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Informal [Hardcover]

Cecil Balmond (Author), Christian Brensing (Editor)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 45.88
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Review

"A collection of manifesto, theory, templates, diary, and case studies on some of the most innovative architecture in recent times.” -- Dialogue, March 2003

A beautifully constructed book. You'll never think of buildings in the same way again. -- Time Out London, December 2002

Balmond has, almost single-handedly, shifted the ground in engineering, and therefore enabled architecture to be imagined differently. -- Rem Koolhaas

Cecil Balmond has a simple plan to reinvent architecture: Break down the cage that separates structural engineering from design. -- Jennifer Kabat, Wired, April 2001

Informal has a typographic elegance that makes it look like no previous engineering book... it could be the next Brief History of Time - but with pictures. -- Deyan Sudjic, The Observer, October 27, 2002

Informal is a vivid and intriguing new book. -- RIBA, November 2002

“A Koolhaas-slick monograph… with his own manifesto-style meditations on everything from fractal geometry to Victorian tiles.” -- New York Times, January 2003

“A rich diary of his search for non-Cartesian form and structure… at once absorbing and frustrating.” -- Architecture, December 2002

“Balmond’s lyrical prose enables the reader to visualize his flexible engineering process.” -- Metropolis, March 2003

“Informal’s free-form design is as innovative as the architecture Balmond’s company helps make real.” -- Rocky Mountains News, December 2002

Book Description

The innovative structural designs of Cecil Balmond underpin architectural forms and give them their own integrity. Balmond's collaborative work with architects such as Daniel Libeskind, Rem Koolhaas and James Stirling demonstrates the process of fusion between architecture and his engineering. His structural thinking differs from that of other engineers in his field in its completely new conception of the engineer's contribution to architecture. The plasticity of architectural plans is enhanced through a decisive development of its structural design. The border line between structure and architecture thus becomes increasingly blurred. In this book, the process is explained by reference to eight projects through which the author makes the theoretical basis of his engineering solutions understandable for the reader.
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A behind the scenes of great architecture, Nov 24 2003
By 
"gotan007" (Montreal, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Informal (Hardcover)
It was quite interesting to get a look at the somewhat unusual engineering process of Cecil Balmond.

And to discover his inputs behind some famous building, from Koolhas, Libeskind to Siza.

The book is quite easy to read and don`t think you are going to get a structural crash course from Balmond (I must admit, I was bit disapointed of not finding that) but you do get the kind of passionate and heartily discussions you would get if you had the chance of drinking down a few drinks with Balmond and ending up with his famous sketches he drew on the bar's napkins.

Expect a book with graphics and layout of Koolhas' SMLXL / Big fonts, dual-tone pictures.

GOod read, good essay, not for someone looking for glossy pictures

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A dialogue, April 6 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Informal (Hardcover)
Informal is a terrific read; it places me right at the table as the author engages with his architect collaborators pursuing innovative building designs. The range is fascinating, from a box shape in the Villa Bordeaux to a curvilinear form in the Arnhem Interchange to the serene and effortless canopy in Lisbon. In each project the author establishes simple initial moves which lead ultimately to new configurations and importantly develops throughout the book a rigorous basis for exploring the non linear. This is welcome in an age when so much architectural form making is whimsical. As an architect I was fascinated how this book also brings out the lyrical and poetic inherent in structure. Best of all perhaps is the 27 sectioned speculation at the end on the anatomy of form, and an insight into the structure of organisation itself. In conjunction with his intriguing earlier book Number 9 Balmond sets out a new agenda for designers everywhere, including architects and engineers.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Balmond Student, May 12 2003
By 
April Clark (New Haven, Ct United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Informal (Hardcover)
Cecil Balmond is passionate and inspirational. When working with him, you know there is something amazing happening. I had the pleasure of having him as a studio instructor at Yale University, School of Architecture. Cecil believes in the possibilities of architecture and engineering working together in ways that enhance and grace both fields. This book brings his insight and passions together. I highly recommend it to engineers and architects alike.
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