Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) was one of the most revolutionary technological visionaries of the 20th century. As an architect, engineer, entrepreneur, and poet, he was a quintessentially American self-made man. But he was also an outsider: a technologist with a poet's imagination who already developed theories of environmental control in the thirties (-more with less-) and who anticipated the globalization of our planet (-think global--act local-). In light of the reawakening interest in his works and thoughts, and of their growing importance for our technological world, it is time for a...

Architecture is increasingly understood as a field of practice that is inextricably embedded in ecologies and energy systems, and yet embodied energy--the various forms of energy required to extract raw matter, to produce and transport building materials, and to assemble a given building-- remains largely under-explored in its ramifications for both design and environment. As operational energy has declined as a proportion of buildings' total energy consumption, embodied energy has become an essential site for further speculation and innovation. Embodied Energy and Design: Making Architecture...

This comprehensive volume documents the work of the Argentine architect, graphic designer, and industrial designer Emilio Ambasz. Ambasz's main concern is to integrate nature and construction into architectural design, which is why he is regarded as one of the most important pioneers of Green Architecture. In his work a combination of landscape and architecture emerges, in which his respect for the environment and ecological sustainability becomes clear. A prime example of this is the Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall in Japan: a building that houses more than 100,000 m2 of exhibition...

One of the greatest and most influential architects of Japan's postwar generation, Shinohara Kazuo (1925-2006) has remained virtually unknown outside the small community of devoted followers. As one of the leaders of architectural movement Metabolism, Shinohara achieved cult-figure stature with sublimely beautiful, purist houses that break away from Japan's postwar suburban architecture. Perhaps the most iconic of Shinohara's works, House of White (1964-66), rearranges a familiar design palette--a square plan, a pointed roof, white walls, and a symbolic heart pillar--to give the almost...