trends, regional traditions, functional demands and individual styles. Particular emphasis is placed on presenting highquality masterpieces so far unknown alongside cuttingedge highlights of contemporary building culture. From the selection of projects of a wide range of typologies a global vision emerges.

Although convention and conference centers are in high demand, the competition is tough, so new concepts are constantly being developed. They come in a range of forms, shapes, sizes and contexts. They can form part of a hotel, an airport, a skyscraper, a mountain-chalet or stand completely on their own. This wide range allows for an exciting variety of stunning architectural and design possibilities that in combination with state-of-the-art technology make a convention center a successful enterprise. The criterion for the project selection for this volume is to cover the entire spectrum and provide a well-founded overview of the current trends. The buildings selected are by acknowledged specialists for convention centers as well as architects, who approach the attractive planning task from different perspectives.

Architecture for rescue services has come a long way in the past decade. Buildings for the police, fire brigades and ambulance stations have lost their often purely functional and shed-like appearance and have begun to strive for recognition as an equitable architectural typology since Zaha Hadid’s trailblazing Vitra fire station in Weil am Rhein. This building type certainly is a challenge as there are numerous conditions to be taken into account in terms of functionality and especially security. The examples chosen for this title show an amazing diversity of emergency architecture. The buildings presented frequently house more than one institution, using the latest technology and communication techniques to successfully combine different functions under one roof. The projects included range from the rural two-bay ambulance depot to police headquarters and airport fire departments.

Like once the main towers of the cathedrals, skyscrapers are the dominant landmarks in the cityscape of today and thereby one of the most coveted sought after building assignments of creative architects. The design freedom of the contour and the plastic volume of the blob have long since superseded the purely orthogonal towers of the past. In addition to the most significant projects of recent years, the most spectacular towers still under construction, as well as path-breaking experimental sketches are presented by means of texts, planning material and illustrations. Comprehensive tables give the most important performance markers and provide information about the central subjects specific to this type of building, like the vertical development, safety and energy concepts.

Light is the prerequisite for spatial perception – which is why it is an integral component of architecture. Light design in architecture has become more lively and also more colorful in the last few years. The projects selected for this publication show how good design can be considerably improved with the right light. For interior design, the purpose of the introduction of natural light and the use of artificial light is to create a spatial experience: certain areas are accentuated, spatial units are defined and differing atmospheres are established. Illumination also plays a role with exteriors, not just at night. In addition to the form emphasizing role of light, a striking illumination can lend the building an emblematic uniqueness.

Pharmacies constitute a special form of commercial architecture. The market for medicines, which is heavily regulated in most countries, has led to a veritable competition of the “atmosphere of space”: since where product and price can no longer provide a competitive advantage, customer loyalty must be created with other means. In addition to professional competence and familiarity with the customers, that becomes above all the ambiance. That in turn translates to the modern and hygienic pharmacy, together with a friendly and assuring spatial experience. The selected examples show the design sophistication with which pharmacies today, from a functional as well as atmospheric standpoint, set themselves apart from the historical chemists’ shelves – and the competitors.

The automobile has shaped the appearance of our streets for 100 years now. At the same building types have been created to serve it. Parking garages and gas stations as new species of architecture and showrooms whose exhibition spaces and display windows are markedly different from the usual businesses have decisively changed the cities. This book is dedicated to this type of architecture, showing esthetic and technical solutions of the past few years. Not a few architects have been unmistakable „car freaks“ (Frank Lloyd Wright), or been occupied with the automobile (Le Corbusier: Maison Citrohan), or have actually designed cars (Walter Gropius for Adler). This fascination of the profession can also be seen in the architecture built for the automobile today.

The greening of façades with plants gives a piece of nature back to the city. But a green façade is much more than a charming view: Thanks to its insulating effect, it evens out extreme swings in temperature, protects against UV radiation and improves sound insulation. In that regard one does not have to always rely on the usual ivy. Other evergreen or fruit bearing plants and even exotic flowers can be used as façade decoration. In that way varied and creative greening can be created which lend a colorful aesthetic tone to the cityscape. The 50 projects presented here give an overview of this current trend in landscape architecture.

Water is the scarcest of all natural resources. It is a global challenge to develop, produce and deploy technologies, systems and products for sustainable water consumption. The model for this approach is the world leader GROHE, which has been working for some time in the field of ecological solutions for water resources. The GROHE idea is not simply to deal with the economical and functional side of water supply but also to consider the pleasurable aspects of water and to reflect that consideration with the high design requirements of many architects. This volume presents buildings of different typologies with GROHE water technology solutions. The book also features interviews and essays by experts who explain the current state of sustainable water use water developments as well as the interaction of water technology and design.

Street furniture is the secret star of urban outdoor design. Though rarely noticed at first glance, it significantly contributes towards the urban experience. Benches, fountains, street lamps, rubbish bins, post boxes, tourist information signs, bus stops as well as public toilets are items that reoccur in various urban spaces. Just like outstanding monuments and landmarks, they determine the identity of a square, street or town. This volume introduces 100 exceptional examples of contemporary street furniture, presenting both items that are one-of-a-kind as well as objects that are part of a product series.

Theaters, concert halls and opera houses belong to the main building tasks of our times. Numerous cities as well as communities are adding stage buildings for performing arts to their cultural infrastructure and are renewing historical buildings. The acoustics and stage mechanisms are adjusted to modern requirements, while the standards of the inhouse technology and the amenities for visitors are decidedly improved. Prestigious projects for various towns and states result in extraordinary buildings. These not only convince in terms of their interior design, but also make an impact on the cityscape as solitary structures. 60 outstanding projects from around the world are presented in this volume from the "Masterpieces" series.

Movie theater architecture is an architecture of night. Evening screenings take place in buildings that seek out the attention of passersby using their form and light. The interiors of this less-than-a-century-old building type are also very manifold. The range of design is especially evident in the execution of foyers, which span everything from the strict, modern and refined to the opulent, volu-minous and luxurious. Next to classical, individual cinemas, large multiplex centers have appeared in recent years, becoming an integral component of large amusement parks. The current book explores these developments with the help of 60 contemporary buildings.

Different types of fabrics are frequently used in the fields of temporary architecture and interior design. Because of its soft surface and the visual appearance that comes with it, textile materials mostly create a sense of well-being. As a result of current research and technology, new types of fabrics have been developed with special qualities in terms of load, elasticity and ductility. These can be used also for structural designs, for example in the design of façades, so a wide range of new possibility for its usage is available now. The title Fine Fabric. Delicate Materials for Architecture and Design from the series “architecture and materials“ presents 60 international architecture and design projects.