Now!, more than ever, Architecture is evolving at amazing speed. Appropriated, folded, morphed, contemplated, and contorted - entering into a dialog with fashion, ecology, politics, and art - architecture has become one of the most vital and exciting forms of contemporary culture. Unlike other types of art, architecture must play a practical role - buildings are destined to be used by a wide public. Today`s exciting new architecture is at the very heart of the urban environment. These homes, boutiques, museums or gigantic office towers are all part of everyday life more than art could ever be. They express the true spirit of the times.
The many faces of "Architecture Now!" Will expand your mind. You`ll find the most recent work of more than 60 architects, including familiar names such as Frank O.Gehry, Richard Meier, Tadao Ando, Norman Foster, and Philippe Starck, as well as newcomers sure to be the star architects of the future. Highlights include Jakob + MacFarlane`s morphological Restaurant at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Diller + Scofidio`s Blur Building proposal for Switzerland (an ovular structure, encapsulated by a fine mist of water, creating the look of a cloud hovering over a lake), and Herzog & de Meuron`s remarkable Tate Modern in London. Proving that "Architecture Now!" is not limited to physical building design, New York firm Asymptote`s Guggenheim Virtual Museum is a place where visitors can take a cyber-stroll through rooms that are designed to be compelling spatial environments. Presented alphabetically by architect or firm, "Architecture Now!" Is also an up-to-date reference guide, with extensive photographs and illustrations, biographical and contact information for designers, and a careful selection of today`s and tomorrows most influential architects.