May book news: eight new tomes to add to your shelves

New light is shed on the original prints that are presented for the first time in a different context

By removing the images from their intended context, Moss creates an intriguing visual dialogue between images

Building as Ornament
By Michiel van Raaij

It hasn't escaped our notice that architecture is getting more elaborate; the most structurally baroque examples of late period modernism are now vying with Post-Modernism's most ostentatious statements. Building as Ornament is a visual survey of the iconic structure, featuring interviews with Ben van Berkel, Winy Maas, Charles Jencks and many other proponents of ‘signature’ buildings. Author and architect Michiel van Raaij traces the style’s evolution from simplistic statement into bold, innovative design.

Published by nai010 Publishers, €22.50

From the book: Poem as part of Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai, designed by Waterstudio.NL, from 2002 onwards. Photography: Waterstudio.NL

Shipping and transport college in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, by Neutelings Riedijk Architects, 2001-2006. Photography: Jeroen Musch

The Iceberg, Aarhus, by Search, JDS, Cebra and Louis Paillard, 2008-2013. Photography: Mikkel Frost

Art & Ecology Now
By Andrew Brown

This survey of contemporary responses to climate change, our relationship with nature and the growth of environmentalism takes up where the 1970s-era Land Art movement left off. Comprising the work of nearly 100 contemporary artists, Art & Ecology Now runs from small-scale commentary to massive in situ pieces that change our relationship with place, such as David Maisel’s large-scale images of industry-scarred lakes. 

Published by Thames & Hudson, £29.95

From the book: ‘Ice Text’, by David Buckland, 2009. © David Buckland/Cape Farewell

‘Nimbus D’Aspremont’, by Berndnaut Smilde, 2012. Courtesy of the artist. Photography: Cassander Eeftinck Schattenkerk

‘Derrame’, by Alejandro Durán, 2010. Courtesy of the artist © Alejandro Durán

‘Sustenance’, by Lauren Berkowitz, 2010. Courtesy of the artist. Photography: Ian Hobbs

A Pelican Introduction

Pelicans were the ultimate self-improvement books; from 1937 to 1984 nearly 3,000 titles were publishing to introduce high concepts to mass audiences. Now the familiar hue and classically simple covers are back as the company bids to bring back the idea of big ideas in compact, affordable packages. The first set of titles delves into modern Russia, economic theory, ancient Greece and human evolution, amongst other things. At just £7.99 each (£4.99 for the Kindle - which rather negates the 'collect the set mentality' of the design), they're designed to evoke the ethos of the original series and bring back the spirit of enquiry.

Published by Pelican, £7.99

A spread from 'Economics: The User's Guide', by Ha-Joon Chang, part of the recently relaunched Pelican series

London’s New Routemaster
By Tony Lewin with a foreword by Thomas Heatherwick

One for the transport buffs, but also an interesting tale of the efforts cities need to go to in order to get what they want. Thomas Heatherwick's Routemaster is now a firm fixture on the capital's streetscape, but the bus' journey from drawing board to depot needed not just design skills but political savviness and the desire to follow the route to its conclusion. Beginning with a short history of London’s buses, the book traces Heatherwick’s competition-winning design (including a look at its rivals) through the tendering and refinement process. Eventually some 600 new Routemasters will ply the city’s streets, and are expected to stay in service for some two decades.

Published by Merrell, £25

From the book: A working CAD visualisation of London's new Thomas Heatherwick-designed Routemaster

Destined for service on route 24, which is run by Metroline, the first three full-production buses left the Ballymena plant for the docks and London in March 2013

Manhattan Classic: New York's Finest Prewar Apartments
By Geoffrey Lynch

Delve into the world of terrifying condo boards, uniformed doormen and sumptuously panelled country houses in the sky with Manhattan Classic, a journey through old money and classic style. The glassy, angular modern penthouse has largely usurped the traditional image of the rooftop apartment, but Geoffrey Lynch - an architect with a penchant for the period - has tracked down the best examples of New York's very particular breed of stately homes, with sumptuous photography and plans for the armchair snooper to peruse.

Published by Princeton Architectural Press, £30

From the book:  The Herber Lucas-designed 1 Lexington Avenue comprises 28 homes all featuring a front hall with a stair, a living room facing the park and a dining room to the rear. Photography: Michael Weinstein for Mwstudio

1020 Fifth Avenue, designed by Warren & Wetmore - the same architecture firm behind Grand Central Station - is a sumptous townhouse occupying an enviable plot opposite the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photography: Evan Joseph

The Dakota on 1 West 72nd Street, by Henry J Hardenbergh, is known for its eclectic mix of fortress-thick walls, steeply pitched roofs, and clusters of very triangular dormers. Photography: Evan Joseph

The San Remo on 145-146 Central Park West is one of New York's architectural trophies, conceived by Emery Roth during the Roaring Twenties' building boom. Photography: Evan Joseph

Behind the Green Door: A Critical Look at Sustainable Architecture Through 600 Objects
By Rotor

Published by the Oslo Architecture Triennale, Behind the Green Door is focused on the emergence of sustainable design. The catalogue of a 600 object-strong exhibition held during last year’s Triennale, curated by Belgian collective Rotor, it presents a cornucopia of ideas, thoughts, experiments and products that build up a positive set of strategies to improve the world. 

Published by Oslo Architecture Triennale, €28

From the book: Concept model and rendering by MOS of a suburban development in New Jersey, USA

Helios House Petrol Station, by Office dA and Johnston Marklee, Los Angeles, USA, 2007. Its sustainability features include green roofs, solar panels, energy-efficient lighting, and the reuse of the kiosk from the previous petrol station. Photography: Eric Staudenmaier

BIQ building, by Splitterwerk & Arup, in Hamburg, Germany, 2013. Mock-up of one of the 129 photobioreactors integrated into the façades of a four-storey residential building. Render: COLT