Major London Architecture Exhibition and Book on Modernism in China

Between 3rd July and 6th September 08, the RIBA in London will be hosting a highly topical exhibition on ‘Modernism in China’, highlighting China’s previous influential period of modernity in the early 20th century and the little known architecture of the period. The exhibition is co-curated by Edward Denison and Guang Yu Ren, and coincides with the publication of their book of the same title with Wiley. The exhibition is produced by the RIBA in collaboration with the World Monuments Fund Britain and the British Consulate-General, Shanghai.

Co-author of Modernism in China talking at UCL-China Research Festival
On Friday 13th June, Edward Denison, co-author of the recently published Modernism in China, will talk alongside Chinese and University College London researchers about current projects. In his presentation, Denison will highlight the significant contribution of early 20th-century architecture to modernity to China.

Caroline Tilston, author of the Garden Style Guides, gives her five top tips to make a dark corner or dingy patio brighter...

   

Wiley Book Shortlisted for the RIBA Awards 2008

Sustainable Design: Ecology, Architecture and Planning by Daniel Williams has been shortlisted for the Architectural Practice Category for the RIBA book awards 2008, held next week in London on the 28th May.

Sustainable Design challenges professionals to rethink architecture and to see their projects not as objects but as critical, connected pieces of the whole, essential to human health as well as to regional economy and ecology.

Drawing by Sir Peter Cook launches at The Building Centre on Tuesday 27th May

Peter Cook's new book Drawing: The Motive Force of Architecture launches at The Building Centre next week, Tuesday 27th May. For more details please click here

Modernism in China: Architectural Visions and Revolutions by Edward Denison & Guang Yu Ren

Published by Wiley, June 2008

Modernism in China is a unique look at China's transformation in the early Twentieth Century and its expression through a revolution in architecture and design.

With nearly five millennia of architectural heritage, China boasts the longest continuous architectural development in human history. A hundred years after the dawn of the 20th century and the urban landscape of the world’s most populous country, along with some of the world’s oldest architectural methods, had been transformed completely. Linking unrivalled ancient tradition with the giddy rhetoric exuded by the high-rise, glass-clad, lust-for-wealth that characterises China’s 21st century architectural aspirations, is a period of modernisation that revolutionised its architectural language and urban fabric.

Unified Design by Arup Associates

To be published May 2008

Is the present obsession with the icon and the promotion of image over substance symptomatic of a general trend in contemporary architecture? Arup Associates provides the alternative: Unified Design, a radical pan-disciplinary approach that focuses on people from the outset, through the united vision of architects, engineers, artists and social scientists. Arup Associates rejects the imposition of an external image. There can be no standard solutions and no predefined styles. Instead, design must evolve from fundamental research and experiential goals, to form a holistic architecture entirely driven by a 'whole life' sustainability that maintains human culture – tradition, religion, the intangible components of humanity – in the face of modernity.

Is the Grass Always Greener on the Other Side? Author of the new Garden Style Guides, Caroline Tilston, gives her Pros and Cons For Owning a Lawn...

April is the month to....bring out the lawnmower…if you have a lawn. There’s something called a spring growth spurt that grass goes through and, especially if the nights are mild, you can almost see the grass growing up and up.

But do you really need that grass? How liberating would it be to throw that mower away? Here’s a quick guide to the pros and cons of losing the lawn…

New Directions in Contemporary Architecture: Evolutions and Revolutions in Building Design Since 1988 by Luigi Puglisi

Published by Wiley, April 2008

Through its story-telling dimension, New Directions in Contemporary Architecture traces the last 20 years of Western architecture focusing attention on the current situation that includes designers’ eclecticism and style, the star system, urban and landscape design as well as the influence on architecture exerted by the so-called ‘digital revolution’. A number of historical events like the fall of the Berlin Wall, September 11th and the energy crisis underline the narrative flow of the book, as the urgency of these events pose critical questions of architecture.

Spring is in the air...! So why not start enjoying 'the good life' and grow your own veg with the help of gardening expert Caroline Tilston, author of the new Garden Style Guides

March is the month to...Grow some easy vegetables.

It’s worth trying to grow some vegetables even if you have a tiny space. The sheer satisfaction of eating what you’ve raised is amazing and they taste really good too.   

Now there’s the right way to do vegetables and there’s the quick way. Sticklers will say that you won’t get as good a yield if you take shortcuts, but I say, leave that until you’re serious about raising vegetables. For now, to get you started, here’s the quick and dirty way to do it…

Edward Denison and Guang Yu Ren, authors of Building Shanghai and Modernism in China, take the Foreign Secretary on a tour of Shanghai

Edward Denison and Guang Yu Ren, authors of Building Shanghai (Wiley 2006) - and the forthcoming Modernism in China (Wiley, July 2008) - took the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband on a tour of Shanghai, during his official visit to China, on Tuesday 26th February.

