Pall Mall press

Michelangelo (1475 - 1564), one of the great artistic figures of the Renaissance, is best known as a sculptor and painter. However he was also an important and highly original architect despite asserting that architecture was not his profession. This comprehensive study examines the complex story of his architectural production from his early works in Rome at the beginning of the 16th - century through to the Florentine period between 1516 and 1534 and finally the major Roman projects from 1534 to 1564. These 31 built and planned projects include his most notable works such as the Laurentian Library at San Lorenzo (1515 - 59), with its tremendous vestibule staircase and St. Peter's Basilica in The Vatican, where he was chief architect from 1546 - 1564, designing the majestic dome that dominates the Rome skyline. These buildings demonstrate Michelangelo's imaginative use of the classical language of architecture to create a new, more unconventional version of his own. Projects are illustrated with many of Michelangelo's annotated sketches, pen-and-ink studies, plans and renderings as well as rich black and white photographs of completed buildings taken by the leading fine art photographer Gabriele Basilico. Essays by authors Giulio Carlo Argan and Bruno Contardi discuss the development of Michelangelo's architectural work including his often difficult relationships with his papal and Medici patrons, and give an insight into Michelangelo's complex architectural legacy.

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.

Achille Castiglioni (1918 - 2002) was one of the most important and prolific designers of the twentieth century. This comprehensive monograph is the only detailed study of his remarkable career and includes a catalogue of his complete works from 1938 - 2000 spanning architecture and exhibition, interior and product design. An essay by Sergio Polano describes Castiglioni's important collaborations with his brothers Livio and Pier Giacomo and discusses his diverse range of projects including the spatial design work that dominated his early career as well as his later, better known product designs. Castiglioni's work is celebrated for its combination of technical innovation with an aesthetically-pleasing form, as demonstrated in his elegant Luminator floor lamp for Gilardi & Barzaghi (1955) and the distinctive Frisbi hanging light for Flos (1978). His designs also demonstrated wit - the 'readymade' furniture designs created with Pier Giacomo in 1957 incorporated tractor and bicycle seats into new stools. He created hundreds of pieces of furniture, lighting and products for a distinguished client list including Kartell, Knoll, Zanotta, Alessi and Siemens. With more than 800 photographs and drawings, this monograph does full justice to his designs, which won eight prestigious Compasso d'Oro prizes.