Whether it be Calatrava's elegant bridges in Seville or Barcelona, Peter Zumthor's beautiful thermal baths in Vals, Switzerland, Dominique Perrault's Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, or Tadao Ando's museum building on the island Naoshima, these are just a few structures which have been celebrated around the world, making their architects household names. In the 20th century, we have seen striking buildings scatter our town-scapes, awe-inspiring skyscrapers shape our skylines, and beautiful bridges span our rivers. Growing numbers of people are becoming aware of the architectural environment around them and are taking an interest in the issues which are at the heart of our built surroundings. The Birkhauser Architectural Guides provide a handy overview to the greatest - and latest - buildings in the 20th century. Each volume is devoted to one country or group of countries, and the contents are organised by provinces and towns. Full addresses and information on the architect, the building itself, in addition to a general overview of the architectural scene in the given country are presented. Available are guides to Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Benelux, France, Japan, and Spain at the special low price of $18.

Contemporary architecture in Switzerland is influenced by Peter Zumthor and Herzog & de Meuron, recipients of the Swiss Pritzker Prize, as well as a number of other prominent architects. The book presents 25 buildings in Switzerland designed by 16 influential Swiss architects: The range covers high-density urban developments through to rural sites in the alpine environment, with examples of traditional craftsmanship and materials, and modern construction technology and engineering. Large-format photographs illustrate the buildings’ proportions, materials, and details. Four authors analyze the Swiss building culture and its high architectural quality from an insider’s and an outsider’s point of view. In a detailed interview, Peter Zumthor explains his approach to architectural design.

For more information including the introduction, a full list of entries and contributors, a generous selection of sample pages and more, visit the Encyclope dia of 20th Century Architecture website. Focusing on architecture from all regions of the world, this three-volume set profiles the twentieth century's vast chronicle of architectural achievements, both within and well beyond the theoretical confines of modernism. Unlike existing works, this encyclopedia examines the complexities of rapidly changing global conditions that have dispersed modern architectural types, movements, styles, and building practices across traditional geographic and cultural boundaries.

In the 20th century, France has proved astonishingly fertile ground for modern architecture. The architectural ideas of Modernism and the avant garde are firmly rooted here and dominate the French architectural landscape unlike in any other country. Her architects are acclaimed throughout the world. Paris, a center for international architecture, rightly forms the focus of this guidebook with more than 100 notable buildings. However, this guidebook also does justice to the entire country with more than 450 buildings from all regions. The buildings are documented with photographs, drawings and texts, providing a comprehensive and portable guide.

Paradise Planned is the definitive history of the development of the garden suburb, a phenomenon that originated in England in the late eighteenth century, was quickly adopted in the United State and northern Europe, and gradually proliferated throughout the world. These bucolic settings offered an ideal lifestyle typically outside the city but accessible by streetcar, train, and automobile. Today, the principles of the garden city movement are once again in play, as retrofitting the suburbs has become a central issue in planning. Strategies are emerging that reflect the goals of garden suburbs in creating metropolitan communities that embrace both the intensity of the city and the tranquility of nature. Paradise Planned is the comprehensive, encyclopedic record of this movement, a vital contribution to architectural and planning history and an essential recourse for guiding the repair of the American townscape.