by Hicks Stone. New York: Rizzoli, 2011, 336 pages, $85 This biography of Ed Stone by his architect son Hicks is a highly personal story of the rather melodramatic life of an architect who came to exemplify the best and worst of the 1950s. Like his fellow Arkansan, Bill Clinton, Ed Stone's rural roots engendered a Southern charm that propelled him to the center of Washington's inner circle and helped him win the commissions to design the U.S. Embassy in India (1954), the U.S. Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels Worlds fair, and the Kennedy Center (1962). Like Clinton, he had

by Charles Bloszies. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, November 2011, 144 pages, $25 Architectural hybrids are all around us. Most historic buildings are now, in fact, examples of additive architecture. But after the schism of modern architecture, making a claim for additions as valid contemporary architecture amounts to a manifesto. A book on this subject, and about the exciting work being produced right now, is sorely needed. This is not that book. Aiming to “explore the union of new and old architecture,” Old Buildings, New Designs is one of a number or recent publications on the question of re-use. But

by Richard Weston. London:, Laurence King, 2011, 216 pages, $29.95 Architect, historian, editor, landscape architect, and fashion designer Richard Weston is one of those indefatigable, suavely literate English polymaths who, among other accomplishments, has written studies of Alvar Aalto and Jørn Utzon. He also crafts books on impossibly broad topics like materials or the 20th-century house. Now, following Key Buildings in the Twentieth Century, he has tackled 100 Ideas That Changed Architecture. Click the image above for details about this book mentioned in this review. Unlike another maddeningly useless book of lists or slickly packaged architecture lite, Weston's 100 Ideas

by Jane Burry and Mark Burry. Thames and Hudson, 2010, 272 pages, $55 Technological advances have transformed mathematics from a loyal handmaiden to architects to a muse, largely because of the advent of accelerated desktop computing and advanced design software. Sophisticated software frees today’s architects from endless calculations, making complex forms like Mobius strips and water bubbles almost as easily achievable as conventional rectilinear forms—a phenomenon that was unimaginable a decade ago. This book—about the increased role of mathematics as a driving force in design—by husband and wife Jane and Mark Burry, is thoughtful, engaging, and richly-illustrated. Most of their

Three new books by thoughtful architect-urbanists, usefully read together, explore the current state of urban design. Each author investigates historic and current trends in the evolution of specific American locations, and posits approaches for responding to local character and shaping future growth. Click the image above for details about each book mentioned in this review. Lars Lerup left his native Sweden to come to America in 1966, and has lived in Houston for over 20 years, serving as dean at the Rice School of Architecture from 1993 to 2009.  In One Million Acres and No Zoning, he notes the implications

Edited by Ricky Burdett and Devan Sudjic. London: Phaidon Press, 2011, 432 pages, $69. Seldom does a book make me actively angry, but Living in the Endless City did.  When it arrived with the heft and size of a concrete block, I thought it was an architectural sample. Actually, it is  a collection of essays by 38 contributors from conferences on world cities held by the London School of Economics and Deutsche Bank‘s Alfred Herrhausen Society. The book focuses on Mumbai, Sao Paolo and Istanbul. As such, it is a companion piece to an earlier effort published by the same sponsors called The

By James S. Russell, Island Press, 312 pages, 2011, $35 James Russell argues in this well-researched and persuasive book that cities will need to become agile: to adapt to the climate changes already in progress and to reduce the potential for a global environmental catastrophe as the world races towards a population of more than 10 billion.  Transitioning to energy-efficient buildings is one form of agility open to all cities. Adopting planning measures that preserve more of the natural environment, supported by diverse forms of transportation and not just highways, is another strategy within the control of state and local

An island nation where the cool and the ordinary flourish together. Flexibility has long been a guiding principle of Japanese architecture. Consider Japan’s ongoing use of sliding doors or screens to shape fluid interiorspace. These four very different books about Japanese architecture since the 1980s reveal new twists in that heritage of design, many brought about by surprising fusions of vernacular materials and new technology. All of them balance accounts of quintessential Japanese architectural developments—a house with a Shintoshrine at its heart, for example—with an array of ideas applicable globally. Click the image above for details about each book mentioned