Encounters 2: Architectural Essays
From the Publisher. Architecture is fundamentally existential in its very essence, and it arises from existential experience and wisdom rather than intellectualized and formalized theories. We can only prepare ourselves for our work in architecture by developing a distinct sensitivity and awareness for architectural phenomena.” With these declarative words, Finnish architect, educator and critic Juhani Pallasmaa resounds the call of his 2005 volume, Encounters: Architectural Essays, in this newly edited second volume of essays, Encounters 2. The essays comprising this new volume are drawn from an intensive decade of teaching, lecturing and writing in the new millennium, as well as from a lifetime of biographical and critical observations on both architects and artists. A new, extended interview, “Poetics and Life,” introduces and frames the concerns and character of Encounters 2. Essays reflecting on architectural essences, meanings and boundaries expand upon Pallasmaa’s commitment to an authentic architecture of existential depth and phenomenal appeal. New intellectual territories are explored, focusing on concepts of “vagueness” and “atmosphere.” Importantly, a series of artistic and architectural “portraits” are nested inside the thematic structure and amongst the more abstract contemplations. These specific critical commentaries and personal appreciations have a distinct and prominent place in the author’s repertoire, and provide an intimate particularity to Pallasmaa’s thought and expression. Portraits are drawn of prominent Finnish artists such as Kain Tapper, Juhana Blomstedt, Maaria Wirkkala, Jorma Hautala, and Raimo Utriainen and notable Finnish architects such as Alvar Aalto, Reima Pietilä, and the partnership of Mikko Heikkinen and Markku Komonen. These are all leavened by further commentaries on Steven Holl, Fred Sandback, and Rachel Whiteread – and the great Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala as well as the award-winning Finnish film director Aki Kaurismäki.
Any book by the Finnish architect, educator, and writer Juhani Pallasmaa is cause for celebration, be it part of his trilogy on the senses, a history of architecture, or a collection of essays. This second volume of Encounters collects 26 articles and lectures from 1998 to 2011 on subjects local and international, physical and abstract; it is a mélange anchored by Pallasmaa’s familiar and nuanced views, most easily described as phenomenological. The essays exhibit the remarkable consistency of his ideas, his conceptual rigor, and his use of writing as a studied means to explore the essential tasks of architecture. Like the first Encounters, I find myself returning to the essays to get grounded and be reminded of what is really important in architecture.
Announcements
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy by John Lobell
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy
By John Lobell
Publisher: The Monacelli Press
Published: June 2020
Noted Louis I.Kahn expert John Lobell explores how Kahn’s focus on structure, respect for materials, clarity of program, and reverence for details come together to manifest an overall philosophy.
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn by Harriet Pattison
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn
By Harriet Pattison
Publisher: Yale University Press
Forthcoming: October 2020
An intimate glimpse into the professional and romantic relationship between Harriet Pattison and the renowned architect Louis Kahn. Harriet Pattison, FASLA, is a distinguished landscape architect. She was Louis Kahn’s romantic partner from 1959 to 1974, and his collaborator on the landscapes of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, and the F.D.R. Memorial/Four Freedoms Park, New York. She is the mother of their son, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn.
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
By Per Olaf Fjeld and Emily Randall Fjeld
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
Published: October 4, 2019
A new and personal reading of the architecture, teachings, and legacy of Louis I. Kahn from Per Olaf Fjeld’s perspective as a former student. The book explores Kahn’s life and work, offering a unique take on one of the twentieth century’s most important architects. Kahn’s Nordic and European ties are emphasized in this study that also covers his early childhood in Estonia, his travels, and his relationships with other architects, including the Norwegian architect Arne Korsmo.
.jpg)
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.
Recent Articles
