Showcasing one hundred years of innovation and environmental sensitivity, Handmade Houses celebrates some of the world’s most idiosyncratic homes from Big Sur to Sardinia.

Author Richard Olsen  unveils the components used for their construction, including driftwood, boulders, and even old wine vats.

The first study of the handmade-homes phenomenon since its inception in the late 1960s, Handmade Houses revisits the subject’s roots and history, exploring how these homes and their owners paved the way for the architectural-salvage business and the reclaimed, industrial look ever-popular today.

As fascinating as the structures are themselves, their owners, professionals and amateurs who personally designed and built each residence offer their inspirations and stories behind the convention-defying homes.

Design lessons are gleaned from each home, some examples of environmentally aware construction with applicable tips for use in more mainstream scenarios.

Handmade Houses is an important and relevant volume to be appreciated by anyone interested in environmentally friendly design, craft, and the expression of personal style in the home. 

       This title deals with exceptional contemporary houses from Chile to Croatia to China. Designing private homes offers architects more freedom than corporate projects to express their ideas and try out new concepts. Conceiving living spaces is not without its own set of challenges, for which architects are forever looking for innovative solutions-rethinking the way we inhabit our home and live our daily lives is all part of the job when designing a house. Nowadays environmental concerns have become crucial in building sustainable structures, changing the playing field quite profoundly. This two-volume publication rounds up 100 of the world's most interesting and pioneering homes from the past decade, featuring a host of talents both new and established, including John Pawson, Richard Meier, Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando, and Zaha Hadid.

Author Biography: Philip Jodidio studied art history and economics at Harvard, and edited Connaissance des Arts for over 20 years. His books include TASCHEN's Architecture Now! series, and monographs on Tadao Ando, Norman Foster, Richard Meier, Jean Nouvel, and Zaha Hadid. He is internationally renowned as one of the most popular writers on the subject of architecture.

'Twenty Houses by Twenty Architects' presents twenty houses designed by the most celebrated architects of the moment, in a wide range of countries. Technical data, plans and a biographical profile of the architect are presented for each of the twenty homes, along with the project report. Located in very diverse geographical settings and designed by figures with an established international reputation - including Glenn Murcutt, Steven Holl, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, Richard Meier and Rem Kollhaas - as well as by emerging young architects, the twenty houses represent a significant moment of crystallization in contemporary architectural research. The discussion of the architecture also raises an investigation of the profound changes that are now taking place in the institution of the family, in its makeup, in the rhythms of its daily life and in the forms of its leisure and work.

Author Biography: Mercedes Daguerre is an Italy-based critic and historian. She graduated in architecture from the University Institute of Architecture in Venice in 1985 and has taught and carried out research in various universities in Europe and the Americas. She is the author of many books on contemporary architecture including 'Twenty Houses by Twenty Architects, Latin American Houses' (Pall Mall Press, 2012) and 'New Villas in Switzerland' (2011).                                            

With many cities around the globe bursting at the seams, town planners are creating smaller lot sizes. As a result, architects and designers are pushing the boundaries of available space. In this book we look at some of the solutions and help the reader to think outside the square to create a house that is both aesthetically good, as well as practical. In this exciting book we showcase the very best examples of clever use of a smaller footprint. This book will appeal to those who are building on a tight site as well as industry professionals.                                  

A world of beauty and genius is unveiled in over 350 photographs which take you on an epic journey celebrating the finest examples of architecture from over 2,000 years of civilization. Deftly splitting the history of architecture into two parts at AD1500, "World Architecture: The Masterworks" contains over 80 buildings, over 40 of which are featured in detailed photo essays. Will Pryce's texts provide an extra dimension of understanding for the contexts, people and evolution of architectural history.

Review: One of the many appealing aspects of World Architecture is its gathering between two covers of disparate but remarkable buildings from across the centuries, many of them in exquisite full-page photographs.                                                       

Australians and New Zealanders are drawn to the coast. Whether it's a permanent abode or a simple fibro shack, the sound of the surf and the feel of sand beneath one's feet are perennially appealing. This latest beach house book by Stephen Crafti features 50 architect-designed homes along the coast. From the simple to the monumental, these homes leave a lasting impression. While many of the homes featured in the book are lavishly appointed, others simply frame the spectacular views ahead.                                  

Reputed architects and top designers use natural and artificial light to transform a room and make it more beautiful, warm, functional or spacious. Light generates colour and contrast, and brings a house to life. 'Light up your Home' showcases homes that have been built or renovated with special attention to light and lighting. Using photography by Eugeen and Herman Verne, the book illustrates varying ideas and practical applications surrounding light and interior design.







