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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.

Elaborating the diversity of wood architecture today for private homes More and more architects and builders are exploring the possibilities of a material for the construction of houses that offers unparalleled major advantages regarding design, function and ecology. Wood is a renewable building resource that impresses with its natural qualities as well as its astonishing versatility, especially given a number of new techniques, processing options, and innovations. Moreover, wooden architecture represents a promising opportunity to work towards a more CO2-neutral future. Frank Lloyd Wright said about the world's oldest building material that it is "universally beautiful" and "the most human of all materials", facts that are highlighted in this volume focusing on residences. The presented projects demonstrate the sheer endless possibilities of timber for architecture and interior design. From an esthetic point of view, they also show completely new ways for, but not limited to, the design of individual homes.

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.

Functionally and esthetically compelling solutions for library building and spaces today that work for all users. Libraries are spaces for learning, discovery, and also for interaction. Their architecture is currently the subject of much discussion, as the demands on these cornerstones of modern civilization have changed enormously since they have had to meet the requirements of the new multimedia and digital age. The library as an institution underwent a real image change from an introverted knowledge repository to a globally networked information provider and communication mediator. The architectural expression of this expanded and constantly evolving profile of requirements makes library construction extremely multi-layered and complex. But this is also precisely the source of enormous potential for bold designs and ingenious aesthetic concepts. Whether involving new buildings, conversions or extensions, this volume shows the diversity of this building task with its interplay of state-of-the-art technology and cultural demands.