Architecture

Focused on the specific visual elements Michael Wolf has depicted high density living in one of the world's most crowded cities like nobody has before. For Architecture of Density, Wolf fashioned a distinctive style of photography. He removes any sky or horizon line from the frame and flattens the space until it becomes a relentless abstraction of urban expansion, with no escape for the viewer's eye. Wolf photographs crumbling buildings in need of repair, brand new buildings under construction covered in bamboo scaffolding, as well as fully occupied residential complexes. Wolf's disorienting vantage point gives the viewer the feeling that the buildings extend indefinitely, which perhaps is the spatial experience of Hong Kong's inhabitants. Alert observers can also spot many traces of life on the facades, caused by inhabitants and users.

Romain Jacquet-Lagreze landed in Hong Kong for the first time in 2009. While living in the Yau Tsim Mong area, he became fascinated by the heterogenous character of the city's urban spaces, with modern buildings side-by-side among traditional tong lau. Driven by an ever-stronger curiosity, he began an intensive exploration of the city, trying to capture its diverse atmospheres. Eventually, he realised that the sole common aspect of all these places was the awe one feels when gazing up at the sky between the huge buildings…

Usually placed outside the entrance of a building, canopies serve the practical purpose of protecting those entering and exiting from the elements. Just as importantly, as the first and last thing a person encounters in a building, canopies are an essential aesthetic element of architecture. In Sheltered: Two Visions of Canopy Design, fa?ade designers Johnny Choi and Michael Lee walk the reader under, over and through a selection of their most interesting canopy projects in Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai. As well as showcasing the finished product, the authors recount the evolution of their designs through sketches, renderings, and succinct but informatively written project descriptions. In each case, a remarkable picture emerges of the sophisticated balance of material, form, engineering and proportion that constitute these outwardly simple structures.

Facade design is different from interior design. Apart from serving as an expression of the architect's creative mind, a facade must also be robust enough to withstand wind, rain, sunlight and vibration. Few universities teach the art of the facade, and architects must learn their trade by experience and instinct. The Art of Facades provides a multifaceted look at the anatomy of the modern facade using text, photography, and three-dimensional and CAD renderings. Readers will come away with a new appreciation of this most vital and public of architectural features - and the ability to understand the fascinating story behind 'the face of the house'.

Computer Aided Drawing software has changed the world of architecture dramatically. It now allows designers to create curvilinear buildings without hesitation. Consultants, builders and architects themselves are now pressured to seek innovative solutions and sketching techniques to compliment this new path. This book aims to teach designers on how to understand the procedures of complex sketching. It is not about how to sketch. It is to share Errol's approach, one which may seem difficult and one that oftentimes permeates subtle visions within the captured sketch.

From the onset of industrialization, first in Europe and North America and then in the Southern hemisphere, to today's neoliberal, developer-driven global city, the history of urban transformation processes unfolds as a sequence of critical situations. Gardening and informal settling are indicative of these crises. Taking root from below, these self-organized, self-help practices are dynamic and inspiring agencies of change.

No one has built more public buildings in Hong Kong than the architect Rocco Yim. A sequel to Being Chinese in Architecture published in 2004, Presence highlights Rocco Yim's 14 architectural projects across Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Boan, Yunnan, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Ken Yeang is internationally recognised as the leading proponent of ecological design in architecture. He is probably best known as the inventor of the green skyscraper; it was his innovative idea to incorporate bioclimatic features in a high-density building type. It is for this and his ecological urban design that he has gained a uniquely influential position within architecture. Featuring 22 of Yeang's most significant projects, this is the first definitive book to cover his 40-year career.

In 2005 Singapore's innovative Gardens by the Bay project presented immense challenges to its creators. Here photographs and graphics indicate the extraordinary nature of some of those challenges, and the innovative strategies and design, solutions worked out by architects, engineers, botanists, and conservationists. Photographs can show but a little of the dramatic and complex achievement.

