Architecture in Focus - Böcker

Architectural competitions date back centuries, today they play an important role in architectural practice as they offer architects vital opportunities to pitch their work across the globe. Competitions also allow previously unknown designers to demonstrate their ideas and their potential by gaining exposure in the world of architecture. 100 richly illustrated projects displayed in this volume cover a wide scope of contemporary building types and concepts, that range from commercial to residential and educational, whilst also incorporating extravagant futuristic visions of urban planning for various town sections and cities. Renderings, structures in their planning phase and unrealized projects show the exciting scope of architectural possibilities. This book delves into the heart of unrestricted architectural creativity and offers astounding insights into the unique work of both established as well as up-and-coming designers.

Parking garages and gas stations as species of architecture and showrooms whose exhibition spaces and display windows are markedly different from the usual businesses have decisively changed the cities. This book is dedicated to this type of architecture, showing esthetic and technical solutions of the past few years.

This book compiles contemporary designs worldwide that break through the stereotype of doctors’ practices as cold and often stressful environments. All projects aim at balancing medical technology and functionality with the need to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for the patients, visitors and staff. Apart from general practitioner’s offices, those of dentists and a wide variety of specialists are also presented. The solutions range from practice design in an existing building to entirely new buildings for one or more offices. Doctors’ Practices demonstrates today’s architectural responses to the complex demands of healthcare – a very fast-developing field.

Pharmacies constitute a special form of commercial architecture. The market for medicines, which is heavily regulated in most countries, has led to a veritable competition of the “atmosphere of space”: since where product and price can no longer provide a competitive advantage, customer loyalty must be created with other means. In addition to professional competence and familiarity with the customers, that becomes above all the ambiance. That in turn translates to the modern and hygienic pharmacy, together with a friendly and assuring spatial experience. The selected examples show the design sophistication with which pharmacies today, from a functional as well as atmospheric standpoint, set themselves apart from the historical chemists’ shelves – and the competitors.

Buildings for the police, fire brigades and ambulance stations have lost their often purely functional and shed-like appearance and have begun to strive for recognition as an equitable architectural typology since Zaha Hadids trailblazing Vitra fire station in Weil am Rhein. This title shows the diversity of emergency architecture.

Although convention and conference centers are in high demand, the competition is tough, so fresh concepts are constantly being developed. They come in a range of forms, shapes, sizes and contexts. They can form part of a hotel, an airport, a skyscraper, a mountain-chalet or stand completely on their own. This title deals with this topic.