Books
Book: 10x10, volume 3
Books
Phaidon's 10x10 series is now into its third volume, and showing no sign of running out of fresh new architecture with which to tantalise the casual reader. This is no mean feat when one considers the revolution in architectural publishing signalled by the internet, an age when every project is instantly spread around the globe.
Happily, for many people - architects included - nothing beats recognition in print, and these big, square books walk the line between the scattergun approach of the blogs and the more curated realm of the monograph.
See more from Phaidon's third installment of the 10x10 series
The format stays the same - 10 critics each nominate 10 architects - and this year there's a fair smattering of creative talent doing the selection, including Carlos Jimenez, Kengo Kuma and Ai Wewei. As one would expect, green issues are pushed to the fore, with mega-mansions giving way to infrastructure and cultural projects.
10x10_3 has a satisfying global reach, reflecting the growing recognition of both South American and Chinese architects on the international stage, as well as the proliferation of curated environments, architectural zoos that feature a self-conscious collision of styles. One side effect of the internet's effect on democratising information is that there's little chance of retaining a relentless onslaught of novelty.
As a result, many of the featured projects have appeared online, turning a fair few firms into rising stars with established portfolios (FAT, Andrade Morettin, Miller & Maranta, MAD Office, Pezo von Ellrichshausen, Rojind Arquitectos, Shim+Sutcliffe, Thomas Heatherwick, etc., etc.). That still doesn't rein in the reliance on renders, however, but the gap between built form and unbuilt speculation is getting ever narrower. As well as a welcome splurge of interest in emerging Russian and Eastern European firms there are also indications that the revival of pattern, eccentric form and polychromatic playfulness shows no sign of abating.
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10_10x3, Phaidon Press, £49.95
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