Gunnar Asplund [Hardcover]

Peter Blundell Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2006

A contemporary of Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, Asplund pursued a unique architecture that displayed a blend of classical tradition, vernacular architecture and Modernism. Above all, he achieved a sensitive understanding of the relationship between architecture and its surrounding landscape, and it is such contributions that have made him recognized as Sweden's leading architect of the twentieth century. His abilities are amply demonstrated in masterpieces like the Woodland Cemetery. In 1915, Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz won the competition to plan a new cemetery for Stockholm. Their romantic plan, in which a symbolically straight, narrow pathway abruptly curves blindly away into the forest, and with open fields capped by burial-mound-like hillocks, earned both of them further commissions for buildings within the cemetery. Asplund's "Woodland Chapel" of 1920 is tucked into the forest, and uses classical elements such as Doric columns, but sparingly and in unusual ways, while manipulating scale in ways that further the spiritual and contemplative nature of the building. The Crematorium and Monument Hall of 1935 are dignified and powerful, unornamented but not austere, to offer comfort to those who use them. "The Gothenburg Law Courts", another critical work which was finally completed in 1937, shows how Asplund relates the architecture of Modernism to a historical plan and facade. Buildings such as the architect's own summer house at Stennas and the crematoria at Kviberg and Skovde, dating from the later part of his life when he had begun to embrace Modernism, still show traditional classical and vernacular influences, and are evidence that not all forms of Modernism constituted a fresh start. This will be a comprehensive monograph on Asplund, and will include extensive new colour photography, as well as many original drawings. It was produced in collaboration with the archives of the Swedish Architectural Museum in Stockholm.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Blundell Jones is the author of Phaidon's Hans Scharoun and teaches in the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield. His previous writing includes work on Asplund for the Masters of Building series published by the Architects Journal in the late 1990s.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714839760
• ISBN-13: 978-0714839769
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,314,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars phenomenal book on an underrated figure, May 12, 2006

By 

A. McDonald (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gunnar Asplund (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully illustrated, comprehensive monograph on the underrated Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund. Although Asplund's work is contemporary with Mies, Le Corbusier, and Aalto, it is of an entirely different current -- Asplund weaves together vernacular, classical and modernist influences in a way that stands solidly outside standard, official history of Modern Architecture. Like the Slovenian architect Plecnick, Asplund's work has always been tricky for historians to place in the march from Wright to Gropius to Mies that is the standard trajectory of early 20th c architectural history.

While that fact may contribute somewhat to the neglect of his reputation, this is undeserved. Aplund's best projects, like the Snellman House, the Enskede Cemetery, or the Stockholm City Library are phenomenal masterpieces of 20th century architecture. The photographs of the work in this book are excellent, and fortunately plenty of line drawings are included too. Jones' summary of Asplund's career is lucid and solidly researched. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in early modernist architecture or Scandinavian design.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars College-level art library holdings will find much to recommend, October 15, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gunnar Asplund (Hardcover)

College-level art library holdings will find much to recommend with GUNNAR ASPLUND, the only detailed monograph in print on the Swedish architect. Given that Asplund is hardly an unknown name in the world of architecture, it's amazing to note that this is the only such reference in print, providing a scholarly survey of all of his works both popular and lesser-known, and packing in new color photos along with sketches and drawings. Perhaps it's because Asplund's buildings don't neatly fit into architectural categories, and thus have missed extensive survey in genre-specific considerations - but they certainly deserve the depth GUNNAR ASPLUND provides, here.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Tribute to a Pioneer, August 7, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gunnar Asplund (Hardcover)

The influence of Scandinavian design in the United States, if not in the whole world has been immense. The clean simple lines of functional design pioneered over there have influenced more designs than have been built in Scandinavia. Gunnar Asplund is one of the lessor known (in the United States) architects of Scandinavian design.

Born in 1885, he began his career in 1907 with a small villa. A few years later he won his first competition for a school which launched his professional career. From then until his death in 1940 he designed a range of structures that reach from small homes through large commercial/government/public buildings. They remain classics of their type.

This profusely illustrated book is unusual in that it includes not only photographs of the buildings as they exist now, but also many line drawings that illustrate the original concepts. As such this is both a tribute to his designs and an idea book for designs being made today.