Books: AA’s holidays selection (english edition)
A futuristic sci-fi novella with architectural illustrations, an exploration on the topic of the game, archives from a 50s forward-looking magazine…
AA is pleased to present its selection of architecture books (and more) for the holidays.
Time to play
sur une idée originale de SCAU architecture
«The book Time to Play explores the plural of ‘playing’ to understand how it shapes the city and our societies. In it, Michel Pastoureau recounts the colors of the stadium, Aldo van Eyck’s playgrounds, cheating according to Georges de La Tour, Pope Francis at the Stade Vélodrome, The Truman Show, calcio storico and the question of mourning in video games. A book in the form of an exquisite corpse, to play with words as well as images. »
Archipress Editions, Paris, 2024, 168 pages
www.archipress-editions.fr
The Compelled
Adam Roberts, François Schuiten
« A mysterious change has occurred in humanity. Nobody knows how, why or exactly when this change came about, but disparate, seemingly unconnected people have become afflicted with the uncontrollable desire to take objects and move them to other places, where the objects gather and begin to form increasingly alien, monolithic structures that appear to have vast technological implications. Where is the Compulsion coming from? And—possibly more importantly—when the machines they’re building finally turn on, what are they going to do?
Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated writer Adam Roberts and François Schuiten, recipient of the Angoulême International Comics Festival’s prestigious lifetime achievement award, present The Compelled, part one of a two-part sci-fi novella series and the first book-length science fiction publication. »
NeoText, 2020, 166 pages
www.neotextcorp.com
Speculations
Peter Cook
« Peter Cook’s distinctive drawings have captivated and inspired generations of designers. Freed from stylistic or functional conventions, his graphic speculations have redefined the language of architectural communication. Speculations spans Cook’s entire career, presenting some 160 drawings that range from student projects in the 1950s, through Archigram, to new work completed shortly before going to press. Arranged chronologically, these drawings chart the course of what can now be seen as an enthralling architectural adventure. Cook’s own observations about the nature of architecture and urbanism, and the concept of the buildable, are complemented by pieces from architects Frank Gehry, Toyo Ito, Thom Mayne and Peter Wilson. »
Circa Press, 2022, 208 pages
www.circa.press
Arts & Architecture 1950–1954
« From the end of World War II until the mid-1960s, exciting things were happening in American architecture. Emerging talents were focusing on innovative projects that integrated at once modern design and low-cost materials. The trend was most notably embodied in the Case Study House Program, a blueprint for modern habitation championed by the era’s leading American journal, Arts & Architecture.
Ambitious and engaged, the magazine celebrated change and innovation across politics, society and especially culture. This selection brings together the magazine’s highlights from 1950 to 1954, with a special focus on mid-century American architecture and its luminary pioneers including Richard Neutra, Eero Saarinen, and Charles & Ray Eames. »
Taschen, 2024, 696 pages
www.taschen.com
The texts are from press releases issued by the various publishing houses.