Read Edward Denison's account of the event...

Six Wiley Architecture Titles Long-Listed For The 2008 RIBA Book Awards

Has Your Garden Got the Winter Blues? Then Check Out Caroline Tilston's New Monthly Top Gardening Tips Feature - Fresh Ideas Every Month to Get Your Garden Looking Great

February is the month to...

Get hold of seed catalogues and think about having a go at sowing seeds this spring. You may notice I’m avoiding any mention of actually going outside until it warms up a bit more.

Sowing seeds doesn’t have to be difficult. You don’t need a greenhouse or any ‘pricking out’ - if you want to take the easy route make sure you go for things that say – ‘throw and grow’ or ‘sow in flowering position’. This means that all you do is sprinkle them on some nice soil, keep them watered if it doesn’t rain and bingo, a really colourful summer.

My favourites are....

AD: Cities of Dispersal

By Rafi Segal and Els Verbakel

Published by Wiley, February 08

This issue of Architectural Design focuses on ways in which urban sprawl – areas of unstructured development with constantly expanding low-density housing – can be redesigned and rethought by interventions from architects and urban designers. Looking particularly at the issue of public place and the way that collective space can be redefined and articulated, this highly topical issue responds to the need for architectural design to engage in social issues and existing urban forms rather than attempting to create idealized conditions or merely iconic buildings.

Has Your Garden got the Winter Blues? Brighten it up with Caroline Tilston's Top 5 Gardening Tips for January

Read on for some great ideas to cheer up your garden this winter with the first part of our monthly gardening tips feature by Caroline Tilston, author of the new Garden Design Series...

Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature

By Douglas Farr

Published by Wiley, January 08

Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature is both an urgent call to action and a comprehensive introduction to "Sustainable Urbanism"-the growing sustainable design convergence that integrates walkable and diverse places with high-performance infrastructure and buildings.

Providing a historical perspective on the standards and regulations that got us and keep us on the course toward sprawl and unsustainable development, along with earlier attempts at reform, Douglas Farr makes a powerful case for Sustainable Urbanism, showing how architects and urban designers need to shape the built environment for the benefit of both humans and nature. He then explains how to implement Sustainable Urbanism in cities, towns, and neighbor-hoods through coordinated leadership and communication.

Create an outside haven and add value to your property this Spring with Caroline Tilston's new Garden Style Series

Published by Wiley, Spring 2008

Summer may feel a long while off yet but why not make it an extra special one this year by entertaining friends or relaxing in the sun in a beautifully designed garden. Caroline Tilston, author of Small Family Gardens and Modern Family Gardens, has a fabulous new series coming out in the Spring to help even the most amateur gardener create an outside haven. The practical but stunning magazine-style guides which feature fantastic colour photography include: Rooftop & Terrace Gardens, Design Your Garden, Garden Makeovers, and Low-Maintenance Gardens...

AD: Made in India

By Kazi Ashraf

Published by Wiley, December 07

Architecture is never an isolated production. It is deeply embedded in the fabric of any social and cultural dynamic, even though new impetuses are often made and established through architecture. This is particularly true of the exuberant social and cultural shift that India is undergoing. AD: Made in India features Sunil Khilnani’s meditation on what constitutes the idea of modern India, Prem Chandavarkar's exciting account of the emergence of a new generation of architects in Bangalore and Ravi Sundarum’s description of the visceral city...

Architectural Voices: Listening to Old Buildings

By David Littlefield and Saskia Lewis

Published by Wiley, November 07

If a building could speak, what would it say? Architectural Voices discusses the ways that architects go about redeveloping old buildings. In particular, it examines how architects respond to the ‘voices’, ‘spirit’ or ‘character’ within the buildings...

The Temple Architecture of India

By Adam Hardy

Published by Wiley, December 07

The Temple Architecture of India is a lively and accessible book which allows readers to appreciate the concepts underlying the often bewilderingly intricate designs of Indian temples. It also covers the history and development of the design and architecture of Indian temples, from their conception to the author’s visions for their future...

Airport Interiors: Design For Business

By Steve Thomas-Emberson

Published by Wiley, November 07

Airport Interiors provides essential background into the development of the airport business and the design of its interior spaces, whether it is through the master-planning of circulation spaces or interior finishes. The book explains how the global airport market developed and why; who the main architectural influences are; and how interiors have made a commercial difference to how airports are regarded by their operators...