Pamphlet Architecture by Princeton Architectural Press published by Princeton Architectural Press

Pamphlet Architecture

by Steven Holl

To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the founding of Pamphlet Architecture, we are proudly reissuing the first ten issues-most of which have been long out of print-in one hardcover volume. This graphically stunning and theoretically stimulating collection includes the early works of many of today's best-known architects, including Steven Holl, Lars Lerup, Mark Mack, Lebbeus Woods, Zaha Hadid, Livio Dimitriu, and Alberto Sartoris.
The Pamphlet Architecture series was founded in 1978 by architects Steven Holl and William Stout as a venue for publishing the thoughts and works of a younger generation of architects. Each issue was written, illustrated, and designed by a single architect, which gives each its unique character. The series, which received an American Institute of Architects award, continues to influence new generations of architects as it disseminates new and innovative ideas on architecture and presents the work of the luminaries of tomorrow.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published March 1, 1998

About the author

Steven Holl (born December 9, 1947) is an American architect and watercolorist, perhaps best known for the 2003 Simmons Hall at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the celebrated 2007 Bloch Building addition to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri,[1] and the praised 2009 Linked Hybrid mixed-use complex in Beijing, China.

Holl graduated from the University of Washington and pursued architecture studies in Rome in 1970. In 1976, he attended graduate school at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and established his offices New York City. Holl has taught at Columbia University since 1981.

Holl's architecture has undergone a shift in emphasis, from his earlier concern with typology to his current concern with a phenomenological approach; that is, with a concern for man's existentialist, bodily engagement with his surroundings. The shift came about partly due to his interest in the writings of philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty and architect-theorist Juhani Pallasmaa.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of the first ten Pamphlets, this book seems true to what the originals probably were (including the numerous misspellings...noteably even on Holl's #9 that apparently was reprinted before by Princeton Architectural Press). Not having read the subsequent Pamphlets yet, this comes off as a confused beginning. What is the identity of the series - a platform for self-promotion (Hadid, The first one by Holl, Mack) or is it a opportunity to print minor research (the second and third Holl)? Whatever it is, it holds much interest. I especially like Mack's young blond boy with concrete shoes and a Type "S" hanglider. We need more of that in architectural discourse...