Herzog & De Meuron: Prada Aoyama Tokyo [Paperback]

Patrizio Bertelli (Author), Germano Celant (Editor), Miuccia Prada (Editor), Herzog & De Meuron (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 8887029261 | ISBN-13: 978-8887029260 | Publication Date: April 2, 2004 | Edition: Bilingual

In the Aoyama district of Tokyo, a mixed-use neighborhood of low-rise buildings where not a square meter of land has been left unoccupied, the Swiss architecture team of Herzog & de Meuron has built a new store for Prada. In this chunky, silvery book, they meticulously illustrate the creative process that led to the realization of "a house and a plaza," a tall and narrow kaleidoscope-like structure that houses a two-story retail space and multiple levels of offices, backed by an outdoor space for the public--a rarity in crowded Tokyo. The finished structure, encased in a visually porous shell or skin, is as decorative as it is architectural--or as architectural as it is decorative--and is both metaphorically and literally linked to its surrounding environment, and to the idea of the garment. Here is the story of a theoretically and structurally complex building told lovingly and simply by its architects, through words, models, sketches, photographs, and architectural renderings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 396 pages
• Publisher: Fondazione Prada; Bilingual edition (April 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8887029261
• ISBN-13: 978-8887029260
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,680,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A PRADA book for your collection, February 19, 2010

By 

Heejae Lee "hjl studio" (Seoul, Korea) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Herzog & De Meuron: Prada Aoyama Tokyo (Paperback)

Readers who plan on purchasing this book may wonder why it costs so much for a book that is seeming small in size. Before that is answered, consider the fact that this is a single book dedicated to a single building that has changed the popular architectural scene in Tokyo. When this building was completed in 2003, it became a destination spot for design students, architects, Prada customers, etc., etc. It made its architects, Herzog & de Meuron a "pop star" amongst the general public and it made Prada a household name in Japan for people who don't buy or wear Prada. This building set the benchmark for other fashion boutiques to live up to in the already trendy, upscale area of Tokyo called Omotesando.
How this cultural icon came to being is documented in this book thoroughly. It may be small in size, but I believe it is for ergonomic and aesthetic reasons. This book has 385 pages of information that documents the genesis of this project. From the initial contact that Prada made to Herzog & de Meuron in 1998 all the way to the project completion, this book has it all. This book follows no common template in its layout and it is like a photo scrap book that shows the process the architect and client went through to develop this project. You'll find sketches, study models, site analysis pictures, working drawings, construction project pictures, etc.,etc. Light on text but very heavy in pictures, this book should not be purchased for people expecting it to be a common monograph, but a book published by Prada for people who want to own a piece of a cultural icon.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New Book, July 29, 2006

By 

S. Lau (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Herzog & De Meuron: Prada Aoyama Tokyo (Paperback)

I am generally happy about the book, except when I am buying a 100 dollars book I will expect more from it, in particular in this situation, the back of book has a lot of scratches... certainly it won't affect the content whatsoever, but this is a book designed and made to be pure white with shinny silver pattern. That is the only drawback.