Customer Reviews

Charles Rose, Architect

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I recently re-found this book while going through my collection of monographs, and it really took me back. During the course of my undergraduate studies, we were introduced to the works of Charles Rose in our third year studio. This semester at my institution was dubbed the `Landscape Semester' because the objectives were to unlock the architectural potentials latent in the vast expanses of North Florida.
The architecture of Charles Rose discovers these potentials in the American landscape. His works do not simply respond or adapt to their settings, but make explicit the implicit geometric, sensory, and material qualities of their settings. He manages to transform the `stuff' of landscape into the `stuff' of architectural tectonics, and to do so with great grace.
All of this is captured in this wonderful book. The text is beautifully written and does not overwhelm the powerful photographs of the buildings. It was a great source of inspiration during my undergraduate pursuits, and to this day remains a wonderful book to anyone who wants to see some beautiful works of architecture.

I'm not an architect but I love modern style houses... I also hate blah-blah-blah architecture books... so I loved this book. Beautiful pictures of interesting homes and public buildings. Text that is there is pithy and interesting to read.

I am now going to buy a copy for my nephew who is thinking of becoming an architect. It's fun.

His name was out when he was still married to Maryann Thompson from "Thompson and Rose Architects" days. Now, they are on their separate ways. Maryann Thompson was a visiting faculty at MIT and Harvard and that brought them the works, mostly residential, very regional.

Now, on his separate way in 2000s, he puts together of his works in this book but I don't find much of the consistency compared to his old days with Thompson or any architect of his age. The design got younger and the project scale got bigger. But I still find the actual experience of his space only dwells in the book better than the real time. It is difficult to become a master designer in Architecture, indeed but I wonder if this book is any better than magazines that show residential works. Is it original or inspiring other young architects? I am afraid to say neither. Just another local designer. I suggest anyone pass over this book and look for real masters' works.

BTW, he is not Peter Rose from Harvard GSD. Often people get confused with these two.