Surface Architecture

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David Leatherbarrow (University of Pennsylvania) Mohsen Mostafavi (Dean, Harvard University)

Surface Architecture

David Leatherbarrow (University of Pennsylvania), Mohsen Mostafavi (Dean, Harvard University)

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English

MIT Press
11 February 2005

Theory of architecture; Architectural structure & design

Series: Surface Architecture

A study of the building surface, architecture's primary instrument of identity and engagement with its surroundings.

Visually, many contemporary buildings either reflect their systems of production or recollect earlier styles and motifs. This division between production and representation is in some ways an extension of that between modernity and tradition. In this book, David Leatherbarrow and Mohsen Mostafavi explore ways that design can take advantage of production methods such that architecture is neither independent of nor dominated by technology. Leatherbarrow and Mostafavi begin with the theoretical and practical isolation of the building surface as the subject of architectural design. The autonomy of the surface, the ""free facade,"" presumes a distinction between the structural and nonstructural elements of the building, between the frame and the cladding. Once the skin of the building became independent of its structure, it could just as well hang like a curtain, or like clothing. The focus of the relationship between structure and skin is the architectural surface. In tracing the handling of this surface, the authors examine both contemporary buildings and those of the recent past. Architects discussed include Albert Kahn, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Alison and Peter Smithson, Alejandro de la Sota, Robert Venturi, Jacques Herzog, and Pierre de Meuron. The properties of a building's surface-whether it is made of concrete, metal, glass, or other materials-are not merely superficial; they construct the spatial effects by which architecture communicates. Through its surfaces a building declares both its autonomy and its participation in its surroundings.

By: David Leatherbarrow (University of Pennsylvania), Mohsen Mostafavi (Dean, Harvard University)
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 203mm, Spine: 13mm
Weight: 703g
ISBN: 9780262621946
ISBN 10: 0262621940
Series: Surface Architecture
Pages: 276
Publication Date: 11 February 2005
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Inactive

David Leatherbarrow is Professor of Architecture and Chairman of the Graduate Group in Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Mohsen Mostafavi is Dean of the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.

Reviews for Surface Architecture

Meticulously and beautifully conceived and presented, Surface Architecture rewards reading and re-reading, inspiring the pursuit of new possibilities in the creation of architecture. - Bobby Open, The Architectural Review; This should be required reading for any architect. - Jeremy Melvin, The Architects' Journal, 2003 Books of the Year

Winner of <PrizeName>Winner of the 2003 CICA Bruno Zevi Book Award presented by the International Committee of Architectural Critics</PrizeName> 2003
Winner of Bruno Zevi CICA Book Award 2003.
Winner of Winner of the 2003 CICA Bruno Zevi Book Award presented by the International Committee of Architectural Critics 2003
Winner of Winner of the 2003 CICA Bruno Zevi Book Award presented by the International Committee of Architectural Critics</PrizeName> 2003