Monday, November 08, 2010

H.O.U.S.E. by Aleksandra Machowiak and Daniel Mizieliński

Gecko Press
Hardcover - $39.99

A funky and fascinating book about contemporary architecture for children, and for adults too, I loved it and I realise now that it is the sort of book that I used to be given by my Beattie grandparents. Non-fiction of the very best kind, ages 6 to infinity! And it should be owned by every architect.......

Have you ever seen a house without walls? Is it possible to pack a house into a suitcase? Can a house behave like a turtle? What kind of house can homeless people have? Would you prefer to live in a moon, in a nut ... or inside a sewage pipe?

Architecture is amazing! HOUSE demonstrates that the space we live in doesn’t have to be a dull cube. While it should meet the needs of its inhabitants and surroundings, it can also be distinctive, and sometimes utterly surprising.
Witty, richly coloured drawings and concise, accessible descriptions of 35 extraordinary houses designed by the most prominent architects of the world.
Originally from Poland, this hugely appealing book has been translated into German and Italian. Gecko Press won the English rights at the 2010 Bologna Book Fair.

Awards
• WINNER of IBBY Polish Book of the Year
• WINNER of the ‘Child-Friendly World’ grand prize at the Committee of Protection of the Rights of the Child winner book awards
• IBBY Honour List 2010
• DAM Architectural Book Award 2010 (children)

About the authors/illustrators:
Aleksandra Machowiak and Daniel Mizieliński graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland in 2008. They have their own graphic design business called Hipopotam Studio. HOUSE is their first book.

From Julia Marshall of Gecko Books:‘The text manages to be both “child” and “adult”; it’s aimed at children but is just as interesting for adults because it’s a mixture of facts and quirk. It’s amazing these houses exist. Everyone I’ve shown it to wants one, from 12 year old boys to adults. Who could not choose this book?’

1 comment:

Mum of 2 said...

i just bought this book for my 9 yr old son, as he has started an interest in architecture, will be a xmas present...also recommend "Architecture according to Pigeons" (Phaidon)