Customer Reviews

Classical Modern Architecture

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Beautifully photographed, this book collects wonderful examples of classical designs in the modern world. It has become a favorite for browsing! Informative text and excellent range.

A basic overview of new, i.e. 1990s, buildings, developments and their architects is given here in CLASSICAL MODERN ARCHITECTURE, printed in the 1997 English edition, paperback. For admirers of this approach to architecture, little might be new but the wide range of the presentation might bring up some things of interest; for others, it is a good starting point. The individual buildings are lavish new houses, such as those in Greenwich, CT, or big budgeted buildings available to sections of the public, such as the Riggs Banks in Washington, DC; little if anything is shown with evidence of a modest budget. Of the new developments, only Poundbury, Dorset, United Kingdom, by Leon Krier commissioned by the Duchy of Cornwall/Prince Charles gives an indication that a middle income population might also enjoy the benefits of classical modern architecture. Twenty architects or architectural firms from the U.S., U.K., France, Italy, Greece and Germany are profiled along with the projects of some others. John Blatteau, Jacquelin Robertson, and Quinlan Terry are among those profiled. Notably absent however are two architects who designed enormous and wildly expensive classical houses in the 1990s, Robert A.M. Stern and Peter Marino. Ideally, a second volume of additional buildings and developments of the next 10 years or so would follow featuring the younger generation of classicists such as Ferguson & Shamamian, Peter Pennoyer, and John Tackett. Although the text is brief, the color photos are well produced, even in the softcover edition. Although not necessarily recommended for casual reading, it remains a good resource on the topic of new architectural design utilizing the classical vocabulary and philosophy.