Marmol Radziner + Associates: Between Architecture and Construction [Paperback]

Leo Marmol (Author), Ron Radziner (Author), Karen Weise (Editor), Paul Goldberger (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1568987447 | ISBN-13: 978-1568987446 | Publication Date: May 15, 2008 | Edition: 1

If you design some of the most stylish and beautiful modern houses in the Los Angeles area, including many for celebrityclients, how do you ensure that the projects are built to the standards you, and your patrons, demand? If you're the highlysought-after firm of Marmol Radziner + Associates, you do what an increasing number of practices are doing: becomeyour own contractor, building your projects with the same rigor and beauty with which they were designed, and, in theprocess, remake your firm into one of the most visible and successful design-build firms in the country.

Praised as "modernist savants" by the New York Times, Marmol Radziner + Associates have redefined the indoor-outdoor California lifestyle made famous by legendary mid-century modernists such as Richard Neutra and Albert Frey. Their multifaceted projects include not only residential, commercial, and institutional buildings but also mid-century modern home restorations, furniture, and prefab home manufacturing. Whether building a Hollywood hideaway that floats ethereally over a lush garden or a childcare center for LAX airport employees, each project embodies the philosophy of the firm by integrating finely crafted details with technically inventive modern spaces. Marmol Radziner + Associates explains in detail how this pioneering design-build firmone of the few led by architectshas managed to integrate buildinginstallation, construction, and fabrication into one seamless design process. Architects Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner give an open and honest account of the inner workings of their award-winning firm. Their personal perspectives combined with interviews with employees, clients, and collaborators highlight the synergistic nature of their work. This unique monograph takes the reader from the early stages of conceptual design all the way through construction with special attention focused on their innovative solutions to a variety of on-site challenges.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marmol Radziner + Associates is a California-based architecture firm established in 1989 by architects Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner. It is the recipient of numerous local, regional, and national awards including the AIA National Honor Award.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (May 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568987447
• ISBN-13: 978-1568987446
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #506,577 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 Quality Architecture + Quality Control, April 15, 2010

By 

E. Jarolin (Wyoming, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Marmol Radziner + Associates: Between Architecture and Construction (Paperback)

While liberally illustrated with color photos, renderings, sketches and plans this is much more than just another architectural coffee table book. Rather it tells the story, through extensive text, of one architectural firms pursuit of excellence not only in design, but in the delivery of the finished product - the building itself. In order to achieve this lofty goal the fledgling Marmol Radziner + Associates quickly evolved into a design-build entity: one capable of performing much of the actual construction work through in-house departments. Presented are a representative sampling of completed projects including numerous residences, the restoration of a mid-century Neutra masterpiece, as well as commercial and institutional efforts. The 'Desert House' prototype for a prefab approach to single family housing is also well documented here. Many of the custom prefab houses that followed are presented via computer generated renderings as well as the occasional photograph.

Very small floor plans only rarely containing room labels are minor distractions to an otherwise compelling presentation.

Highly recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Insight Into Architects Design, November 22, 2008

By 

M. Lewis (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Marmol Radziner + Associates: Between Architecture and Construction (Paperback)

First off I have become a major Marmol Radziner fan ever since I saw pictures of their Desert House - steel frame, floor to ceiling glass walls, modern design, contemporary furniture with a mid-century modern feel.
This book gives some insight into Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner's philosophy, their architecture, design and construction company. The book covers some of their key projects including the restoration of Richard Neutra's fabulous Kaufmann House all the way through to the their incredible Desert House. The book also covers their latest entry into the high end prefab space and their furniture designs. I was somewhat disappointed with the photos in the book. They were not very high quality and they are the same photos you'll find on the web including on their site. In addition, the sparse floor plan drawings were completely useless - very basic (no details at all) and were so tiny that you need a magnifying glass just to look at them. I wished they'd include more on the prefab stuff but you can get more details on the prefab stuff at their web site. All in all a pretty good read and some decent pictures from these two very talented architects of modern design.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ..a great addition to your modern architecture library..., October 20, 2008

By 

Kevin S. Dunn (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Marmol Radziner + Associates: Between Architecture and Construction (Paperback)

A wonderful collection of work from this young, energetic firm. The design/build aspect of their work in particular, is intriguing for those of us in the design community who struggle with the dance of getting our design initiatives realized. This monograph demonstrates that a single vision shared by the persons responsible for the design and constuction can yield special results. The work is "modern" in the fact that it belongs in the time in which is created. The detail is crisp and the conceptual rigor of the design process is evident.