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Architecture for rescue services has come a long way in the past decade. Buildings for the police, fire brigades and ambulance stations have lost their often primitive and shed-like appearance and have begun to strive for recognition as an equitable architectural typology since Zaha Hadid s trailblazing Vitra fire station in Weil am Rhein. This certainly is a challenge because there are numerous conditions to be taken into account in terms of functionality and especially security. The examples chosen for this title show an amazing diversity of emergency architecture. The buildings presented frequently house more than one institution, using the latest technology and communication techniques to successfully combine functions under one roof. The projects included range from the rural two-bay ambulance depot to the police headquarters and the airport fire department.

Public urban spaces vary widely in type, form and size, encompassing plazas, squares and streetscapes. They serve pedestrians and flaneurs, accommodate street life in all its vibrant variations and represent the cities and towns themselves. On the one hand they are transit spaces or crossroads, while on the other hand they provide opportunities to linger or stage events. This volume features recent projects from all continents, showing the different approaches and solutions to this sophisticated design task at the intersection of architecture, landscape design and urban planning. Hardly any other area of spatial design offers so much freedom and such functional and formal diversity as does the design of urban spaces.

Creating layered living spaces in apartment buildings houses one of the most important and multifaceted tasks for contemporary architects worldwide.

Protection has always been the most genuine function of architecture. In the context of global warming one of the most needed type of protection is from and against the sun. This necessity has led to an impressive creative outburst of amazing technology.

Product packaging is much more than just a kind of container made of glass, wood oder plastic protecting its contents: it is also the face of the product. Like the facade of a building, the package gives an impression of what lies behind it.

The demands placed on office spaces and office buildings have intensified considerably in the 21st century through the digital revolution and the new realities of the internet age.

Kniha Collection Krajinná architektura je venovaná širokému spektru činností súčasných krajinných architektov. Jej hlavným cieľom je predstaviť krajinnú architektúru založenú na klasickom záhradníctve, architektonické návrhy obvykle na obmedzenom priestore, využívajúcu prírodné materiály ako pôda, drevo, voda, kameň a rastliny, ale tiež krajinné projekty vo veľkom merítku. Esteticky orientované plánovanie krajiny oddeľuje od Land artu, ktorý tu predstavujú vybrané diela význačných umelcov, len veľmi tenká čiara. Tieto projekty často spočívajú v starostlivo vybraných zásahoch malého rozsahu, ktoré však menia celkový charakter prírody, a dokonca aj rozsiahlu krajinu. Na rozhraní architektúry tiež nájdeme vnútorné záhrady a ozelenené fasády a strechy, ktoré sa stali špecifickou oblasťou krajinnej architektúry. Svoje miesto tu majú i návrhy exteriérov, ktoré zasahujú do infraštruktúry ako miesta pre tvorbu súčasných krajinných architektov. Kniha ponúka významné príklady z minulých piatich až desiatich rokov a predstavuje i niektoré dosiaľ nedokončené projekty.

Museums are some of the great architectural hallmarks of any place. Since the discovery of the Bilbao Effect, triggered at the end of the last century by the Frank O. Gehrys building, new museums have been emerging all over the world. The volume presents the most varied forms of exhibition buildings of the last decade and reveals their varied spatial and architectural concepts: from the white cube idea that exists chiefly to display the exhibit itself, to a flamboyant freestanding structure, which enriches the image of the city and involves the works in its dynamic spatial configuration. A broad diversity of museums is considered: museums of businesses and institutes, of technology and toys, of literature and architecture. It is the art museums, however, which represent the principle focus: from collections of the old masters, handed down through generations, to small, private collections of contemporary art. The texts focus on the architecture and design of each museum as well as the collection housed within it.

Green areas of all kinds have gained significance for contemporary urban planning. In addition to the importance for the structure and appearance of urban spaces, these areas have very different social, ecological and economic functions. For instance, they can serve as relaxation and communication rooms, or as habitats for flora and fauna they can have an extremely positive influence on the micro-climate, not to mention the increasing attention they receive from the real estate business as a factor in site evaluation. This volume presents a broad spectrum of green areas from around the world, like urban parks, green facades, public gardens and green city squares. The interplay of international trends, regional characteristics and local traditions is especially interesting. The selection of projects shows the various tendencies of this discipline at the junction of landscape architecture and urban planning.

