Morphosis [Hardcover]

Thom Mayne (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 071484070X | ISBN-13: 978-0714840703 | Publication Date: December 2002

This monograph documents all of the built work by Morphosis, a Los Angeles-based firm headed by Thom Mayne and one of the most influential American architecture firms in practice since the 1980s. The firm's non-Cartesian forms; beautifully executed, sculptural models; and complex, computer-generated drawings helped to usher in a new era of architectural experimentation in the early 1980s that was also embraced by upcoming firms such as Eric Owen Moss, Rem Koolhaas and Coop Himmelblau. Mayne himself became a highly desirable teacher, critic and lecturer and continues to lecture and participate in conferences and competitions in Europe, South America, Israel and Asia. Unlike previous volumes on Morphosis, which almost exclusively focus on drawings and model photographs, this book is comprised of bold, documentary-style colour photographs of completed buildings, 35 in total, with carefully chosen plans and drawings added to punctuate the photos. This book publishes for the first time extensive photographs of all of Morphosis's completed work, from the early residential and restaurant projects in Los Angeles to the most recent work beyond California and the United States - in Canada, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Austria. Included are the Cedars Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center; a showroom for Vecta in Los Angeles; later residential projects - the Lawrence, Crawford, and Blades houses; exhibits at the Walker Art Center and Netherlands Architecture Institute; the Hypo Alpe-Adria-Centre in Klagenfurt, Austria; and Toronto Graduate Student Housing in Toronto, Canada. The work in this volume is presented in a clean, almost cinematic layout, with large-format colour photographs, including many double-page spreads, illustrating the individual projects. The projects are organized in reverse chronological order; project sections are followed by an essay by Thom Mayne interspersed with commentary by Val Warke.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thom Mayne founded Morphosis in 1972 in partnership with Michael Rotondi (Rotondi left Morphosis to start his own firm in the late 1980s). That same year, Mayne collaborated with other architects to found the Southern California Institute of Architecture, or SCI-Arc. With Morphosis, Thom Mayne has been the recipient of 20 Progressive Architecture Awards, 39 American Institute of Architects Awards, and numerous other design recognitions. Currently he holds a faculty position at UCLA School of Arts and Architecture. Over the past 20 years, his academic activities have included teaching positions at Columbia University, Harvard University (Elliot Noyes Chair, 1998), Yale (Eliel Saarinen Chair, 1991), the Berlage Institute in the Netherlands and the Bartlett School of Architecture in London, as well as various universities throughout the world. Val Warke is an associate professor of architecture at Cornell University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 071484070X
• ISBN-13: 978-0714840703
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,705,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for non-architects, April 26, 2005

By 

Stephanie "Chep33" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Morphosis (Hardcover)

Morphosis is one of the leading American practices today. The work that they have produced over the years is amazing. This book is great for the non-architect, however I would not recommend it for any students or practitioners of architecture. "Morphosis Buildings and Projects 1993-1997" and "Morphosis Building and Projects 1989-1992" are loaded with drawings, working images, and an indepth look at the firms work. They are much better books for the architecture student.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Morphosis, December 16, 2003

By 

Michael Webb (London, England > Los Angeles, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Morphosis (Hardcover)

Mayne has been at the forefront of LA's architectural avant garde for over thirty years, graduating from meticulously detailed houses and commercial spaces, to large-scale public projects that include two LA-area schools, the Cal Trans headquarters, a Federal office building in San Francisco, and a courthouse in Oregon. Morphosis (the firm he established with Michael Rotondi in 1972) has also built in Canada, Austria and Korea. This handsome pictorial survey of its 35 completed buildings and installations offers a thrilling ride through structures that tilt, fold, cantilever and seem to defy gravity. An essay by Mayne is gently deconstructed by Cornell architecture professor Val Warke. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars better that the others, November 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Morphosis (Hardcover)

This book unlike other morphosis books is comprehensible for the average reader. it has great pictures and his spectacular use of materials is clearly articulated. Thom Mayne does not only talk the talk but builds the talked about.