Tom Dyckhoff – författare

'A great storyteller . . . you would be hard pushed to find a more knowledgeable or entertaining [guide]' Icon'Such an interesting book . . . I cannot recommend it enough.' Lauren LaverneIn Dubai, a luxury apartment block is built in the shape of a giant iPod. In China, President Xi Jinping denounces the trend of constructing ‘bizarre’ new buildings in wacky shapes and colours. In Cincinnati, celebrity architect Zaha Hadid is paid millions to design a single ‘iconic’ structure – with the hope of single-handedly transforming the region’s ailing fortunes. These incidents are all part of the same story: the rise of the age of spectacle.Over the last fifty years, there has been a revolution in how our cities operate. In The Age of Spectacle, Tom Dyckhoff tells the story of how architecture became obsessed with the flashy, the monumental and the ostentatious – and how we all have to live with the consequences. Exploring cityscapes from New York to Beijing, and from Bilbao to Portsmouth, Dyckhoff shows that we are not just witnessing a new kind of building: we are living through a fundamental transformation in how our urban spaces work. The corporate explosion of the last few decades has fundamentally shifted the relationship between architects, politicians and cities’ inhabitants, fostering innovative new kinds of engineering and design, but also facilitating ill-conceived vanity projects and commercial power-grabs.Timely, passionate and bursting with new ideas, The Age of Spectacle is both an examination of how twenty-first century cities work, and a manifesto for a radically new kind of urbanism. Our cities, Dyckhoff shows, can thrive in the age of spectacle – but only if they engage us not just with dazzling structures, but by responding to the needs of the people who inhabit them.'Engaging . . . The “iconic” building is the most obvious architectural phenomenon of our age yet, somehow, no one has quite done what Tom Dyckhoff does with The Age of Spectacle, which is to tell its story clearly and plainly.' Rowan Moore, Observer'First class. Finally, a book that nails the iconic movement – Tom Dyckhoff’s The Age of Spectacle is the book that I wish I had written.' Simon Jenkins'Unusually accessible [and] well argued.' Evening Standard

The way you design your home says just as much about you as the clothes you wear. This great new book is packed with practical advice on how to achieve the look you want, for a budget you can afford.Before you begin any kind of home-decorating project you need to make sure your canvas is in good order. We include a handy checklist of common problems to look out for and how to fix them – including cracks in walls, creaking stairs, damp patches, draughts, leaking roofs or blocked chimneys.Doing it yourself is fun and economical, so we include step-by-step instructions on how to achieve a variety of home improvements. Of course it is not always possible (or safe) to do everything yourself – sometimes the decision needs to be made: DIY or GSI (get someone in!)? Getting the builders in can be stressful, but we include plenty of advice on finding the best workmen for the job, and how best to brief them and keep to budget.Planning makes perfect – so we have plenty of useful information on making a moodboard, designing a room layout, choosing and using colour and pattern, deciding on wall finishes and treatments and making the most of your space.Your home should be perfectly suited to your lifestyle, so whether you are looking for a cool, calm oasis, a stylish minimalist haven for entertaining or a useful family space, this book is packed full of ideas and inspiration so that you can really make your house a home to be proud of.