Combining sustainability with trendsetting design is one of the great challenges of contemporary architecture. Resource sparing living space is one of the most important themes. In addition to the increased consciousness of the interactions between the human being, his built environment and eco system, the desire to leave behind an intact environment worth living in for the next generation and to fashion a healthy environment for oneself are also factors gaining in economic significance. Depending on the building project and its circumstances, different procedures and techniques of ecological building may be applied. Building orientation, shape, the type of materials and building services used must be weighed against each other. This publication shows the great variety of possibilities with the established technologies as well as newer experimental approaches.

Although convention centers are in high demand, the competition is tough, and new concepts are constantly in demand. Convention centers come in a range of forms, shapes, sizes and contexts. They can form part of a hotel, an airport, a skyscraper, a mountain-chalet or stand completely on their own. This wide range allows for an exciting variety of stunning architectural and design possibilities that in combination with state-of-the-art technology make a convention center a successful enterprise.The criterion for the project selection for this volume is to cover the entire spectrum and provide a well-founded overview of the current trends. The buildings selected are by acknowledged specialists for convention centers as well as architects, who approach the attractive planning task from different and unbiased perspectives.

Citizens in retirement age are becoming an ever greater but also more active part of society. Along with this demographic and socio-cultural shift a new emphasis is placed on living quality and atmosphere at home beyond functionality and clinical cleanliness. In contrast to the general idea of “retirement home“, senior residences of today are superbly designed and furnished service domiciles. Care and medical support are of course part of the extensive offer. Common areas and services can, but must not be used. A winning design is a powerful argument in the competition among the providers. The buildings selected for this book are tailored to meet the special, very individual needs of today’s senior citizens society.

During many eras of architectural history, builders and architects aimed to construct buildings with pure shapes and clear geometry, while foregoing decorative elements. With the advent of Classical Modernity, minimalism has become a seminal architectural style. However, the approach of architects cannot be limited to Mies van der Roh s dogma of Less is more, but corresponds rather to Less is all you need . Based on a select range of contemporary buildings, this book examines the question of how compelling esthetic impressions and expressions can be achieved with reduced shapes. Representing various types of structures, the chosen examples are mostly based on the concept of a simple comprehensive overall shape, focus on a few main materials as means of expression, and are comparatively simple to implement. Despite, or perhaps due to, the consistently applied limitations, the results are extremely remarkable.

From the 1930s, Olivetti, the manufacturer of business products, was widely regarded as the pioneer of corporate architecture. During the 1990s, the concept became firmly established as a basic component of a corporate identity. Architecture and design are used to control the interior and exterior image of company headquarters and office buildings, to production sites and store interiors. Corporate architecture includes both individual projects ranging from high rises to trade fair booths, as well as company-wide design schemes such as that of the Apple stores around the world. The vitalizing and expressive power of architecture as a business card made of stone intends to reflect the self-image of a company and a brand s identity with the aim of expressing the corporate philosophy through architectural symbolism and constructional cultural qualities. Representing very different approaches, the examples from around the world gathered in this book present the whole scope of this extensive topic."

Moving into the central areas of cities is becoming increasingly trendy for people of all ages. Contemporary adaptations of the traditional narrow and multi-storied residential buildings, of London and New York for example, townhouses are the embodiment of this renaissance of urban living. This home type allows its inhabitants to fully enjoy urban life with all its possibilities but also to withdraw from it just like in a single-family house. To create enough living space on the typically rather small pieces of land, the rooms have to be layered and connected. These prerequisites are main characteristic features of townhouses, constituting a special creative challenge for architects and designers. This volume presents projects in very different contexts, showing the great diversity of their functional and design possibilities.

Their function as a link between two or more places over otherwise impassable obstacles distinguishes bridges from all the other types of structures or buildings. In the history of mankind, they evolved with a great variety of profiles and construction methods. Today, new technologies allow the implementation of projects with previously unattainable shapes and sizes. Because bridges are very often particularly prominent and symbolic ventures, architects and engineers have to find the best balance possible between statics and design. From gigantic constructions that cross over huge bodies of water and delicate bridges as part of skyscrapers, to expressive arches in urban environments and minimalist structures in natural settings: This volume presents works that represent contemporary cutting-edge engineering as well as the esthetic highlights of recent years.