Informal

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Cecil Balmond is one of the most important creative structural engineers working today. His structural designs underpin architectural forms and give them their own formal 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. Informal constitutes the first comprehensive account of Balmond’s innovative approach to engineering.

Balmond’s 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 borderline between structure and architecture thus becomes increasingly blurred. This process is explained in detail in Informal by reference to 8 exemplary projects. The author makes the theoretical basis of his engineering solutions understandable for the reader and his sketches are more than just purely technical illustrations—they are the key to his approach. After reading Informal architects will have to rethink their understanding of many well-known buildings. From the contents: Villa Floriac, Bordeaux; Kunsthal, Rotterdam: Rem Koolhaas/OMA; Chemnitz Stadium 2002, Chemnitz: Kulka/König, Cologne; Extension to The Victoria and Albert Museum, London: Daniel Libeskind, Berlin.