Non-Referential Architecture is a manifesto on a new kind of architecture. Non-Referential Architecture presents a new framework for architecture in a world that is increasingly free of ideologies. We have left behind the values of multicultural postmodernity! Non-Referential Architecture offers unlimited possibilities for the liberated mind.

Images of Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati's secluded residence in Portugal's rural Alentejo region, which centers around a walled garden and courtyard.

Valerio Olgiati is known as one of the most important exponents of Swiss contemporary architecture. In the present forth volume of the series edition archithese, Olgiati answers questions posed to him about the social responsibility of the architect, the

valerio Olgiati has worked as an architect in Los Angeles, Zurich, and, since 2008, in Flims. He has been a visiting professor at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in Zurich, the AA in London, and at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Since 2002 he has been professor at the Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio and since autumn 2009 he has held the Kenzo Tange Chair at Harvard. The unmistakable straight lines and independence of his buildings has brought him international attention. The Olgiati's family estate is located in the historical town center of Flims. Rudolf Olgiati (1910-95) purchased the property, known as Dado, in 1930 and throughout his life used it to realize his architectural thoughts and ideas. Today, the son is living in his father's house, and in 2008 he set up his much-admired architectural firm on the former site of the barn. This publication portrays the life and work of both architects using the example of the house and studio--that is, through the transformations they have undergone at the hands of their residents over a period of nearly eighty years. It shows personal furniture and objects, the individual layout and design of the spaces, and hence the penchants and attitudes of the two architects. At the same time this unusual portrait documents not only the relationship between father and son but also the characters of two generations and their understanding of architecture and aesthetics.

A lecture about four projects -- three completed buildings and one competition project. Also includes pictures from other projects.

A new, exquisitely produced, elegant volume featuring the entire built work of celebrated Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati. Valerio Olgiati's latest book is about the beauty of the very varied buildings he has realized to date. This exquisite small volume features them all in seventy-nine striking color photographs, each of them supplemented by a floor plan or section serving as a visual caption. The indoor and outdoor shots demonstrate Olgiati's intuition for spectacular structures and atmospheric interiors--from the museum for the UNESCO world cultural heritage site in Bahrain to the Céline flagship store in Miami, from the office building for Baloise Insurance's headquarters in Basel to the bedroom of the French fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquière, from the visitor center of the Swiss National Park to the studio house for the Swiss musician Linard Bardill in Scharans.