This book is the first, long-awaited monograph on the oeuvre created by this young practice over the last ten years, from their first efforts in Davos (Switzerland) to their recent projects for the City of Culture competition in Santiago de Compostela and for the extension to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas. Annette Gigon (1959) and Mark Guyer (1958) have been architects for the ETH in Zürich since 1984. Before linking up and mounting their own office in Zürich in 1980, A. Gigon was employed by Herzog & De Meuron (1985-1988), while M. Guyer worked in the office of Rem Koolhaas (1984-1987) and then as assistant to Hans Kollhoff in the ETHZ (1987-1988).

Building Books gives insight into the process of creating a book. In seven thematic fields the author lays out the premises of his activity as a designer and publisher: vision, context, process, protest, object, duration, effect. The reference to the process of building and the parallels to architecture is in keeping with Lars Müller’s conviction that a book design emerges from an understanding of its content. The author describes the principles of his activity, settles accounts, takes stock after twenty-five years of Lars Müller Publishers, looks into the future, and speculates about the book’s chances in competition with rapid digital media.

"With the increasing densification of the cities, high-rise accommodation is gaining in importance. Climatic, constructional and social challenges have often led to highly innovative solutions for the residential tower, as a recent architectural type that is still constantly evolving. This selection of 80 architecturally exemplary tower blocks on five continents makes it possible to compare various different approach es. Buildings ranging in time from the 1930s to the present are each portrayed with plans, photographs and short texts, along with biographical notes on the architects. The introduction and three essays discuss various aspects of the development and significance of the residential tower in the international context."--Publisher's description.

"Today exposed concrete is enjoying a renaissance as an important material in architecture. In addition to opening up new possibilities in construction it has led us to discover many different forms of surface structure. The quality of the exposed surface depends on numerous factors and is difficult to achieve in practice merely by following a set of rules for creating exposed concrete surfaces. For a discerning design it is not always a matter of simply providing a blemish-free surface. However, in every case, a high degree of precise skill and craftsmanship is demanded from those involved." "Leaving a concrete surface visible from the inside or outside meets the need to lay the structure and quality of a building open to the view of the observer or user, thus creating a directly comprehensible logicality of structure, form and surface." "Numerous examples of buildings by internationally active architects explain the complex design approaches and principles for the use of exposed concrete. The technical part of the book goes into the materials, methods and working processes, gives an insight into the innovative technologies employed and advice on maintenance and the avoidance of defects. In a comprehensive way the book describes the possibilities and requirements of surface texture with exposed concrete and moreover demonstrates the relationship between conceptional design and "thinking in concrete"."--BOOK JACKET.

During the 1980s and 1990s, German-Swiss architecture achieved worldwide recognition on account of its constructional and aesthetic coherence. Buildings produced by German-Swiss architects appeared to have ethical implications and convey a search for a sence of stability in response to the relativism of postmodernist thinking. Irina Davidovici discusses the cultural and theoretical conditions that gave rise to this architectural style as representing different facets of a single artistic and cultural phenomenon. She brings to light the conflicts implicit between shared, collective values and individual's need for self-expression, between the integrity of the artist and the interests of commercial forces (éditeur).