BIG. Hot to Cold. An Odyssey of Architectural Adaptation

by Taschen (Editor)

After the global success of Yes is More, one of the best-selling architecture books of its generation, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group presents Hot to Cold, an Odyssey of Architectural Adaptation. The book coincides with the Hot to Cold show at the National Building Museum in Washington DC and presents 60 case studies in harsh climate conditions in order to examine where and how we live on our planet. As we travel from one end of the spectrum to its opposite we will see that the more harsh the climate gets, the more intense its impact on the architecture. The central challenge is to mitigate the climatic extremes for hospitable human life, while finding solutions that can be both economically and environmentally profitable. Architecture is the art and science of accommodating the lives we want to live. Our cities and buildings aren't givens; they are the way they are because that is as far as we have gotten to date. They are the best efforts of our ancestors and fellow planetizens, and if they have shortcomings, it is up to us to continue that effort, pick up where they left off. Hot to Cold stays true to BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group's grand mission to find a pragmatic utopia, shaping not only a particular structural entity, but the kind of world we wish to inhabit. The book  Design from award-winning artists Sagmeister & Walsh Previously unpublished essays by Bjarke Ingels. A convertible dust jacket-poster.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction, Design, Art, Interior Design

712 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2015

About the author

'Taschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection. Taschen has been a noteworthy force in making lesser-seen art available to mainstream bookstores, including some fetishistic imagery, queer art, historical erotica, pornography and adult magazines (including multiple books with Playboy magazine). Taschen has helped bring this art into broader public view, by publishing these potentially controversial volumes alongside its more mainstream books of comics reprints, art photography, painting, design, fashion, advertising history, film, and architecture.' - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

BIG is the evangelist of hedonistic architecture and the amalgamation of many contemporary concepts. In this book the process and the design decisions are described to give to the reader a story on how the designs evolved.

[Michelle Espejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the only architectural offices working so globally to make certain learnings about climate responsive design . . . with essays by Bjarke Ingels on Vernacular 2.0, Social Infrastructure & Hedonistic Sustainability. Technical drawings and built examples show that BIG's visions from Yes is More can be realized!

[Emme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically a picture book like so many architectural books. However since the main topic is about adjusting design forms to meet the challenges of changing climate I was hoping for more thoughtful explanation behind the design innovations and what differences they made as longer term examples. With that, the book is gorgeously designed with vertical keys on each page and example. It’s also split in two with half the book addressing hot climate solutions and the second half designs that address cold climate solutions. The overall effect is clearly the work of an excellent design agency and thoughtfulness that goes into design, truly it’s beautiful. I’d rate it higher, but was simply looking for more content and context. I’m sure there are others that would say, just show the work in pictures! I hope the agency and publishes continue to produce more on the same topics.

[Seven Pesos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. This book, essentially, is an advertisement for the Bjarke Ingels Group. Some very interesting projects and concepts here, and many boring corporate buildings with no soul. They were offloading a whole stack of these still-sealed artbooks for the low ($5) at my local bookstore. No kidding. I guess I got what I payed for. Looks good on my coffee table.

[Justin Crane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An architect’s monograph. If you know you like BIG’s work you’ll like the book. But the organizing concept seems forced. Of the projects I looked at none of their designs started with climate. To me they’re simply about bold geometric concepts.

[Luigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bjarke does it again.

[Yoga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Ann Deraedt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Van een nood een deugd gemaakt en dit boek uit de hotel bibliotheek van Gastwerk in Hamburg genomen. Voor mij iets totaal nieuws wat je met architectuur kan doen.

[Sonntag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictably Interesting-

I follow Bjarke Ingles work since my college years when they were Plot DK. I use to admire their creative and fun solutions, and casualness to their presentations, but that's long time ago. Many years have passed since and a hand full of BIG projects being realized, and the design becoming more sophisticated than ever. And yet, they continue their happy-go-lucky style of presentation, which just doesn't represent their work anymore, what's worst is it dumbified their architecture.
Although I gave high praise for their innovative design and hard work which demonstrated in this book, but in conjunction, my disappointment with the fun-house format.



Below are images I took of the book for my Amazon review, please see link below and let me know if they are helpful to you (by pressing yes or no button), thank you for your comment and support:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1Y82...

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars - Another fascinating volume covering the design work from the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Nice surprise at the end to learn that this volume was based on an exhibit at one of my favorite museums: The National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of Bjarke Ingels Group's projects and the design process and thinking behind them.

[Ronny Gonzalez]

flexible absorption and shape