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Theoretical Anxiety and Design Strategies in the Work of Eight Contemporary Architects

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There are Architects who write eloquently about Architecture, but whose built works disappoint, then there are those whose buildings inspire and yet seem unable to communicate clearly about their ideas, but Rafael Moneo is the rare architect who appears in easy command of both realms. A colleague who studied under him said that Moneo could look at a project and tell exactly how it was designed, and this book seems to substantiate this ability to understand both method and reason behind the work of some of the most important Architects of the last third or the 20th century. Moneo's prose is informal, yet studied, and this book serves as a once in a lifetime conversation with a master Architect.
His ideas seem better defined when dealing with James Stirling and Aldo Rossi, and more speculative when dealing with relative newcomers like Koolhaas, and Herzhogg+DeMeuron, but the book is always insightful. Moneo comes across as someone who loves his profession and who, despite earning international renown, approaches the work of his colleagues with the same fascination of a brilliant student. This fascination is contagious, and the book is a worthy addition to the library of anyone who loves contemporary architecture.

This collection of essays on contemporary architects reminds me of why I love great contemporary architecture, and why I will continue to work as an architect. The text demonstrates the wonderful diversity of the times we live in and the recent history which has formed these times. Read these essays and you will recognize the lineage of form and theory which has led to any building built or published today, from any suburban house to the Freedom Tower.

A reflection on 50 years of history, this book could only have come together now. Moneo's observations of his peers are dead on and written with the clarity of a historical text while still managing to to provide the insight of a work of architectural criticism. This is the book I wish I had as a student in the 1980's but know that in the throes of theoretical debate at the time that the history was too fresh for hindsight. As a direct result of the debate around "modernism", more than at any other time in history we are able to recognize how theory affects our design strategies. In collecting these transcripts of lectures and essays on these architects Moneo codifies what we know we knew about how we got here, but had not yet put all together.

I only wish I could have been there to hear his lectures. At times the text seems to stradle the grammatical form of essay and transcript of a discussion on a particular slide. But perhaps it is that sometimes awkward format which energizes and saves the book from becoming "text"book. To actually see slides and drawings rather than the somewhat small and at times poor black and white images that dot the text would be of great benefit. As a result this is probably not a book for the casual reader of architecture not familiar with the work of these architects and who does not have the time to look for better images. Mr. Moneo has in this book nthe raw material for what could be a very powerful multimedia publication, either CD or web based.

I recommend that every student of architecture today read this book. It offers the critical tools to recognize where from what you do comes and in doing so opens the possibilities of where you can take your work.

I purchased this book because I was interested in only
two architects. One was Siza and the other H+Dm. Going over again
Stirling/ Venturi/ Rossi was just too much and I wasn't interested in the rest of three architects. But thanks to Moneo's great writing, I was able to read all of the architects with great interest and enthusiasm. Reading Siza was like reading a poetry. Moneo constructs that mood by comparing Siza with a Poet Pesoa. Due to their contemporaneity, analysis on H+Dm is still on going. But Moneo explains well on the foundation of H+dM's work. Like the comparison of Siza to Pesoa, it is interesting to read H+Dm's relationship/influence with conceptual artists such as Joseph Beuys. In terms of Venturi and Rossi, unlike crash courses in architectural history, Moneo delves into more on their individual projects than on the theoretical manifestos of their books. I gained most reading Koolhaas and Eisenman. I never liked their writings (one being too sarcastically light and the other being too narcissistically heavy) and I hated their buildings. Moneo actually helps overcome these misreading. Overall, the book really stimulates thinking in that every line in architecture has a meaning. Moreover, it helps to see the landscape of contemporary architecture. As the title suggests, the book really is a theoretical anxieties. And like all anxieties do, I guarantee that this book will stir the stagnation of your spirit; as it did mine.

In this deceptively thick volume, Moneo presents a compilation of lectures he gave during the early 90's while at Harvard's GSD. Digging into his archives, he reassembles slides and text specific to the work of eight individuals that Moneo believes to be among the most influential contemporary architects of the late 20th century.

Don't let the title intimidate you. Moneo is simply referring to the mechanisms, operational strategies, formal devices and procedures that architects utilize in their design process and their unwillingness to reveal those systematic theories of design. Rather, he believes that the current architectural discourse assumes a more reflective or critical posture rather than revolving around the process of design.

Moneo manages to reveal to varying extents the working process of each architect by analyzing a body of work over the course of their career, identifying key changes in strategies. As an architect, learning the working process of such significant architectural figures is quite useful, allowing one to locate themselves (or others) within the greater architectural sphere. Here, connections begin to reveal themselves and linkages to architects past and present become evident.

The project images are often a bit too small to be incredibly useful especially since Moneo often refers to specific features within the drawings and photos to explain his thoughts. However, this remains an excellent and recommended read.

Very easy to follow and understand Moneo in his writings of these architects. Very well written, interesting, and informative.