Customer Reviews

Herzog & de Meuron: Natural History

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I don't think this is an "object book" but a book in which herzog & de meuron want readers to understand their work like an archaelogical history. you cannot flip through it like an photographic architectural essay, but you really have to sit down, have a cup of coffee/tea, and really read the book, think about what they are saying, how other ideas such as art, history, materials, cultural, industrial changes, and etc. are interacting to their architectural process. certainly, they have the depth in their thoughts to publish a book that doesn't depend on photographs/architectural drawings. quite refreshing.

Another object book with content that matches the originality of the design. Herzog & De Meuron, the Basel-based architects, are best known for their art museums, but also for creating buildings that are works of art--even when the program is as mundane as a railroad signal box. This companion to the recent CCA exhibition is an anthology of interviews, stimulating essays by artists and clients, and pictures of objects that have inspired them, in addition to an illustrated catalogue of their 200 buildings and projects. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)

H & DeM have always been influenced by art & you can even argue that their body of work could be an entire exhibiton. This book follows up some of their selected projects with interviews of the architects themselves as well as the collaborative artists. It does well to probe into theie unique process of design & actualization of their work. Jaques Herzog says that Art is roughly 20 years ahead of architecture. This vivid book clearly shows the great accomplishments by two men who are constantly trying to even up the odds between art & architecture through inspirations from the natural world.