Author Biography: Author Eva De Geyter worked for lifestyle magazine 'Libelle' and is now a freelance journalist.                                    

This book shows how town houses can define the urban landscape. Secret gardens, unusual facades, a host of imaginative touches by top pros .One of the basic building blocks of the city, the town house also provides a refuge from city life. The projects featured in Town Houses show how design professionals have created unique interpretations of a centuries-old form. Secret rooftop gardens, sweeping interiors, striking dcor, facades that make a statement- -these are just some of the innovative elements revealed here, in elegant full-colour photos and in-depth commentary from the architects themselves. AUTHOR: Carles Broto, an architecture scholar and one of the founders of the IAC (institute for alternative culture). Following a successful period at the Atrium Group (Barcelona), he has now joined Grupo Links - Structure as the publishing director of various contemporary architecture collections. He is currently investigating the evolution of new American housing, as part of a multi-country project. He lives in Barcelona. ILLUSTRATIONS: 750 colour illustrations & 210 b/w plans & drawings *

Photographer Frederic Chaubin reveals 90 buildings sited in fourteen former Soviet Republics which express what could be considered as the fourth age of Soviet architecture. They reveal an unexpected rebirth of imagination, an unknown burgeoning that took place from 1970 until 1990. Contrary to the twenties and thirties, no "school" or main trend emerges here. These buildings represent a chaotic impulse brought about by a decaying system. Their diversity announces the end of Soviet Union. Taking advantage of the collapsing monolithic structure, the holes of the widening net, architects revisited all the chronological periods and styles, going back to the roots or freely innovating. Some of the daring ones completed projects that the Constructivists would have dreamt of (Druzhba sanatorium), others expressed their imagination in an expressionist way (Tbilisi wedding palace). A summer camp, inspired by sketches of a prototype lunar base, lays claim to its suprematist influence (Promethee). Then comes the speaking architecture widespread in the last years of the USSR: a crematorium adorned with concrete flames (Kiev crematorium), a technological institute with a flying saucer crashed on the roof (Kiev institute), a political center watching you like a Big Brother (Kaliningrad House of Soviet). This puzzle of styles testifies to all the ideological dreams of the period, from the obsession with the cosmos to the rebirth of privacy and it also outlines the geography of the USSR, showing how local influences made their exotic twists before bringing the country to its end.

Review: "...an eye-opening experience for those who assumed that Soviet architecture died with the rise of Stalin." -The New York Times."

Author Biography: Frederic Chaubin was born in Phnom Penh in 1959. For the last fifteen years, he has been editor-in-chief of the French lifestyle magazine Citizen K. Since 2000 he has regularly featured his photographic works combining architecture and travel. The CCCP collection research was carried out from 2003 to 2010 in an intuitive process.                                            

In this follow-up to the design classic "50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses", Karen McCartney, founding editor of interiors magazine "Inside Out", has compiled a selection of significant examples of Australian houses of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, each brilliantly photographed and with a depth of coverage rarely seen before. Featured architects include Richard Leplastrier, Glenn Murcutt and Wood Marsh. A detailed introduction places the period in social, historical and architectural context, before each of the selected houses is individually reviewed in an informed and engaging style. In each example the relationship between the architect and owner is discussed, as is the linking of the building to its site, materials and architectural detailing. The author has interviewed many architects and owners for their personal insights. Each study includes a feature on the interior decoration and a discussion of designers and manufacturers of iconic furniture, fittings and fabrics. "70/80/90 Iconic Australian Houses" features stunning photography by Michael Wee, both panoramic and detailed, throughout. The homes from these three decades form a significant part of Australian architectural history. Key points a much anticipated companion piece to the very successful "50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses", now a classic in this category and still selling well 4 years after publication. It features 15 houses designed by acclaimed architects including Richard Leplastrier, Glenn Murcutt and Wood Marsh. It offers invaluable advice for anyone wanting to capture the style of the period in their own homes.

Author Biography: Karen McCartney has a wealth of experience in the areas of art, design and style, spanning 20 years and several continents. After gaining an honours degree in the History of Art and English from University College, London, Karen's first job was on British magazine Art Monthly. She has written for, among other titles, British Elle Decoration and The Financial Times. In Australia, Karen edited Marie Claire Lifestyle before becoming founding editor of interiors magazine Inside Out. She is now Group Editorial Director at News Magazines and this is her second book on the subject of Australian residential architecture.