Architecture of the Absurd: How "Genius" Disfigured a Practical Art
Silber, John
ISBN 10: 1593720270 ISBN 13: 9781593720278
Published by Quantuck Lane Press, 2007
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Hardcover
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About this Item
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Book is in very good condition and may include minimal underlining highlighting. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Seller Inventory # ZBV.1593720270.VG
Synopsis:
Have you ever wondered why the Guggenheim is always covered in scaffolding? Why the slashes on the exterior of Libeskind's Jewish Museum, supposed to represent Jewish life in prewar Berlin, reappear, for no reason, on his Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto? Or why Gehry's design for an MIT lab for sensitive research has glass walls? Not to mention why, for $44.2 per square foot, it doesn't keep out the rain? You're not alone.
In Architecture of the Absurd, John Silber dares to peek behind the curtain of "genius" architects and expose their willful disdain for their clients, their budgets, and the people who live or work inside their creations.
In his twenty-five years as President of Boston University, Dr. Silber oversaw a building program totaling more than 13 million square feet. Here he constructs an unflinching case, beautifully illustrated, against the worst trends in contemporary architecture. He challenges architects to derive creative satisfaction from meeting the practical needs of clients and the public. He urges the directors of our universities, symphony orchestras, museums, and corporations to stop financing inefficient, overpriced architecture, and calls on clients and the public to tell the emperors of our skylines that their pretensions cannot hide the naked absurdity of their designs.
About the Author: John Silber was President of Boston University from 1971 to 1996 and Chancellor from 1996 to 2003.
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Bibliographic Details
Title: Architecture of the Absurd: How "Genius" ...
Publisher: Quantuck Lane Press
Publication Date: 2007
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: very_good