{"title":"Paul Kidder","description":"\u003cp\u003ePaul Kidder’s work offers an insightful exploration into the intersections of architecture, culture, and human experience. His writing delves into the nuanced fragility and grandeur of built environments, inviting readers to reflect on the stories that structures tell about society and history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect thoughtful analysis and richly detailed narratives that illuminate the creative processes behind iconic buildings and the cultural contexts that shape them. Kidder’s books are a valuable resource for those interested in the arts, architecture, and the subtle dynamics of urban life.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"minoru-yamasaki-and-the-fragility-of-architecture-by-paul-kidder-9780367629526","title":"Minoru Yamasaki and the Fragility of Architecture","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFew figures in the American arts have stories richer in irony than architect Minoru Yamasaki. While his twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center are internationally iconic, few who know the icon recognise its architect’s name or know much about his portfolio of more than 200 buildings. One is tempted to call him America’s most famous forgotten architect. He was classed in the top tier of his profession in the 1950s and ’60s, as he carried modernism in novel directions, yet today he is best known not for buildings that stand but for two projects that were destroyed under tragic circumstances: the twin towers and the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMinoru Yamasaki and the Fragility of Architecture\u003c\/em\u003e undertakes a reinterpretation of Yamasaki’s significance that combines architectural history with the study of his intersection with defining moments of American history and culture. The story of the loss and vulnerability of Yamasaki’s legacy illustrates the fragility of all architecture in the face of natural and historical forces. Yet in Yamasaki’s view, fragility is also a positive quality in architecture: the source of its refinement, beauty, and humanity. We learn something essential about architecture when we explore this tension of strength and fragility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the course of interpreting Yamasaki’s architecture through the wide lens of the book, we see the mid-century role of Detroit as an industrial power and architectural mecca; we follow a debate over public housing that entailed the creation and eventual destruction of many thousands of units; we examine competing attempts to embody democratic ideals in architecture and to represent those ideals in foreign lands; we ponder the consequences of anti-Japanese prejudice and the masculism of the architectural profession. We see Yamasaki’s style criticised for its arid minimalism yet equally for its delicacy and charm. We observe Yamasaki making a great name for himself in the Arab world, but his twin towers were ultimately destroyed by Islamic militants. As this curious tale of ironies unfolds, it invites reflection on the core of modern architecture’s search for meaning and on the creative possibilities its legacy continues to offer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeautifully illustrated with over 100 colour illustrations of Yamasaki’s buildings, this book will be of interest to students, academics, and professionals in a range of disciplines, including architectural history, architectural theory, architectural preservation, and urban design and planning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Taylor \u0026 Francis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47606923722988,"sku":"9780367629526","price":89.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/baff2b452bc8425c9a6cbbfef6412254_fd6eff17-c099-4d00-a809-6382f1913e67.jpg?v=1778191279"},{"product_id":"minoru-yamasaki-and-the-fragility-of-architecture-by-paul-kidder-9780367625276","title":"Minoru Yamasaki and the Fragility of Architecture","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFew figures in the American arts have stories richer in irony than architect Minoru Yamasaki. While his twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center are internationally iconic, few who know the icon recognise its architect’s name or know much about his portfolio of more than 200 buildings. One is tempted to call him America’s most famous forgotten architect. He was classed in the top tier of his profession in the 1950s and ’60s, as he carried modernism in novel directions. Yet today, he is best known not for buildings that stand but for two projects that were destroyed under tragic circumstances: the twin towers and the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMinoru Yamasaki and the Fragility of Architecture\u003c\/em\u003e undertakes a reinterpretation of Yamasaki’s significance that combines architectural history with the study of his intersection with defining moments of American history and culture. The story of the loss and vulnerability of Yamasaki’s legacy illustrates the fragility of all architecture in the face of natural and historical forces. Yet, in Yamasaki’s view, fragility is also a positive quality in architecture: the source of its refinement, beauty, and humanity. We learn something essential about architecture when we explore this tension of strength and fragility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the course of interpreting Yamasaki’s architecture through the wide lens of the book, we see the mid-century role of Detroit as an industrial power and architectural mecca; we follow a debate over public housing that entailed the creation and eventual destruction of many thousands of units. We examine competing attempts to embody democratic ideals in architecture and to represent those ideals in foreign lands. We ponder the consequences of anti-Japanese prejudice and the masculinism of the architectural profession. We see Yamasaki’s style criticised for its arid minimalism yet equally for its delicacy and charm. We observe Yamasaki making a great name for himself in the Arab world, but his twin towers ultimately destroyed by Islamic militants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs this curious tale of ironies unfolds, it invites reflection on the core of modern architecture’s search for meaning and on the creative possibilities its legacy continues to offer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeautifully illustrated with over 100 colour illustrations of Yamasaki’s buildings, this book will be of interest to students, academics, and professionals in a range of disciplines, including architectural history, architectural theory, architectural preservation, and urban design and planning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Taylor \u0026 Francis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47606923755756,"sku":"9780367625276","price":341.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/baff2b452bc8425c9a6cbbfef6412254.jpg?v=1778191271"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/paul-kidder.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}