Customer Reviews

Hybrid Space: Generative Form and Digital Architecture

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

On first glance of the title i knew i was in for something good. This book provides a good analysis of the present work of worldwide architects that employ the computer as a 'means to the end' of architecture for the next millennium. I was already familiar with the architecture firms of today that are on the cutting edge of computer design work. So it was nice to see that this author is able to acknowledge these architects and present their architecture story in the form of this book. The luscious illustrations and graphics that this book presents are plentiful, informative and in other terms unique. The information is theorectical and practical which compliment the illustrations which gives this book the depth required for the serious architect. I dont hesitate to recommend this book for the future architects that intend to take their designs to a new level, the computer level.

Unfortunately, this book is, almost exclusively, one of the worst attempts at analytic architecture that I have ever read. It oversimplifies and underestimates the depth of sensitivity with which architects are using emerging computer technologies to explore new domains of design philosophy. Having quite a familiarity of the the firms that the author hurriedly squimmed over in his text, I found no new insights or comprehensive frameworks with which to view the current architectural landscape. If you are looking for attractive, computer renderings, then by all means purchase this book. But if you are searching to refine your understanding of the current architectural culture, find a different author.

This is one book that slipped under my radar screen. I passed it up several times but once you get past the cloyingly bright graphics and the unfortunate coffee table format this volume is well worth the effort. As it turns out, Hybridspace delivers what might be seen one day as the first accessible account of the impact of digital technologies on architectural design. The introduction is particularly clear, intelligent and succinct and the firm profiles are condensed, neat introductions to the works of an emerging and talented generation of architects.

To boot, if you get rid of the silly jacket, you'll have a handsome, black cloth bound volume that will sit nicely your shelves.

I read this book when it first came out, and my initial reaction was that it was an overhyped piece of trash. Nowhere in the book is there one piece of relevant information, with regard to the world of architecture (or anything else, for that matter). I decided to give it some time and try rereading it, to understand what my colleagues saw in it. I still can't figure it out. This book was extinct the moment it hit the public realm. I'd suggest spending your time (and money) elsewhere.

The images are very dated, and one has to wonder how anyone would consider it a good read. Perhaps, the reviewer(s) that rate it well could very well be the author himself trying to up his sells cause its bad.