Béatrice Grenier – författare

Architects rethink and reinterpret one of the most important and innovative typologies of recent decades: the museum.Museums are flourishing across the globe: in recent decades, no other architectural form has witnessed such remarkable growth and diversification. In an era when the digital revolution enables us to preserve our shared memory and artistic heritage without the constraints of physical space, this phenomenon might seem like an unnecessary indulgence.Yet, by examining new icons and rereading historical examples, Architecture for Culture shows why museums remain essential. They serve as the repositories for the encyclopedia of 21st-century knowledge, help make our cities legible and ensure that art remains a vibrant presence in the spaces where we live. The museum is revealed as a venue where architecture refines its discourse on method, identity, and urban context; it is also a dynamic laboratory for the continuous development of a new cultural policy—one that must address itself to a planetary audience.

Sydney-based, Japanese architect Takada highlights his evolving approach to design, nature, and urbanism.This volume presents a new collection of Takada’s most recent projects, pushing further his continuing reflections on reconnecting the natural world with the built environment. Featuring breathtaking photography of his buildings and interiors, along with sketches and nature-inspired imagery, the book guides readers through Takada’s global work and innovations. The climate positive residence Sunflower House in Italy has a rotating roof and floors to manage sun exposure and heat gain; the Landmark by Lexus pavilion in Melbourne has 1,000 native Australian plants growing on its facade that granted it a carbon neutral certification; the Palm Frond Retreat at Balmoral Beach in Australia is designed for the inhabitants to use different parts of the house depending on the season and time of day, creating positive impact within homes. Each project illustrates Takada’s study of how the present ecological constrains weigh on the architectural design processes and how the reality of our densely built habitats changes the perception we have of buildings and cities, offering a compelling look at environmentally conscious architecture today and to the future evolution of the practice.

A shrine to Soviet modernist architecture, Tashkent is a rare jewel of modernism rediscovered in this book.Established sometime around the 1st or 2nd century BCE, Tashkent is the capital city of Uzbekistan and the largest metropolis in Central Asia benefiting from its historical role as geographic crossroads, its developed resources, and its thriving multiculturalism. Previous Soviet rule was established in 1917—which over six decades heralded transformations in Tashkent’s culture, identity, and, of course, its landscape and architecture.In this extraordinary volume, realized in collaboration with the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, photographer Karel Balas reveals the modernist architecture of Tashkent through a collection of never-before-seen photographs. Constructed between the 1960s and early ’90s, these buildings stand as powerful metaphors vis-à-vis Tashkent’s past and present, painting a picture of its rich cultural heritage. Part of the overlooked Soviet modernism movement, the expression of this new architectural style represents a vision and social function for the city as a whole—all the while connoting the specific character and modernization of Central Asia. Whether a 1964 cinema, the State Museum of the Arts, the 1970 Lenin Museum, or the striking Hotel Uzbekistan dated 1976, each structure tells a captivating story about one of the most enthralling cities on the Asian continent.