The Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture, by the editors of Phaidon Press, hardcover, 800 pages, 19.2 x 16.1 x 2.5 inches (without case), 16.4 pounds, Phaidon Press, list price: $195.00
Conceptually and literally, one architecture book outweighs all the rest this year: 1,037 buildings; 653 architects; 89 countries; 800 pages; 20 pounds — the largest book I've ever seen, period. It requires its own plastic carrying case, a transparent lime-green thing that is a design wonder in itself. But spread the book open, and you'll tumble into a color future-world of architectural ideas, global cityscapes, angular abodes, envelope-pushing stadiums, high-tech lakeside bathhouses and bottomless textural detail.
Like any atlas, this one is organized geographically and festooned with maps and data. But photographs dominate every immaculately designed page and are informed by the discreet presence of blueprint drawings and crisp text blocks smart enough to educate an experienced architect but plainspoken enough to ignite the imaginations of the Home Depot set. Consider it an exercise in fantasy house hunting or city planning or home building. Or just think of a world in which bold and eco-friendly ideas can flow from the architects in Port of Elizabeth, South Africa, to those in Wangdi, Bhutan — or Caldaro, Italy, or Appleton, Wis. ...
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