The influence of traditional Asian design is far-reaching, and today, contemporary In this book, rich photographs brilliantly showcase Asian designs for living. Here you'll find everything you need to know about combining Western design motifs with Eastern traditional elements, such as the Japanese sliding screens; creating harmonious balance between the indoor and the outdoor space; and selecting specific materials that make up the traditional design form in Asia, such as bamboo and stone.

Each volume focusses on one of the key factors that play a role in decoration - Color, Storage, Accessories, Lighting, Flooring & Materials or on different kinds of houses or spaces - Rooms for fun, Rooms for kids or Urban apartments. The photographs are accompanied by descriptive captions.

In this compact study, National University of Singapore architectural staff and students explore and discuss the usage and value of cast ventilation blocks in today's tropical buildings. Drawings, plans and black-and-white photographs demonstrate both the beauty and many roles played by ventilation blocks of many different designs.

Korea Style reveals the intrinsic elements of Korean design; simplicity, moderation, constraint, and a deep respect for all things natural. It is the first book devoted to the country's architecture and interior design - featuring 22 exceptional homes, studios and public and heritage buildings. Ranging from vernacular to cutting-edge creations, all are a celebration of the country's natural landscape, arts and crafts and architectural heritage juxtaposed with a drive towards invention, experimentation and individuality.

China Living unveils the most exciting homes in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong-three of the world's most dynamic cities. From Beijing's creative formalism to Shanghai's energetic glamour and Hong Kong's latest high-tech and cultural fusion-all of the homes in this book exemplify different facets of an emerging identity that is uniquely Chinese and yet has global appeal.

Presented with more than 300 spectacular photos and rare archival images, Asia's Legendary Hotels features some of Asia's most significant luxury hotels, locals renowned for their monumental history and superb levels of service and luxury. Hotels include: The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong; The Taj Maal Palace and Tower, India; and The Fullerton Hotel, Singapore; among others.

The author, an academic engineer as well as architect, brings his extensive experience in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China into this wide-ranging bilingual exploration of "green architecture", and its environmental value in a world often fixated on technology and commercialization. The analogy of the legendary Ouroboros who sustained itself by continuously eatings it own ever-growing tail underpins the illustrated discussion and case studies of "green" buildings and construction projects established in Asia and elsewhere. With photo insets, architectural drawings and tables, Japanese, English and Chinese reference lists. Bilingual in Chinese.

In this captivating collection of five houses built in five different Asian-Pacific countries, Ernesto Bedmar explores his fascination with traditional architectural styles and reinvents them for the contemporary world. The five houses in India, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and New Zealand demonstrate the flexibility of the designers' trademark tropical architecture and showcase a diverse set of modern forms that resonate deeply with the local landscape and make use of water as a unifying and harmonizing element. The book contains a wealth of drawings and plans that detail the innovative construction techniques, and the resulting houses are captured in a breathtaking series of photographs showing the use of spaces and materials as well as spectacular sites on which they sit.

2011 softback edition of the 1996 introduction to traditional styles of Malay domestic architecture. Colour photographs and architectural drawings of earlier and contemporary houses complement the account of the concepts and functions which have influenced various styles including both the "long-roofed" and "pyramid-roofed" houses, and modern buildings which incorporate traditional features. A "heritage home" in rural Perak is presented as a case study. Glossary, bibliography and index.

Traditional Japanese homes, with superbly crafted fine wood, great workmanship and seasonal interior arrangements, have an aesthetic of infinite simplicity. Unlike Japanese inns and historical buildings, the houses featured in this book are private property and are not open to public viewing. Japan Style offers a rare glimpse into the intimate world of the everyday Japanese and fascinating insight into the traditional architecture of Japan. With more than 200 color photographs, this book showcases the stunning beauty of old homes, and reveals how they are cared for by their owners.

This volume presents the career and basic ideas of Singapore architect Aamer Taher who trained at National University of Singapore and with Architectural Association School of Architecture. After an introductory essay, 13 Singapore houses designed by Aamer are presented in detailed photographs with drawings, ground plans and other information. With Aamer's biographical summary and publications, and bibliography.