Dominique Perrault's architecture and urban designs are strictly modern, yet his simple and efficient shapes contain a classical and timeless element. He constantly manages to satisfy the need to be reasonable without sacrificing the aesthetic awareness

"This volume provides a critical look at that which has been a watershed in Dominique Perrault's creative development, namely the realization of the Velodrome and Olympic Swimming Pool in Berlin: a fundamental sign of an architectural research in pursuit of redesigning the landscape. It examines his recent works which have been characterized by a continuous attention to research on architectural language and the relationship between public and private space in an attempt to trace a "third way" - moving towards an integration with the environment in which the geographic matrix and experimentation take precedence over historical aspects. The volume features two very recent projects under way started in 2004 and 2003 respectively, the Ewha Women's Campus in Seoul, Korea and the new Mariinsky Opera House in Saint Petersburg." "These works and other such as the Bibliotheque nationale de France in Paris, the extension of the European Community's Court of Justice in Luxembourg and the Media Library of Venissieux have served to confirm Dominique Perrault's position among the most significant protagonists of contemporary architecture." --Book Jacket.

In this book, the architect Dominique Perrault presents his thoughts on the architecture of the "Groundscape". An idea, a concept, the architect has been exploring and experimenting with for many years in his projects and through his fictions. "It is a work on shaping reality, through subterranean architecture, where is not a question of living but of marking and carving out places for urban life in the earth, this epidermis open to the sky".

Extensive research over a number of years pointed to the need for a comprehensive easy to follow guide to architectural details. Details in Architecture, Volume Two, depicts drawings and concept sketches alongside succinct summaries, and a photograph of

Now in its fifth year, the International Architectural Yearbook has gained recognition throughout the world as a valuable resource: a review of a selection of the finest architectural projects worldwide. A highly stringent selection process has been implemented to include the most deserving projects built over the past year.