"Washington, D.C. lives in our minds as museums and monuments, capitals and columns, but beyond the timeless monuments of white stone history thrives a city that has moved into the modern and postmodern age. In text and photos, this guide goes beyond the grand avenues to explore remarkable works of contemporary architecture that reinterpret historical styles and reconcile with Washington’s monumental plan. Contemporary Architecture in Washington, D.C. features more than 20 detailed maps and includes photographs of almost 300 buildings, from the waterfront in Georgetown to the town houses of Capitol Hill, from the luxurious residences of Bethesda to the towering office buildings of Crystal City. As a national capital, Washington is a showplace for the best and the latest works by internationally recognized modern masters and talented local firms as well. Beyond buildings, Contemporary Architecture in Washington, D.C. explores new communities and developments in the Washington suburbs and in essays examines the particular forces of style, politics, economics, and history that have come together to form the American capital. Washington is a city of metaphor. From its very streets, the city speaks of democracy and nationhood. The impact of these metaphors comes from a repeated architectural language that is constantly being rewritten to reflect history and our interpretation of it."--back cover

Washington, D.C. lives in our minds as museums and monuments, capitals and columns, but beyond the timeless monuments of white stone history thrives a city that has moved into the modern and postmodern age. In text and photos, this guide goes beyond the grand avenues to explore remarkable works of contemporary architecture that reinterpret historical styles and reconcile with Washington’s monumental plan. Contemporary Architecture in Washington, D.C. features more than 20 detailed maps and includes photographs of almost 300 buildings, from the waterfront in Georgetown to the town houses of Capitol Hill, from the luxurious residences of Bethesda to the towering office buildings of Crystal City. As a national capital, Washington is a showplace for the best and the latest works by internationally recognized modern masters and talented local firms as well. Beyond buildings, Contemporary Architecture in Washington, D.C. explores new communities and developments in the Washington suburbs and in essays examines the particular forces of style, politics, economics, and history that have come together to form the American capital. Washington is a city of metaphor. From its very streets, the city speaks of democracy and nationhood. The impact of these metaphors comes from a repeated architectural language that is constantly being rewritten to reflect history and our interpretation of it.

The new edition of this popular guide is a companion for tourists and residents alike--for anyone interested in contemporary Washington and its most important architectural landmarks. The book offers concise descriptions and photos of some of the city's most notable structures, including nearly 100 built since the mid-1970s. 400 photos. 17 maps.

In Making Dystopia, distinguished architectural historian James Stevens Curl tells the story of the advent of architectural Modernism in the aftermath of the First World War, its protagonists, and its astonishing, almost global acceptance after 1945. He argues forcefully that the triumph of architectural Modernism in the second half of the twentieth century led to massive destruction, the creation of alien urban landscapes, and a huge waste of resources. Moreover, the coming of Modernism was not an inevitable, seamless evolution, as many have insisted, but a massive, unparalled disruption that demanded a clean slate and the elimination of all ornament, decoration, and choice. Tracing the effects of the Modernist revolution in architecture to the present, Stevens Curl argues that, with each passing year, so-called 'iconic' architecture by supposed 'star' architects has become more and more bizarre, unsettling, and expensive, ignoring established contexts and proving to be stratospherically remote from the aspirations and needs of humanity. In the elite world of contemporary architecture, form increasingly follows finance, and in a society in which the 'haves' have more and more, and the 'have-nots' are ever more marginalized, he warns that contemporary architecture continues to stack up huge potential problems for the future, as housing costs spiral out of control, resources are squandered on architectural bling, and society fractures. This courageous, passionate, deeply researched, and profoundly argued book should be read by everyone concerned with what is around us. Its combative critique of the entire Modernist architectural project and its apologists will be highly controversial to many. But it contains salutary warnings that we ignore at our peril. And it asks awkward questions to which answers are long overdue.

The essential walking companion to more than two hundred cutting-edge buildings constructed since the new millennium. The first decade of the 21st century has been a time of lively architectural production in New York City. A veritable building boom gripped the city, giving rise to a host of new—and architecturally cutting-edge—residential, corporate, institutional, academic, and commercial structures. With the boom now waning, this guidebook is perfectly timed to take stock of the city’s new skyline and map them all out, literally. This essential walking companion and guide features 200 of the most notable buildings and spaces constructed in New York’s five boroughs since the new millennium—The High Line, by James Corner Field Operations/Diller Scofidio + Renfro; 100 Eleventh Avenue, by Ateliers Jean Nouvel; Brooklyn Children’s Museum, by Rafael Vinoly Architects; 41 Cooper Square, by Morphosis; Poe Park Visitors Center, by Toshiko Mori Architect; and One Bryant Park, by Cook + Fox, to name just a few. Projects are grouped by neighborhood, allowing for easy, self-guided tours, with photos, maps, directions, and descriptions that highlight the most important aspects of each entry.

An illustrated reference guide to the history of modern architecture in Montgomery County, Maryland, from 1930 to 1979, with an inventory of key buildings and communities, and biographical sketches of practitioners including architects, landscape architects, planners and developers.

This elegant volume, a guide to the Library of Congress's massive collection of architectural drawings, offers a celebration of the ambitious project of designing the nation's capital. Each of its "capital drawings" reflects some aspect of the lives, history, and values of the building's creators and sponsors. 55 color illustrations. 123 halftones.