New Japan Architecture - (Tuttle Specials) by Geeta Mehta & Deanna MacDonald (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Featuring dozens of high-quality photographs, schematic designs and insightful commentary this Japanese architecture book is a must-have for architects or collectors.

The past five years are widely considered to have been the most innovative period in contemporary Japanese design history. The projects featured in New Japan Architecture were completed during this extraordinarily fertile time. Featuring breathtaking images of modern Japan, this volume presents forty-eight extraordinary projects by forty-two of the world's leading architects, including:

• Hitoshi Abe
• Ward Kishi
• Tadao Ando
• Chiba Manabu Architects
• Toyo Ito
• Kengo Kuma
• Kazuyo Sejima

This architecture book features a wide range of buildings, some exhibiting the ultimate ideal of the white Zen cube, while others exemplify the search for the new wow factor in iconic design. In many, cutting-edge modernity is counterbalanced by a concern for sustainability--an issue that has motivated many architects to rethink and reintroduce concepts drawn from traditional Japanese architecture. Projects big and small, private and public, residential and commercial are included.

Insightful text by two leading experts in the field of Japanese architecture highlights the remarkable aspects of each building and places these developments within the wider context of world architecture. Offering an essential overview of current trends, New Japan Architecture points the way to modern architecture's future.

Review Quotes

"Japan remains an architectural hothouse, bursting with some of the most original and daring designs anywhere. This book--well-organized, beautifully illustrated, with insightful commentary, provides an excellent overview of the best work from the past ten years. A must-have for architects, connoisseurs of great design, and anyone who wants to come take a look for themselves." --John Mader, president, AIA Japan

"This excitement and elegance of recent modern Japanese architecture is very well documented in this book, and the core concepts and future trends thoughtfully explained. It is a delight to read." --Raquel Ramati, Urban Designer, New York

"This is a very well researched book that presents innovative projects in their architectural as well as urban context." --Richard Plunz, Director Urban Design Program, GSAPP, Columbia University, New York

About the Author

Geeta K. Mehta teaches architecture and urban design at Columbia University in New York. A resident of Japan for 23 years, she is a partner in the firm of Braden and Mehta and has designed projects in USA, Japan, India, Vietnam and Indonesia. Educated at University of Tokyo, Columbia University, and SPA in Delhi, she is the co-author of several books including Japan Style, Japan Houses, Japan Living and Japanese Gardens, all published by Tuttle Publishing.

Deanna MacDonald teaches Japanese and western art and architectural history at Temple University's Tokyo campus. She received her MA from the Central European University, Prague and her Ph.D. from McGill University, Montreal and is the author of numerous publications on the art, architecture and cultural heritage.

Cesar Pelli was born in Argentina where he earned his Diploma in Architecture from the University of Tucuman. After obtaining his Master Degree in the United States, he worked in the offices of Eero Saarinen. In 1977, he became Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture and founded Cesar Pelli & Associates, renamed Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects in 2005. In 1995, the AIA awarded him the Gold Medal in recognition of a lifetime of distinguished achievement in architecture.

Fumihiko Maki (b. 1928) is the founder of the renowned architectural firm, Maki & Associates. Educated at the University of Tokyo and Harvard, he has taught at these and other institutes as well as lecturing internationally on architecture and urban design. Among his numerous distinctions are the Prizker Prize (1993) and the American Institute of Architects' highest honor, the AIA Gold Medal (2011).