The Iconic House: Architectural Masterworks Since 1900

Front Cover
WW Norton, Oct 27, 2009 - Architecture - 351 pages
An essential book on modern architecture: one hundred of the most significant houses of the past hundred years.

From the first stirrings of modernity in the early twentieth century to the present, the house has served as a test bed of design experimentation, the place where architects have sought to create new forms and to offer new domestic lifestyles. Alvar Aalto, Buckminster Fuller, Rudolph Schindler, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Eileen Gray, Charles and Ray Eames, Charles Gwathmey, Carlo Scarpa, Herzog & de Meuron: most great architects of the past hundred years have begun or catalyzed their careers with an iconic house.

The introduction looks at the historical and social motivations behind epoch-making residential architecture, showing in sidebars twenty of the most important early examples. Then eighty houses—sixty of which have been specially photographed—are presented chronologically. The text describes the all-important relationship between architecture and client, the physical context in which the house is set, and the pivotal role the house played in the development of the architect’s career and architecture in general.

Concise architect biographies and a list of key buildings accompany each house, while photographs and easy-to-read plans bring the words to life.

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Contents

Section 1
41
Section 2
45
Section 3
51
Copyright

18 other sections not shown

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About the author (2009)

Dominic Bradbury is a journalist and writer specializing in architecture and design. He writes for many magazines and newspapers in the UK and internationally, including Wallpaper*, World of Interiors, House & Garden, Vogue Living, The Telegraph, The Times, and the Financial Times. His many books include Mid-Century Modern Complete, The Iconic Interior, Mountain Modern, Waterside Modern, and most recently, Off the Grid: Houses for Escape. Richard Powers is a photographer who deals in interiors, architecture, and built environments. His books include The Iconic House, The Iconic American House, and The Iconic Interior.

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