Creating the New American Townhouse [Hardcover]

Alexander Gorlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2005

Once the bastion of the haute bourgeoisie, the town house has now been embraced by families with young children, single urban professionals, and retired couples, all looking for more comfortable city or suburban living. Architect Alexander Gorlin explores a spectacular array of diverse town house designs (often referred to by different terms in different parts of the country) that carry this familiar symbol of architectural innovation and refinement into the twenty-first century. Creating the New American Town House features cutting-edge town houses that each draw from architectural tradition while achieving originality by both breaking from and adhering to the limitations of the town house form. Within the typical five-story frame and two parallel walls presented here are ingenious and exquisite and, above all, extremely livable design solutions to the constraints of this classic housing type.
Ranging from sites in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, each of the buildings featured in Creating the New American Town House represents an eloquent contribution to the form and is designed by such celebrated architects as Steven Ehrlich, Hugh Newell Jacobson, Stanley Saitowitz, and 1100 Architect. Each project is extensively illustrated with full-color photography that showcases the interior design as well as plans and drawings. Alexander Gorlin’s insightful text continues the discourse begun in his The New American Town House, surveying the adaptation of this beloved urban dwelling to the demands of a new century.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alexander Gorlin, a New York—based architect, is a winner of the Rome Prize in Architecture and has taught at Yale University and at Cooper Union. He is the subject of Rizzoli’s Alexander Gorlin: Buildings and Projects and the author of The New American Town House, also published by Rizzoli.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847827127
• ISBN-13: 978-0847827121
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Is a townhouse different from a city house?, January 29, 2006

By 

Heejae Lee "hjl studio" (Seoul, Korea) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creating the New American Townhouse (Hardcover)

First of all let me say that Mr. Gorlin has compiled and selected very beautiful projects for his book. The book itself is very well constructed and the detailed photographs provide insight to how these exquisite homes were designed and constructed.
The only question I have regarding some of the projects featured in this book is that they don't seem to fall under the typology of what a "townhouse" is. Perhaps its my lack of knowledge, but I believed a townhouse differed from a city house in that a townhouse shared a parallel wall with adjacent buildings and is usually built vertically due to narrow city lots. Although most projects featured here fall under this form, some such as the Reyna Town House by Dean Nota Architect and the Vertical Townhouse by Lorcan O'Herlihy among others bear the name "town house", but seem to be just houses in an urban context. These houses are built on lots, but because they share no common wall with their neighbors they seem to fall under the typology of suburban houses with their boundary indicating fences. Don't get me wrong, the projects featured here are all very beautiful whether they are new constructions or renovations, but some seem to be out of character of what I thought a townhouse is. Nonetheless, aside from the dispute in nomenclature, this book features some of the best examples of fine architecture in city living.

amassingdesign.blogspot

5.0 out of 5 stars American beauty, March 7, 2006

By 

L.A. Lobo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating the New American Townhouse (Hardcover)

Yes, some of this book's projects may not technically meet the traditional criteria for the town house; but as Gorlin himself describes one of Stanley Saitowitz's projects, it "extends beyond general restrictions for the type". The book is more a record of how gifted architects have in the last five years reimagined and utilized the typology in new contexts and in striking new ways. Indeed you will be disappointed if you are looking for "typical" projects, but who wants typical when you can have genius!!

There is a diverse array of projects, including multi-family and affordable housing the like of which are to be found almost nowhere in the United States. While many of these architects are highly respected names whom the average reader herself might not be able to hire, Gorlin makes a crucial statement about the architect/client relationship in his "Advice from the Architect" introduction: "Apart from talent, personal chemistry is essential". The work also demonstrates that the architects in the book have earned their reputations by pushing the envelope, by CREATING one-of-a-kind responses to their clients and their urban contexts.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry masquerading as prose, March 7, 2006

By 

VINNY FROM QUEENZ - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating the New American Townhouse (Hardcover)

Creating the New American Town House only reaffirms my longstanding appreciation of the work of Alexander Gorlin, known for his high-end residential designs, but equally deserving of accolades for his innovative design of synagogues, churches, affordable housing and educational projects. Check out his own website www.gorlinarchitects.com and you will see why he is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a regular in magazines like Architectural Record, Architectural Digest and Interior Design.

Oh right, the book! Not only is every photograph stunning. Boldly elegant but never ostentatious, these projects are without exception the work of design studios (with as few as two employees) who care more about well-realized details than money or fame. Gorlin's concise project descriptions illuminate precisely those aspects of the projects that might otherwise escape the reader's notice, a phenomenal accomplishment that in some way surpasses his earlier book, The New American Town House. The first book, now difficult to find, opens with an erudite and comprehensive history of the Town House from Vitruvius to Hejduk!

Less is more? Nothing less than a triumph! Go forth A.G.!