Architecture and beauty : conversations with architects about a troubled relationship /

With a seductive black cover and vivid images within, this book by architect Reisner is an informative critical work disguised as a glossy coffee-table book. The collection of interviews interweaves the ancient architectural struggle between form and function, art and life, beauty and truth. The book does not reach a consensus, nor does it generate a consistent definition of beauty. Instead it offers a visual and conversational symposium regarding the aesthetics of architecture. Each personal perspective exposes the shared disciplinary struggle to shape significance, whether via materials, function, process, or symbolism. The 16 interviewees are Frank Gehry, Zvi Hecker, Peter Cook, Juhani Pallasmaa, Lebbeus Woods, Gaetano Pesce, Wolf D. Prix, Thom Mayne, Eric Owen Moss, Will Alsop, Zaha Hadid, Odile Decq, Mark Goulthorpe, Greg Lynn, Kolatan/MacDonald Studio, and Hernan Diaz Alonso. Equally elegant and informative, this book will be extremely useful for a wide range of readers interested in architecture, design, and art. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers. L. Banu Purdue University