A Most Exciting Vision: Cesar Pelli’s Book List
By Steve Kroeter February 7, 2012
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| Cesar Pelli |
Architect Cesar Pelli: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (New Haven, Connecticut)
Recognized for a lifetime of distinguished achievement in architecture—he is the recipient of more than 200 awards and prizes for his contributions to the field—Cesar Pelli has designed some of the contemporary world’s most famous buildings. His work, which encompasses academic buildings, research centers, libraries, performing arts complexes, museums, private residences, airports, and master plans, includes the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1997), the globe’s tallest buildings until 2004; the World Financial Center (1981–88) in New York; and the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, CA (1975), whose third phase is to be completed in 2012.
Pelli, who was born and educated in Argentina, worked in the offices of Eero Saarinen on several key projects, including the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport, and later with Gruen Associates, before founding his own practice (Cesar Pelli & Associates, now Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects) in 1977. That same year he became Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture (a post he held through 1984).
For Designers & Books Pelli submitted a list of five books—two by Le Corbusier and one each by Robert Venturi, Julien Guadet, and Sigfried Giedion. His concise—and incisive—comments about the books point to his clear recollection of being an architecture student (see the comments on Eléments et théorie de l’architecture and Le Corbusier: Oeuvre Complète), his appreciation for “lucid and vigorous” critique (see his comment on Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture), and his interest in and regard for the new and the visionary (he praises Towards a New Architecture as “a most exciting vision for architecture”).
His 1999 book, Observations for Young Architects, an “architectural autobiography,” distills the wisdom and experience gained from many years as a practitioner and an educator. Currently out of print in the U.S. (a Spanish-language edition was reprinted in 2009 by Ediciones Infinito in Buenos Aires), it remains an insightful and thought-provoking assessment of the work that architects do and the uniqueness and core characteristics of the architectural profession (although our view is that the book should not be considered solely as of interest and relevance to young architects). Among his ideas is that architecture is an endeavor that simultaneously straddles both commercial and cultural considerations—it is both a profession and an art. He creates a framework for his analysis that involves eight principal “connections”: time, construction, place, purpose, culture, design process, constituency, and oneself.
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| Observations for Young Architects, 1999 (English, The Monacelli Press), 2009 (Spanish, Ediciones Infinito) |
In the ten plus years since Observations was published, the profession and how it is practiced—and also the relationship between architects and society—have changed dramatically. Designers & Books asked Pelli if, given the chance to update or revise his book, what his response might be. His answer? “I would not add or subtract any of the ‘connections’ I wrote about in Observations for Young Architects. That book represents my thoughts at a moment in my life. I do not disagree with anything I said then, but today I would write a different book.”
View Cesar Pelli’s Profile View Cesar Pelli’s Book List
Announcements
Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design edited by Ian Lynam
Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design
Edited by Ian Lynam
Publisher: Slanted Publishers
Published: March 2019
Total Armageddon is about design. And culture. And complexity, notably how we, as a global civilization, deal with science fiction, taste, social media, the cities we live in, aesthetics, PowerPoint, burkas, Big Tech, full-contact sports, and other thorny topics. The book celebrates 15 years of independent publishing and brings together a who’s who of authors and essays from 32 issues of Slanted Magazine.
A Field Guide to Color by Lisa Solomon
A Field Guide to Color: A Watercolor Workbook
By Lisa Solomon
Publisher: Roost Books
Published: August 2019
In this creative workbook you’ll discover fresh ways to connect with color in your art and life. Using watercolors, gouache, or any other water-based medium, explore color theory while playing with paint through a balanced blend of color experiments and loose color meditations. This inspiring workbook will change the way you relate to color
Five Oceans in a Teaspoon by Dennis Bernstein and Warren Lehrer
Five Oceans in a Teaspoon
Poems by Dennis Bernstein
Visualizations by Warren Lehrer
Introduction by Steven Heller
Publisher: Paper Crown Press
Published: September 19, 2019
“From a kidnap note for a world held hostage by an A-bomb, to a Holocaust survivor’s tattooed arms where the numbers just don’t add up, Five Oceans in a Teaspoon re-envisions a poetry memoir via a textual kaleidoscope... Bernstein and Lehrer are the Rodgers and Hart of Visual Poetry.” — Bob Holman, poet, poetry activist and chronicler, and founder of the Bowery Poetry Club
Ballpark: Baseball in the American City by Paul Goldberger
Ballpark: Baseball in the American City
By Paul Goldberger
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Published: May 2019
An illustrated, entirely new look at the history of baseball: told through the stories of the vibrant and ever-changing ballparks where the game was and is staged, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic.
Charleston Fancy by Witold Rybczynski
Charleston Fancy: Little Houses and Big Dreams in the Holy City
By Witold Rybczynski
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: May 2019
Charleston, South Carolina, which boasts America’s first historic district, is known for its palmetto-lined streets and picturesque houses. The Holy City, named for its profusion of churches, exudes an irresistible charm. Award-winning author and cultural critic Witold Rybczynski unfolds a series of stories about a group of youthful architects, builders, and developers based in Charleston: a self-taught home builder, an Air Force pilot, a fledgling architect, and a bluegrass mandolin player.
Teaching Graphic Design History by Steven Heller
Teaching Graphic Design History
By Steven Heller
Publisher: Allworth Press
Published: June 2019
An examination of the concerted efforts, happy accidents, and key influences of the practice throughout the years, Teaching Graphic Design History is an illuminating resource for students, practitioners, and future teachers of the subject.
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