Summary

In this exciting, large-format volume, hundreds of photographs and illustrations document a major shift from the building as structure to the building as image. This exploration of the use and significance of two-dimensional images in contemporary architecture looks at the works of major designers such as Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Rem Koolhaas, MVRDV, and Sauerbruch & Hutton. It shows how certain architectural principles such as color and ornament which nearly disappeared in modern twentieth century architecture are making a strong comeback. Drawing connections to the rise of globalization and current media trends, this examination uses an abundance of thematically arranged photographs to illustrate what is unmistakably a major contemporary development in architecture.