Contemporary Concrete Buildings (Bibliotheca Universalis)

by Philip Jodidio

Concrete? That characterless stuff of parking lots or Communist tower blocks, right? Well, yes. And no. Concrete is actually a name applied to a remarkably wide range of building substances, and, when properly handled, is one of the noble materials of contemporary architecture. A kind of “liquid stone” at the outset, it is malleable, durable, and capable of prodigious feats of engineering. This Bibliotheca Universalis edition highlights the best work done in concrete of recent years. It includes such stars as Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, and Steven Holl, but also surprising new architects like the Russians SPEECH and artists such as James Turrell, who turned the famous concrete spiral of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim in New York into the setting of one of his most remarkable pieces. About the series Bibliotheca Universalis — Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe!

Genres: Architecture

618 pages, Hardcover

Published October 26, 2018

Reviews

[Alec Liu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't feel like it was a good representation of the diversity of works done in concrete, nor were the photos particularly eye-catching. A bit disappointing as far as Philip Jodidio goes.