Customer Reviews

Plain Modern: The Architecture of Brian MacKay-Lyons (New Voices in Architecture)

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So much architecture these days is known primarily because it is the same general thing repeated endlessly. Sort of like the houses made of ticky-tacky in Daly City. Then once in a while you find a book like this one which features a series of buildings, that truly stand out.

Located mostly in Nova Scotia, the architecture of Mr. MacKay-Lyons stands out as truly distinctive. Mostly of small rather inexpensive residences that are very difficult to make dramatic, here are examples of beautiful buildings. Further, most of them are small, and that means inexpensive. As he puts it, they do not have the big debt philosophy. You live in a tarpaper shack until you can afford siding.

Besides houses, there are various commercial builings included from a dramatic theater, a Canadian embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, office buildings and university buildings.

Finally, for several years he has hosted a gathering of interested people in building a structure on land he owns just to explore the limits of what can be done. These projects, called Ghost, are illustrated to give form to some of their ideas.

Splendid book.

In my oppinion Brian MacKay-Lyons is one of the most exciting contemporary architects, showing extreme feeling for detail, form, material and nature surroundings. He deserves maybe a better photo presentation?

If you need a good Bryan Mackay Lyons Book for school or would just like to look at great modern architecture...this book is for you