Peter Eschelman: Illustrated Log (International Architecture and Design Series)

Author: Peter Eisenman, edited by [USA]
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: Peter Eisenman believes that architecture is a form of shock therapy. Whatever his meaning is, Peter Eisenman's creations indeed belong to the most controversial part of contemporary American architects' works. Eisenman's architecture, along with its interdisciplinary complex theories, is vibrant and controversial. His buildings, whether realized or unrealized, are original pieces where humans and inanimate materials occupy and control space. Eisenman combines a theoretical platform with an excellent academic tradition through his bold and uncompromising design sensitivity, ranking him among the most respected architects in the United States. The Diagram Diary is a completely new illustrated documentary that collects all of Eisenman's works to date—from his earliest residential series to the pioneering Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, to current commissioned projects like the Institute for Art and Science on Staten Island, New York. This work is not only a straightforward overview of the architect's oeuvre but, in fact, an engaging exploration of the design process. The essays and narratives unfold along the main axis of Eisenman's design career. The project reviews are organized according to their "generative themes": the intrinsic nature of the building—i.e., the plan generated by the internal forces of form and shape—and the extrinsic nature of the building, i.e., the plan controlled by external forces such as the site or scientific operations. Through Eisenman's own writings and numerous illustrations, readers will gain insight into his diagrammatic design method, in which both the site and the building are treated as diagrams. The Diagram Diary offers readers a concise and fresh presentation of Peter Eisenman's design philosophy and an exquisite illustrated introduction to this 20th-century American architect who made a sensational impact on design.