No building was more anticipated than Frank Gehry's stunning new museum in Bilbao, an industrial city in the Basque Country of northern Spain. Philip Johnson, the dean of American architects, declared it "the greatest building of our time," while Sverre Fehn, winner of the 1997 Pritzker Architecture Prize, called the building "fantastic." Gehry's use of nontraditional materials and his sensitivity to the environments of his buildings is legendary; his method of envisioning a building through semiautomatic drawings and handmade models is little known, but provides an immediate entry into his creative process. This book celebrates the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and details its design process, bringing to life one of Gehry's greatest achievements. Coosje van Bruggen, who has collaborated with Gehry on various architectural and art projects, documents the history of the Guggenheim Bilbao from conception through design and construction. With unique access to the architect and his studio, she uncovers scores of fascinating drawings and working photographs, published here for the first time.

Originated as 7 lectures delivered at Cooper Union in Mar. and April of 1974.

'Thames & Hudson's new, affordable, covetable 'Pocket Perspectives': beautifully illustrated essays by canonical writers' Financial Times A manifesto for the future of architectural practice and the necessity of good design to modern life, by renowned British architect Richard Rogers. Written in what architect Richard Rogers regarded as a moment of crisis in modern architecture, this essay considers how the way we build - and live - might change for the better. Poor design, monotony and inhuman scale are, Roger argues, not the results of a lack of talent nor the failures of the Modern Movement, but of a surrender to exploitative economic systems and inconsiderate business interests. Best known for his work on the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and the Lloyd's building and Millennium Dome in London, Rogers was perhaps the most original and inventive architect of his time, and was a frequent commentator on the contemporary scene. As a practitioner, he was in the best position possible to appreciate how economic forces can create - or frustrate - good design. A succinct summary of his design philosophies, Richard Rogers on Modern Architecture continues to be a powerful manifesto.

The first complete volume on the multifaceted architecture and design projects of the Michael Sorkin Studio. Many of the projects are theoretical and experimental and come to fruition through the drawings, models, exhibitions, writings, and installations shown in the book. Sorkin provides his own commentary, discussing the goals of each project, the influences on it, and the research and design process, as well as its architectural, social, and political statement. The book is a record of Sorkins ambition to reinvent architecture.