Customer Reviews

Morphosis

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4 star:		(3)
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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.

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.)

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.

The book contains pictures of his work and the bottom line is this --

1) Poor choice of angles in the photography
2) Boring images
3) Annoying layout of photos in the book such as spreading the image across 2 pages that disturbs the image of the architecture.

This book presents the Morphosis architecture in a series of well-executed photographs, beautifully presented.