Salmela Architect [Paperback]

Thomas Fisher (Author), Peter Bastianelli Kerze (Photographer), David Salmela (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2005

Salmela Architect provides an in-depth look at one of America's leading "critical regionalist" architects. Salmela's buildings resolve a central question of our time: how to balance the various extreme positions that characterize contemporary architecture and culture. Salmela accomplishes this by juxtaposing opposites: modernist and traditional forms, open and cellular plans, large and small scales, familiar elements used in unfamiliar ways. His projects range from a small stand-alone sauna to commercial spaces visited by thousands of people, and his buildings, mostly situated in the upper Midwest, have become nationally and internationally known. Salmela Architect showcases twenty-six completed buildings and sixteen current projects in lavish color photographs and architectural drawings, enabling readers to get a full sense of the practicality, ethnicity, and playfulness apparent in David Salmela's work. Architecture critic Thomas Fisher explores Salmela's propensity to draw from regional roots as he creates designs particular to individual places and cultures yet with universal appeal. Fisher illuminates this synchronicity with projects as prominent as the Gooseberry Falls Visitors Center and Wild Rice Restaurant as well as residential projects including the acclaimed Jackson Meadow community and photographer Jim Brandenburg's Ravenwood Studio.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Salmela Architect provides an in-depth look at one of America's leading "critical regionalist" architects. Salmela's buildings resolve a central question of our time: how to balance the various extreme positions that characterize contemporary architecture and culture. Salmela accomplishes this by juxtaposing opposites: modernist and traditional forms, open and cellular plans, large and small scales, familiar elements used in unfamiliar ways. His projects range from a small stand-alone sauna to commercial spaces visited by thousands of people, and his buildings, mostly situated in the upper Midwest, have become nationally and internationally known. Salmela Architect showcases twenty-six completed buildings and sixteen current projects in lavish color photographs and architectural drawings, enabling readers to get a full sense of the practicality, ethnicity, and playfulness apparent in David Salmela's work. Architecture critic Thomas Fisher explores Salmela's propensity to draw from regional roots as he creates designs particular to individual places and cultures yet with universal appeal. Fisher illuminates this synchronicity with projects as prominent as the Gooseberry Falls Visitors Center and Wild Rice Restaurant as well as residential projects including the acclaimed Jackson Meadow community and photographer Jim Brandenburg's Ravenwood Studio.

About the Author

Thomas Fisher is dean of the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Minnesota. He is the former editor of Progressive Architecture magazine and is the author of In the Scheme of Things (Minnesota, 2000). David Salmela is a self-trained architect practicing in Duluth, Minnesota. Since 1985 his projects have won fourteen Minnesota AIA Honor Awards and sixteen national level awards including a National AIA Honor Award for Architecture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press; 1 edition (May 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816642575
• ISBN-13: 978-0816642571
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Important Voice in American Architecture, February 24, 2007

By 

Nickolas A. Butler (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Salmela Architect (Paperback)

I was introduced to Salmela's work through some friends living in Minnesota. One wintry weekend we toured his Jackson Meadow subdivision, taking our time to examine nearly every property: the specific architecture of each structure, the landscaping, and the feel of the development as a whole. Our feelings were substantially complex, ranging from awe and intrigue to doubt and disturbance. But Salmela's signature on the land was definitely singular, and we all agreed that in some way, his work had blended with the natural world.

This book is a great primer for entering Salmela's world. The photography is clean and expansive and the chosen sites are almost all spectacular. In particular, the coverage of Jim Brandenburg's home is noteworthy. Salmela's work on Brandenburg's property is spectacular and resonant with Falling Waters in my humble opinion.

If you are a Midwesterner interested in architecture, buy this book and enjoy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular photography and architecture!, April 6, 2007

By 

T. Fiero - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Salmela Architect (Paperback)

This book is a lyrical tribute to the work of Minnesota architect David Salmela. The text is knowledgeable and engaging (Fisher is dean of the U of M's College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture), and the large format photographs are beautiful and vivid, inviting the viewer to "walk right in." Highly recommended for anyone interested in architecture, interior design or photography!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of extraordinary work, February 10, 2008

By 

James E. Johnson "architect" (Parker, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Salmela Architect (Paperback)

This is a handsome book, well organized and full of excellent photographs and clear, readable plan and elevation drawings. It is a wonderful addition to the library of anyone interested in thoughtful and articulate architecture. Salmela's work is beautiful and rich, and this book does it justice. I'm very glad to have this in my library.