Imagine how walking through an architecture in real life can be different from learning about it only through images. The difference is much more subtle, but seeing images of a beautiful building in a well-designed book could be a revealing experience even if you have seen it on the internet or in a magazine before. Digital readers may replace books mainly with texts, but well-bound books with rich visual content would last.

I have been enjoying seeing the ‘familiar’ facades and interiors in Build-On, CONVERTED ARCHITECTURE AND TRANSFORMED BUILDINGS published by Gestalten recently. More and more images and information spread in the internet before they are published in printed matters these days, but is it going to stop us from buying these kind of books? I think it’s quite the contrary.

Build-On consists of three chapters and showcases 97 works designed by 84 firms. I picked up my favorite architecture(s) in each chapter to give you a little bit of an idea of this delightful book.

CHAPTER 01: Add-On

Caixa Forum Madrid, 2008 @Madrid, Spain/ HERZOG & DE MEURON
 
CHAPTER 02: Insideout

S(ch)austall, 2004 @Ramsen, Germany/ NAUMANN.ARCHITEKTUR
 
CHAPTER 03: Change Clothes

The High Line, 2008 @New York, NY USA/ JAMES CORNER FIELD OPERATIONS with Diller Scofidio + Renfro
 

Hôtel Fouquet’s Barrière, 2007 @Paris, France/ EDOUARD FRANÇOIS

Build-On
Converted Architecture and Transformed Buildings

buy online »
 

Written by:

A sculptor living in New York

Leave a comment

Back to top