Customer Reviews

Details in Contemporary Architecture: AsBuilt

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AsBuilt is a new series of architecture books beint published by Princeton Architectural Press. This is the first book in the series and seems to be the prototype for the concept of the series.

This book, and all of the planned books in the series, feature 25 buildings that were actually constructed in the US or Canada. Besides being interesting buildings in their overall design, the author, a practicing architect in her own right, goes beyond the facade to present how the special features of the building were designed/constructed.

As the saying goes, 'the Devil is in the details.' And here are the details of these buildings discussed in the open. Many of these feature new construction materials, old materials used in new ways, or merely have designs that go beyond the expected. Ms. Killory has been able to get the architects involved to share their newest developments, right down to including the engineering drawings of particularly difficult parts of the structure.

This book goes beyond the normal 'idea book' to give you the how as well. And showing only 'AsBuilt' buildings, here are buildings not just concepts on paper.

I buy architecture books within a somewhat narrow focus. It should be a publication that can't be, wouldn't be, duplicated on the web (so, excellent quality, big illustrations one wants to pore over and compare a few pages back with some other big illustration) and helpful to the actual practice of architecture. Inspiration and theory will be supplied through the explication of structure, materials, fulfillment of program as well as any ephemeral qualities of beauty. While this book supplies a bit of each of the above, it is not deep enough to win a big "wow." The projects have all been published in many magazines, so no surprises there. The hardcore information is cursory. Still, for a quick consult it is better than many surveys and the projects are juicy (that's why they got published in the first place.) Question to Princeton Architectural Press: would it kill you to include an index or some appendices? [The best references for contemporary details remain... Detail magazines and books, even if the text takes some vigilance to filter the Germ-glish, actually charming, commentary and captions.]