Kris Yao is one of Taiwan's best-known architects. Recognised for his distinctive creative flair, he has produced many award-winning architectural designs and has received both local and international acclaim. The sense of energy and innovation he has br

An overview of 'New Taiwan' through the eyes of a designer. One of Taiwan and Asia's most dynamic architects.

KRIS YAO ARTECH's new monograph Section assembles 28 of the firm's projects in the dynamic Greater China region, dating back to 2012. It includes a wide range of architectural types, catering for the cultural, commercial, corporate, education, hospitality, and transportation sectors, in addition to a performing arts center and a spiritual space. The common theme is a desire to create places that allow people to interact with their environment, enhancing connections between nature and the man-made, with the appropriate use of technology for sustainable living comfort. The projects are organized into three categories: modern architecture infused with the essence of Chinese culture, unique places with poetic expression, and the reshaping of the corporate spirit. The book includes numerous sections and details in order to convey the ideas behind the walls--allowing readers to understand the scale and spatial sequence of each project--alongside the buildings' harmonious relationship with their environment and cultural context. Each project exemplifies the simplicity and precision of modern architecture that pays respect to the uniqueness and sustainability of a site, while also demonstrating the influence that KRIS YAO ARTECH has had in shaping modern Asia's urban landscape.

Offers a selection of contemporary house designs in colour spreads. From modest to massive, this title features 150 of the world's most prominent architects, including US architects Swatt Miers, Marmol Radziner, OSKA, and LPA Inc; European architects Jarmund Vigsnaes; and, South American architects Marcio Kogan, Una Arquitectos, and FGMF.

Featuring the work of photographer Paul Barbera, this book documents creativity in 32 Japanese studios. Photographer Paul Barbera presents his next volume in the Where They Create series – this time with a different approach, by exploring the theme of his series through geographical locales. Reinvigorated by his first visit to Japan in five years, he makes this country the starting point of this new volume. Through the lens of creative spaces, Barbera chronicles his journey as he uncovers how contemporary Japanese design, art and creative thinking, has influenced and inspired the world (and vice versa). Barbera's search is simple and clear: he only visits the studios of people whose work he loves and admires, and who have inspiring spaces. For this book, Barbera was invited to shoot the studios of 32 creatives like Anrealage, Kengo Kuma, Wonderwall, Nendo, Tadao Ando, Tokujin Yoshioka, Toyo Ito and many more. Interviews with these creators reveal how their daily environment influences their output. Features Successor to the first portfolio book of Paul Barbera, which was an inspiring publication created out the successful weblog (wheretheycreate.com)The subjects of this book come from all walks of life artists, architects and graphic designers to fashion designers and a flower artists – with engaging stories of how they have arrived at ‘where they create’.The book provides a rare view into the surroundings of some of the greatest Japanese creative minds of our time.Additional interviews with experts on Japanese design shed some light and personal insights on the country’s creative thinking.

A photographic journey through the architecture of North Korea's “model” utopia. The story of Pyongyang is unique even in the annals of model cities and modernist utopias. Entirely rebuilt after the Korean War, North Korea's capital city was planned and fully implemented to embody a single ideological vision. This extraordinary, richly illustrated book takes readers on a photographic journey through the architecture of North Korea's “model” utopia. Built as an ideological guide for its citizens, Pyongyang displays a unique architectural cohesion and narrative. From the city's large-scale monumental axes to its symbolic sports halls and experimental housing, Model City offers offers comprehensive visual access to Pyongyang's restricted buildings. The architecture of Pyongyang exists within a culture that favors construction and renewal over historical preservation, and in recent years many buildings have been redeveloped to remove interior features or render facades unrecognizable. Often kitschy, colorful, and dramatic, Pyongyang's architecture makes it difficult to distinguish between reality and theater. As befits a culture that has carefully crafted its own narrative, the backdrop of each photograph in Model City has been replaced with a color gradient, evoking the pastel skies of North Korea's propaganda posters. Model City features two hundred color illustrations of buildings rarely seen by non-North Koreans, diagrams and architectural drawings that reveal the planning behind the city's elaborate symbolism, and texts by experts on Korean architecture—including an excerpt from On Architecture by Kim Jong-Il, father of the current leader Kim Jong-un. The authors' research has been supported by Koryo Studio and Korea Cities Federation.

Doctor Haydock, the resident GP of St. Mary Mead, hopes to cheer up Miss Marple as she recovers from the flu with a little story. The tale revolves around the return of the prodigal son of Major Laxton, the devilishly handsome Harry Laxton. Harry, after leading a life of childish indiscretions and falling head over heels for the village tobacconist’s daughter, has made good and returned to lay claim to his tumbling childhood home and introduce the village to his beautiful new wife. But, the villagers are prone to gossip about young Harry’s past, and one person in particular cannot forgive him for tearing down the old house. Will Miss Marple’s acumen be up to the task of solving the story?

Over 3,000 churches were built in Poland between 1945 and 1989, despite the socialist state's hostility towards religion. We call this Day-VII Architecture. Built by parishioners from scavenged or pinched materials, the churches were at once an expression of faith and a form of anti-government protest. Their fantastic designs broke with the state's rigid urbanism. Neither legal nor prohibited, the construction of churches during this period engaged the most talented architects and craftspeople, who in turn enabled parish communities to build their own houses of worship. These community projects eventually became crucial sites for the democratization of Poland. Unearthing the history of these churches through photography and interviews with their designers, this publication sheds new light on the architectural dimension of Poland's trans­formation from state socialism to capitalism.

Sacred spaces exemplify some of the most exciting and challenging architecture today. Designing Sacred Spaces tells the inside story of seven architecture firms and their approaches to designing churches, mosques, synagogues and temples, monasteries and retreats. Twenty beautifully illustrated case studies located in Asia, Europe, and North America are showcased alongside discussions with the designers into concept and design development, materiality, and spatial analysis. Complementing these are essays on the cultural, historical, and theoretical meaning and importance of sacred spaces. By exploring the way we see religion and how we understand secular and sacred space, Designing Sacred Spaces reveals how we see ourselves and how we see others. A tour-de-force of first-person narratives, research, and illustrations, this book is a vital desk reference.

A ground‐breaking and enlightening exploration of the structures which elevate architecture to spirituality. Sacred Spaces showcases 30 of the most breath‐taking, innovative, iconic and undiscovered examples of contemporary religious architecture, including work by well‐known architects alongside emerging designers. Spanning all major religions and places of worship from intimate, reflective chapels and cemeteries to dramatic cathedrals and memorials, Sacred Spaces documents each project with lavish‐in‐depth photography and drawings and texts by James Pallister that provide a modern historical context. An inspiring collection and thorough survey, the buildings in Sacred Spaces will appeal to architects and designers as well as the general public intrigued by creative culture, religion and spirituality.