Customer Reviews

The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this book recently (not at amazon)primarily to bring myself up to date on what's out there in the latest trends. I hadn't seen the book, other than the publisher's web site. I was astounded when it arrived at my place of employment to see how much detail on the various projects has been worked into half page arrangements. It's a giant of a book, so the format works. This is one of the finest collections of contemporary architecture I have seen. (I am a practicing architect.)For the price, i believe it to be unique and unrivalled in scope. What especially impressed me was how much work from non-marquee architects was included.

I would heartilly recommend this to anyone, in the profession or not, for an in-depth survey of buildings worldwide. I only hope that this is the start of a series and not a one shot deal.

It is hard to review or even to critique good books, especially this one. Simply say "great" or "must have" does not help potential readers decide whether they need to invest in this volume. I have been struggling as well due to the fact that this book costs money (considering that I am still a poor student) and time (for reading). I was unable to finalize my choice untill this afternoon; and I would like to share my thoughts with all of you.

If you are an architecture professional, then the decision is easy to make. Just buy it! Owning this book to you is similar to getting a good dictionary or thesaurus to a professional writer.

The hard part comes if you are only a layperson or causal connoisseur to modern architecture (like me). To me, the cons to the investiment is twofold: 1)Information overload and redundancy. The information contained in this book is just massive. Honestly speaking, if you have already read quite a few books about modern architecture, nearly 70-80% of these projects (especially residentail buildings) are similar conceptually. What I (and probably you) need now is thought-provoking ideas and eye-catching images, which pop up among the mediocre. As a reference book, this Atlas includes both the ingenious ones and the boring ones. I have been wondering the necessity of reading all these projects. At least, I don't plan to get a PhD in architecture. 2)Size of the book. This point is peripheral comparing with the above, but still important (at least to me). The book is so large and so heavy that I cannot lie in my sofa or bed, holding and reading it comfortably. I have to get a desk and sit tight and straight. Architecture is my hobby and I really don't want to infuse a research-like mood when reading the book.

Fortunately, I picked up another book "Architecture Now 3" (AN) published by Taschen this afternoon. To me, AN is a concise version of the Phaidon Atlas, and could serve as a good substitute. The projects in AN and Phaidon Atlas overlap a lot. The good thing is that, in general, AN selected those interesting ones from the Atlas, removing all other redundant buildings. So you will still get the cutting-edge trends in today's architecture world with fewer projects and a little bit more detailed text. Plus, AN is organized by architects, so you got the chance to know those people (really useful information for amateurs). Further, AN is much smaller and I can read it anywhere I like (on the patio, in the bed, in a park...).

In summary, whether you need to buy this book depends on your needs. Spend money wisely. Hope this helps.

Comes in a briefcase-style transparent case, which you will definately need to carry this huge tome home (the book measures around 12"x18" and weighs almost 18 pounds!). This is a beautiful book covering a fairly comprehensive range of architecture and is well organized (the material is broken down by regions/sub-regions and the pages are color-coded). Anyone interested in architecture and design will thoroughly enjoy this fantastic book.

Absolutely wonderful, delightful book... As an architecture student, this is the ultimate sourcebook for modern buildings all over the world, and some of which I've never seen before. The only downside I would say is that there isn't enough technical drawings and it would have been helpful if there were more. However, the book is already huge and I can't imagine how much bigger and heavier it would be if more technical drawings were in there. Besides, now that I know that what the building is called and the architect who designed it, it's easier for me to source out info...
Conclusion? No complaints! It's really good as is... I'm a happy customer!

What can you say about this book other than the fact that it is magnificent!
It certainly lives up to it's name as an atlas of 'world' architecture and the areas covered are very comprehensive - from the unbelievably quaint and desirable house for 'one lady and a horse' to a toilet block in Sydney!
The technical data provided is excellent and it is amazing to see the different costings in different parts of the world.
Appealing both to professionals and those with a casual inteest in architecture, this book is more than worth the cost.

This is a must have. Absolutely brilliant. Very impressed with the way the book was packaged. Thanks Amazon

Beware. They said delvery in 3-5 weeks. It's now been a month, and NOW they said they will delay delivery for yet another month!! Reconsider if you planned on using it for professional reasons like I had. But it's still the greatest book about modern architecture in print.

A wonderful compilation of architectural designs. The photos and plans are wonderful and allow you to experience the buildings.
Only requirement is a sturdy table on which to keep this 20+ pound volume.
Only thing that would make it better would be the addition of a DVD with additional information on each building.

As you can gather from the other reviews the book is as big as everyone says it is. However, the title really describes what it is. An atlas which is a collection of glimpses of some of the most impressive projects over the last 8-10 years. It is useful as a reference and as a starting point for investigating projects of recent times as most are in there.

For an Australian point of view it was great to see some of the impressive works being created in this country - even though they tend to be skewed towards private residences.

Overall well worth adding to the collection, as a source of inspiration. It even encourages me to design as I was forced to design a new bookshelf to store it in.

Excellent & definitive resource. Beautiful oversize book design & gorgeous photos from around the world. Interior Design Magazine rated this book in their Top 100 Favorite Things. It is truly an awesome book. I use it as a reference in my interior architecture practice with clients. A classic book to enjoy...