Masterpiece – serie

Some architectural endeavours require more than designed beauty. Their purpose, in and of itself, requires repose, serenity, poetry. Estudio Ramos’ Figueras Stables is just such a place; a respite from the everyday possessed of a deep-seated relationship with its environment and an intuitive sense of purpose. 3850sq/m of stables are articulated in a long, volumetric space of mixed-use. Social spaces abut grooming and training facilities, sloped land ramps to a roof planted with wild grass, sheathing the building within its surroundings. Water, that universal symbol of life, purity, and harmony, is used to connect and articulate spaces. Much more than an aesthetic masterwork, Figueras Stable is a structure quietly and elegantly assisting a calling. One that Cormac McCarthy called ‘seeing into a creature’s soul and soothing the wounds found there. Secrets uttered softly into troubled ears’.

Featuring an introduction by the renowned architecture critic Aaron Betsky as well as in-depth analysis, sumptuous photographic documentation and detailed plans and diagrams, this volume explores every stage of the design and building process, from its conception to the stunning end result. It thus offers valuable insight into how an award-winning residence like Field House came into being, showing how brilliant design, thoughtful landscaping and a harmonious philosophy can come together to create a subtle architectural masterpiece.

This book provides a privileged glimpse into the conception and execution of this superlative structure with a text by the renowned architectural critic Aaron Betsky, an introduction and interview with the architect by James Moore McCown, sumptuous photography by Stetson Ybarra, Stephen Morgan and Daniel Joseph Chenin, illuminating drawings, diagrams and layouts. An homage to the forts built when the area was first being settled, the building sits resplendently alone in the tranquility of the landscape: truly a modern masterpiece.

Following Masterpiece: Hieronymus Bosch, Masterpiece: Peter Paul Rubens shows the paintings of this Flemish master as never seen before. With amazing details and full-page images this is an attractively priced pocket-size guide. There is a commentary on the images by Till-Holger Borchert, the director of Musea Brugge.Text in English and Dutch.Also available:Masterpiece: Jan Van Eyck ISBN 9789401441629