Diana Balmori
(1932–November 14, 2016). Diana Balmori, founding principal of Balmori Associates, brings a breadth of experience in architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, ecology, architectural history, and sustainability to her New York-based landscape and urban design office. The firm’s application of innovative designs to green roofs, floating islands, and temporary landscapes has created a signature and functional aesthetic, establishing it as a leader in the field of urban design and the creation of new forms of public space. Balmori’s work has received numerous awards and includes a port area reclaimed by the Guggenheim Bilbao (Spain); the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth; and a 35,000-square-foot green roof for Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, New York. In 2009 the firm published a book of the proceedings of “Making Public Places,” a Twitter forum held at the offices of Balmori Associates.
Recognized internationally, Balmori was appointed a Senior Fellow in Garden and Landscape Studies at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. in 2005. She is serving her second term on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.
A design educator as well as a practitioner, Balmori teaches at the Yale School of Architecture where she was the William Henry Bishop Visiting Professor of Architectural Design in 2010.
She received a Ph.D. in urban history from the University of California, Los Angeles, after completing undergraduate work at the Universidad Nacional de Tucumán in Argentina.
Among the many books that Balmori has written or co-authored are A Landscape Manifesto, 2010; and Groundwork: Between Landscape and Architecture (with Joel Sanders), 2011.
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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
Published: 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.
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Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context by David Raizman
Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context
By David Raizman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Published: December 2020
An innovative approach to graphic design that uses a series of key artifacts from the history of print culture in light of their specific historical contexts. It encourages the reader to look carefully and critically at print advertising, illustration, posters, magazine art direction, and typography, often addressing issues of class, race, and gender.
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian by Rick Poynor
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian
By Rick Poynor
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: September 2020
A comprehensive overview of the work and legacy of David King (1943–2016), whose fascinating career bridged journalism, graphic design, photography, and collecting. King launched his career at Britain’s Sunday Times Magazine in the 1960s, starting as a designer and later branching out into image-led journalism, blending political activism with his design work.
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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