Perfect Acts of Architecture

Rating:
Summary: No Substance
Review: Notwithstanding that these projects (thankfully) were never built, they shatre the commonality of lacking any substance. The drawings are obtuse and match the pretentious texts that typify what passes for academic writing today. In the main, however, they have nothing worthwhile to say. This book might best be described as a collection of self-important musings by architects who have made questionable contributions to the cities we live in.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Acts of Indulgence
Review: The author notes that these works were produced in an economic slump when many architects were forced to turn to drawings and teaching to suplement their incomes. In a way, that period was the beginning of the end of architecture too. In place of real design, intelligent solutions, an interest in housing and other real-world problems, the architecture of academia took root. For some, this took precedence over real building and design. What we have here is a series of absurd propositions that Kipnis (perhaps he too was in an economic slump and needed to write a book), finds more fascinating than they really are. This was the period when it became popular (amongst a self-styled academic elite), to produce incomprehensible drawings as a way of distinguishing oneself from the pack. Great claims were made about the newness of this architecture and like much of what went before, we are suffering bthe urban degredation that Eisenman, Tschumi, Libeskind et al have reaped on cities across the globe. - Flack lackey Kipnis does little more than ingratiate himself into the circle. Like his subjects, however, he has little to offer sensible architectural commentary. Avoid.

Rating:
Summary: Great drawings but limited explanations
Review: The book shows exceptional stratigical drawing from a selection of famous achitects. Although some explanations about the projects is short, this book is great for architectural students because it simply provokes thought.