June 5, 2006
Contact:
Cindy Muckey, School of Architecure and Urban Design, (785) 864-3709.
High-Design and Design-Build: The Work of Two of Our Faculty Draws World-wide Attention in Two New Books
A pair of high-profile architects known for their unique contributions to design share the spotlight as two new books detailing their work appeared in print at the end of 2005.
Rockhill’s Design-Build Architecture Published
The innovative design-build work of Professor
Dan Rockhill has been published in over 120 sources, shown on a number of HGTV programs, presented by Rockhill himself in dozens of invited lectures, and has served as the focus for several popular web sites. A new book on the practice of Rockhill and Associates brings together a representative collection of Rockhill’s work and presents a detailed look at his firm’s wide-ranging projects from 1988 through 2005.
Designing & Building: Rockhill and Associates features 17 projects that include more recent and recognized works such as Tombo House and Kansas Longhouse as well as painstakingly detailed restorations of several regional landmarks such as Constitution Hall and Cottonwood Ranch in Kansas. The last seven projects of Rockhill’s Studio 804 are also included with text, plans, and photographs that provide a full and unique characterization of each work.
The carefully organized presentation of Rockhill’s work is preceded by
Grant Wanzel’s “Foreword” and
Brian Carter’s essay, “Almost Hidden from View,” which addresses the regional and vernacular significance of the projects and their interplay with the landscape of the prairie.
Juhani Pallasma’s critical commentary, “An Architecture of Resistance,” underscores the social significance of Rockhill’s body of work by explaining how the emphasis on craft, materiality, tectonic reality and setting represents a complete departure from recent architectural trends rooted in materialism, obsessive consumption, and narcissism. The three essays in combination offer a thoughtful context for examining each of the projects.
For those who are interested in looking more closely at Rockhill’s design-build projects, there are detailed appendices that list his firm’s works (including those not covered in the book), awards that the projects have received, and full citations for publications that feature specific buildings.
The richly illustrated volume was edited by Brian Carter and published in Canada by Tuns Press (Dalhousie University). Additional details on the book and where it may be purchased can be found at the publisher’s web site http://www.tunspress.dal.ca
Pran Work Showcased in New Book
The architectural design work of Professor
Peter Pran was published by DUT Press in 2005 in the monograph
Peter Pran. With text in both English and Mandarin, the large hardbound volume (260 pp.) traces Pran’s designs over the last few decades and signals the growing importance of his work in East Asia. This extraordinarily handsome display of Pran’s work includes an astounding variety of projects varying from his recent award-winning Telenor World Headquarters and The Sail@Marina Bay to the Deloitte & Touche Headquarters and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.
The overwhelming display of high-quality images is complemented by a series of critical commentaries from
Thom Mayne, Daniel Libeskind and
Odile Decq. Pran’s devotees will savor the rich
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