Herzog & de Meuron (Studio Paperback) New and Revised Edition (German and English Edition) [Paperback]

Wilfried Wang (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2000

On the basis of their early small but dense buildings and projects, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron have been recognized as architects searching for the essential grounds of tehir discipline. From tehir earliest designs of 1978, their work has sought to reconcile the role of architecture in the age of electronic media. With their current work in Switzerland and abroad, Herzog & de Meuron continue to combine architecture's primary physical dimension with its capacity to embody conceptual qualities. This first comprehensive monograph includes all the significant buildings and projects from the Photographic Studio Frei in Weil to the Signal Box in Basel and the Tate Gallery in London, with selected essays by architectural critics.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: German, English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Birkhäuser Basel; 3rd edition (December 2000)
• Language: German, English
• ISBN-10: 3764356170
• ISBN-13: 978-3764356170
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Distinct Swiss Architecture, May 7, 2003

By 

Burak Kilic (Istanbul, TURKEY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Herzog & de Meuron (Studio Paperback) New and Revised Edition (German and English Edition) (Paperback)

During my freshman year at the school of architecture, we examined Herzog & de Meuron's two houses to use them as a starting point for our 'room' designs. Their work is very impressive. The houses were the Koechlin House, in Switzerland and Kramlich House, in California. Both of them were quite comprehensive designs and yet with totally different approaches to their aims.

Koechlin House was designed as a three-story building, in which the top floor was the rotation of the trapezoid shaped-second floor, which formed the main movement in the house. The architects have brought the outside to inside, and inside to outside by placing movable huge glass windows, which are reflective as a mirror. The building's almost black color serves to the means of making it seem both visible and invisible at the same time to the people walking outside.

The other house, Kremlin House, was designed for two artists who were dealing with media art frequently. To this respect, Herzog & de Meuron, designed the house in such a way that all the walls within the house could be used as projection screens for the artists. To enhance the design, they've curved the walls to provide continuity to the works being projected. I believe that there cannot be any better solution than what the swiss architects have offered.

I've purchased the book to look at their other works, and I'm not disappointed at all. Their other works reflect similar level of quality, creativity and problem-solving. The book contains about 75-100 works of them, with all the essential information regarding the context, juxtaposed with self-explanatory pictures. Some of the bigger projects have plans and sections as well. The editor has included a couple of sections on the background of the architects, and a timeline of their work.

The book is in both german and english. Therefore, the amount of information revealed is halved, but it is still sufficient. The reason I'm rating this book with 4 stars is that I find the book somewhat dull and not-very-inviting than the usual charming architecture books. But, this is just my opinion, and this cannot hinder the book's value or success by any means. It is a good source of both Herzog & de Meuron, and general Swiss architecture, indeed.

5 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars herzog & de meuron, June 14, 2000

By 

Jose Lao Siu (Lima, Peru) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Herzog & de Meuron (Studio Paperback) New and Revised Edition (German and English Edition) (Paperback)

Me fascinan los espacios minimalistas. Herzog & de Meuron, transmiten la esencia del lugar con materiales universales. los espacios se llenan de vida con el estudio de la luz.