European Architecture

by Arco Editorial Team, Arco Editorial Team

In European Architecture twenty-two of the most important examples have been selected and divided into three categories. The first, 'Architecture', embraces the grand, imposing buildings raised in the large European cities. Buildings like the French National Library designed by Dominique Perrault, the Seibersdorf Investigation Center and offices in Austria, by Coop Himmelblau, and the Sports Pavilion in Huesca, Spain, by Enric Miralles. All these buildings, together with other masterpieces by designers like Juha Leiviska and Jean Nouvel, are products of the tendencies that will dominate the construction of social spaces in the near future.
In the second chapter, 'Homes and private interiors', the most outstanding examples of home interior design have been grouped together. These houses show the different styles of, for example, a flat in the Barcelona Olympic village by Joseph Juve and a London residence created by Seth Stein. The Harlemmerburt houses in Amsterdam by Felix Claus and Kees Kaan, the the studio home conceived by Caruso/Saint John are also reflections of the tendencies that will impel European home architecture in the next decade.
Finally, European Architecture takes a close look at the inside of public buildings and shopping malls. The reader will be impressed by the naturalness with which Mestre and Vives have blended together tradition and a futuristic style in the Prosegur office in Spain. The fine, metallic harmony and ultramodern look of the Belgo Centrall restaurant in London, designed by Ron Arad is another accomplishment to be admired.
All these buildings from the nineties point to where European architecture is heading in the new century. This book is an essential guide for anyone who wants to have an insight into construction design in Europe in the next decade. The selected projects also show the track-record of the most consolidated European architects, reveal those that have just come to the fore, and reveal which young up-comers are going to be their successors.

Paperback

First published February 25, 2000