In Detail: Building Skins: Concepts, Layers, Materials (In Detail (englisch)) [Hardcover]

Christian Schittich (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 3764364653 | ISBN-13: 978-3764364656 | Publication Date: September 3, 2001 | Edition: 1

The external facades of a building are more than a protective mantle, or an intelligent skin regulating temperature and light, they also determine its very appearance. By unusual choices of materials and the use of complex technology, facades have become increasingly significant in recent years. External surfaces are being perceived as an integral part of the building and are therefore being designed as such. This volume focuses on the wide-ranging aspects of facade design, from the selection and use of materials to the advanced technical possibilities now open to the architect. A wide array of carefully selected international examples show the theory in the practice. All plans, details, and large scale sections of the facades have been researched with the high degree of competence typical of the editorial staff from the review Detail. Expert authors provide the essential information needed to plan and design facades and elucidate on the latest developments in technology and materials

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

About the Author

The architect and Editor in Chief of DETAIL Christian Schittich (1956) has written most of the titles in the DETAIL series.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Birkhauser; 1 edition (September 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3764364653
• ISBN-13: 978-3764364656
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,588,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Detail Series sets a new standard for contemporary architecture, August 3, 2007

By 

curt dilger (phila usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Detail: Building Skins (In Detail (englisch)) (Hardcover)

I cannot say enough about the quality of this entire series, and this book is among the best of the set. Few architecture books are of this high quality; one usually expects some level of editorial compromise; either we get lightweight analysis and documentation with beautiful photographs, or you get overly complex, teched out stuff that doesn't understand the fundamental concepts. Or it's just bad architecture. But this entire series, from the quality of the writing, the great beauty and clarity of the drawings, and finally to the aptness and excellence of the finished architecture; it represents the new state of the art. Buy the whole series, but start with this one and "Building Simply", which I'll rave about separately.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seductive Packaging, October 2, 2008

By 

Joong Won Lee "Joongwon" (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Detail: Building Skins (In Detail (englisch)) (Hardcover)

The way architects use materials and the effects they are after in the exterior envelope nowadays are quite surprising. "Building Skins" reports to us these exciting limelight phenomena. The book focuses mainly on two issues that pertain to the production of architectural skin; first, is exploration of materiality; and second, is interdisciplinary integrated approach to energy performance. It sounds pretty banal, but because of the cases provided are handsomely put together, the experience of reading is ever afresh and anew.

Schittich's wonderfully written essay in the beginning of the book helps a reader to quickly understand the forces (historical, technological, aesthetical, and environmental) that pushed this global interest in visually-effective or performance-efficient façade making. Attitude towards materials and building skin, the book summarizes into (mainly) three groups of architects.

First group of architects (e.g. Zumthor, reactionary to flickering-aesthetics), uses untreated materials to renew and expose the very attributes of materials. Second group of architects (e.g. Herzog De Meuron, embracing digital-friendly attitude), uses machine-treated materials to explore new visual effects. Third group of architects (e.g. Thomas Herzog, focusing on climatic parameters), integrates solar manipulators into the façade. The book also lightly touches on the issues of artificial lighting that are becoming more crucial to contemporary urban nightscape.

Supported by clean detail drawings, there are ample examples of building skins. Similar to any of the Birkhauser Detail series; the book is richly informative on the technical terms of materials and treatment on materials. It also introduces some German architects that are pretty much foreign to English-speaking audience. The two essays by Lang & Krippner are also worth mentioning.

Seductive building packaging will cool down as time passes by, but meanwhile, this book will serve its purpose.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wide range of material, forms and geometry examples, June 1, 2008

By 

Joseph Huang - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Detail: Building Skins (In Detail (englisch)) (Hardcover)

This books contains mostly low rise building, stadium, and stores in Europe that shows exordinary variety of materials used in exterior skins. A eye opener that give a glimps of the recent development of curtain wall design and the creativity involved in solving various problems. Each case contains at least horizontal and vertical sections drawings with materials table and background introduction of its functions, and some has enlarged photo of particular features which is useful to study how it was constructed. While in some cases I wish more close-up pictures were given, but at least for the most part it was more useful than most of architectual books which only offer overall view of the building and it liveup the name 'in detail' which I was looking for.