Concrete, Mini Format

Phaidon Press are known for elegant and distinctive art and architecture books but this one is good even by its own high standards. The book has a simple premise - rather than acres of text, it assembles a single gorgeous image of each of 150 or so buildings and constructions - given at least a page or many even big double page spreads - each with a clear, concise caption. (In fact the only extensive text occurs in the author's introduction and the accompanying essay by Wabi-Sabi author Leonard Koren, both of which exhort the reader to rethink concrete as a material of beauty rather than stark utility.)The sense of luxury as you turn the pages is palpable - the paper is beautiful, the images are beautiful. Even the cover is beautiful, with an amazing printed-in effect of the wooden mould-made lines in in-situ-cast concrete. And the juxtapositions made by the book's designer are in many cases completely stunning: Westminster Jubilee line station opposite an amazing Japanese print centre that looks almost like an oil rig high above the city; Canary Wharf Jubilee line station opposite Auguste Perret's intense, meditatory concrete church. The real joy of the book is discovering many unusual buildings. Of course the usual suspects are here too - South Bank, Fallingwater, the Pantheon, Trellick Tower, Guggenheim, Villa Savoye, Sydney Opera House. (Though I'm not totally sure that whole building is concrete.) But the most fun are the ones I've never heard of before - Rem Koolhass's "Casa da Musica", Louis Kahn's Bangladesh Parliament, Max Berg's Breslau Centennial Hall: all stunning unforgettable constructions now that I know them.Cooling towers, train stations, fire stations, flak towers, dams, housing estates, oh yes, of course. But also sculptures, Biennale pavilions, chapels, libraries, swimming pools, and luxury clifftop villas: concrete ennobles them all, and this is the book to prove it. Grand spaces are spanned, beautiful organic shapes echoed, and imaginative leaps are made. (It's intriguing how often concrete has been chosen as a material for spiritual or contemplative buildings, with stunning creations here by Le Corbusier, BNKR, Fonseca, Schultes and Frank, Kurokawa, Trahan Architects, Bohm and others.) The best thing about this book is the way it sends you off to explore new avenues of thought: truly inspirational.

This book consists of pictures of concrete structures and those chosen are beautiful and inspiring, although I'll admit that concrete is an acquired taste. I can also recommend 'Brick' in the same series and the same comments apply to that; 'Brick' is possibly more accessible for many because of its familiarity. Presumably 'Wood' will follow in due course with perhaps 'Plastic Cladding' after that. The point is that building materials can be beautiful and inspiring in themselves and this series brings that home.

This book shows some of the exceptional and amazing constructions using concrete. Any lovers of modern architecture will really enjoy looking and re-looking at this excellent collection of buildings and structures. Great photo's and top info too.

I read a review about this book months ago and thought it would make a good present for my husband - It was difficult to find in Waterstones so I searched on Amazon and found it easily. It's really beautiful and interesting - the perfect book for lovers of concrete - like the French!

Sadly although this book is titled 'Concrete', it's actually made of paper! low blow Amazon.Good book, full of concrete buildings. Great for your coffee table when you want to look all clever and trendy.

Very good book so many beautiful structures in concrete all around the world.Great book to have as a refererence

Great book with stunning photographs. A must for all architecture students and people with a love of architecture.

Great book and inspirational