Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Space age architecture: Going back to the future with the visionary West Coast architect
Michigan-born architect John Lautner (1911 1994) was behind some of the most striking and innovative architectural designs in mid-20th-century America. Designing homes and commercial buildings primarily in Southern California, Lautner s innovative work captured the pioneering optimism of 1950s America, a time of space-age technology, economic growth, and affluence. Today, several of Lautner s houses are labeled Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments.
Lautner s projects focused on the relationship between humans, space, and nature. He was always particularly sensitive to the surrounding environment and would often integrate water and natural landscapes into his designs. His houses are characterized by sweeping rooflines, glass-paneled walls, and steel beams, in a heady combination of fantasy and minimalism. Eschewing architectural orthodoxies, Lautner emphasized geometric shapes such as circles and triangles, incorporating myriad technological innovations.
Ingenious uses of modern building materials such as concrete allowed him to blend his structures into unique locations in the Californian landscape, perching his sci-fi structures on hillsides, beaches, and deserts. Residences in the Los Angeles area, including the Chemosphere House and the Silvertop, boast panoramic views and still exude an almost otherworldly magnetism.
In this new Basic Art guide, we take you into the heart of Lautner s idiosyncratic practice, discover his manifold influences and ideas, and survey the resulting gems of modern architecture."
Synopsis
With his geometric structures perched upon the hillsides, beaches, and deserts of California, John Lautner (1911-1994) was behind some of the most striking and innovative architectural designs in mid-20th-century America.
This introductory book brings together the most important of Lautner's projects to explore his
his ingenious use of modern building materials and his bold stylistic repertoire of sweeping rooflines, glass-paneled walls, and steel beams. From commercial buildings to such iconic homes as the Chemosphere, we look at Lautner's sensitivity to a building's surroundings and his unique capacity to integrate structures into the Californian landscape. With several of Lautner's houses now labeled Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments, we'll also consider the architect's cultural legacy, as much as his pioneering of a visual paradigm of 1950s optimism, economic growth, and space-age adventure.
About the series
Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Architecture series features:
an introduction to the life and work of the architect
the major works in chronological order
information about the clients, architectural preconditions as well as construction problems and resolutions
a list of all the selected works and a map indicating the locations of the best and most famous buildings
approximately 120 illustrations (photographs, sketches, drafts, and plans)