Synopses & Reviews
I think that all architecture comes from what went before. And how carefully one hews to precedent or how many liberties one takes, in my view, is part of a larger set of judgments as to what is, or could be called, “appropriate.” Appropriate from every point of view, especially from the site, the cultural expectations of a community and of the specific client.—Robert A. M. Stern
Central to the work of Robert A. M. Stern is a commitment to an architecture that reinterprets the past to serve contemporary life. This monograph, the fifth volume since Stern opened his practice in 1969, explores the application of this principle to a wide range of building types, including libraries, university buildings, cultural centers, offices, towers, and private residences.
Focused on the years 2004 through 2009, an exceptionally productive period for Stern’s firm, this volume includes designs for the Miami Beach, Jacksonville, and Clearwater Public Libraries in Florida, the vast Zubiarte retail complex in Bilbao, Spain, two new residential colleges at Yale University, the widely acclaimed 15 Central Park West condominium in New York, Comcast, a crystalline addition to the Philadelphia skyline, and the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.
In a conversation with renowned architecture critic Paul Goldberger, Stern discusses the principles that have guided the firm since its inception, focusing on the collaborative nature of the work and the importance of precedent and context. He also describes his own role as an educator, as dean of the architecture school at Yale University, and his deep interest in the history of architecture, first awakened during his student days at Yale.
Synopsis
In over thirty years of practice, Robert A. M. Stern has developed a distinctive architecture committed to the synthesis of tradition and innovation and, above all, to the creation and enhancement of a meaningful sense of place. This monograph, covering the years 1999?2002, is the fourth in a series on Stern's work. The volume includes more than one hundred projects, including houses and apartments, buildings for cultural institutions and universities, office and commercial structures, government facilities, and designs for products, including fabric and tableware.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
About the Author
Robert A. M. Stern, the principal partner of the architectural practice he founded in 1969, is also dean of the Yale School of Architecture. In addition to monographs on the firm's work, Stern has written a series of books on New York's architecture and urbanism, including New York 1880, New York 1900, New York 1930, and New York 1960.
Table of Contents
Robert A. M. Stern and Paul Goldberger: A conversation
Projects featured include:
Guild Hall, East Hampton, New York
Miami Beach Library, Miami Beach, Florida
Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse, Swindler Cove Park, Upper Manhattan, New York, New York
Clearwater Public Library, Clearwater, Florida
Zubiarte Retail and Leisure Complex, Bilbao, Spain
Comcast Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Robinson and Merhige Courthouse, Richmond, Virginia
Baker Library | Bloomberg Center, Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts
American Revolution Center at Valley Forge, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Residence at One Central Park, New York, New York
55 West, Las Vegas, Nevada
St. Regis Hotel, Bal Harbor, Florida
Fifteen Central Park West, New York, New York
Wasserstein Hall, Caspersen Student Center, and Clinical Wing, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Museum for African Art, Museum Mile, New York, New York
International Quilt Study Center and Museum, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
The Mansion on Peachtree, Atlanta, Georgia
Four Seasons Downtown, Hotel and Private Residences at 30 Park Place, New York, New York
Tour Carpe Diem, La Défense, Courbevoie, France
Classical Opera and Ballet Theater, Astana, Kazakhstan
George W. Bush Presidential Center, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
New Residential Colleges, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut