Gifts for Architects

Grids & Guides (Blue): Tracebook

£15.99

Quantity

A tracing paper book for visual thinkers Each Tracebook set includes two books filled with tracing paper. The covers feature two distinct grids, classic on one side and isometric on the other Cover flaps fold inside the book, providing handy structure for your sketches, designs, or lists Remove the flaps, and your design remains, while the grid disappears Tracing sheets are perforated for easy tear out

Grids & Guides: 3 Notebooks for Visual Thinkers

£10.99

Quantity

Sketch, catalogue, plot, thumbnail, dream, and develop with these three distinctive, colourful tablets Each pad features handy scientific resources - from precise measurements to Pythagoras's constant to the golden ratio - to spark creative thinking or aid in the design process Whether used for list making, letter writing, imaginative doodling, or visualising designs, this collection of portable graph-paper pads is an essential tool for right-brainers'and left-brainers alike Notepad colours: green, blue and red

Octavo Redux 1:1 
A record of Octavo, journal of typography 1986–1992

£75.00

Quantity

The eight issues of Octavo, journal of typography, published in the 1980s and 90s, have acquired cult status. Copies sell for exorbitant prices and only rarely become available. If you want to find back issues, be prepared to pay big money. But it’s now possible to ‘own’ all eight issues and to enjoy them at actual size in a brand-new Kickstarter-funded 384pp book – Octavo Redux The book has been designed and edited by two of Octavo’s original designers and editors – Hamish Muir and Mark Holt. And, as with the journals themselves, the book uses high-end production techniques to faithfully reproduce the original publications The book also documents covers and spreads from the full-scale working prototypes made by 8vo during the design process for each issue of Octavo. Subscription cards and subscription card mock-ups are shown at full-scale. The notorious eighth issue of Octavo (the ‘interactive’ CD-ROM) is also documented, including its packaging, as well as the content itself through a selection of actual-size screenshots (640×480 pixels) The pre-desktop computer production processes employed in the early issues of Octavo, are documented by showing selected type specifications and proof mark-ups for in-position page-make-up typesetting systems. These often resulted in long ‘discussions’ with the typesetters, conducted via bike messengers, red pen, highlight markers and Tipp-Ex. Through extensive captions and annotations, the book shines a light on this now lost practice of visual engineering – where maths mattered Spreads of the printed issues are created from high resolution RGB photography – one image capture per page – made from the original untrimmed press sheets. This allows perfectly flat, squared-up montages of left and right pages to be brought together as spreads in the lay-flat binding used in the production of Octavo Redux. In the spirit of Octavo, there are many production surprises in store for the reader of Octavo Redux. In addition to the wide gamut repro, which better represents the true colours of the original issues than everyday CMYK, two special inks are used in the book – metallic gold, and in the uncoated sections of the book, a soft neon yellow Other material considerations include foil blocking on reflective mirror paper, for the hard cover and end papers, and the books come wrapped in a translucent self-coloured trace jacket, in keeping with the original issues of Octavo As Caroline Roberts, in her book Graphic Design Visionaries, has noted: ‘Named after an abbreviation of the book-production term ‘octavo’, 8vo saw themselves as outsiders; they were intense, outspoken and did not identify or engage with the design community. They were pragmatists, obsessed with detail, believing that expression should be a result of the design process, not the motivation for it.’  Although 8vo disbanded in July 2001, Muir and Holt have reunited to design and edit Octavo Redux. They have applied all the ingenuity and close attention to detail that went into the journal to the design and production of this book

TD 63–73 (Expanded Edition)

£75.00

Quantity

TD 63–73: Total Design and its pioneering role in graphic design [Unit 03] was first published in 2011, selling out almost immediately. This tome is the new and expanded edition Written by Ben Bos, a key member of the TD studio, the book describes how a band of idealistic Dutch designers came together to form one of the first multidisciplinary design groups – one that helped shape the future of design in Europe and beyond Total Design began in Amsterdam in 1963. Ben Bos joined the founders (Wim Crouwel, Benno Wissing, Friso Kramer and the Schwarz Brothers) from the outset. Together and individually, they set new benchmarks for typography, identity design, cultural design, exhibition design and product design The expanded edition of TD 63–73 is a unique insider’s account of Total Design’s golden period. It contains hundreds of images from the TD archive, and in Ben Bos’s text the reader is given a personal history of a design group that remains as important today as it did when it launched in 1963

The Language of Cities

£9.99

Quantity

We live in a world that is now predominantly urban. So how do we define the city as it evolves in the twenty-first century? Drawing examples from across the globe, Deyan Sudjic decodes the underlying forces that shape our cities, such as resources and land, to the ideas that shape conscious elements of design, whether of buildings or of space Erudite and entertaining, he considers the differences between capital cities and the rest to understand why it is that we often feel more comfortable in our identities as Londoners, Muscovites, or Mumbaikars than in our national identities Written by Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum

Archigram - The Book

£95.00

Quantity

Archigram comprised Warren Chalk (1927-88), Peter Cook (1936-), Dennis Crompton (1935-), David Greene (1937-), Ron Herron (1930-94), and Michael Webb (1937-). Together, in the 1960s and early 1970s, they envisioned the future of architecture in ways that enthralled a generation In an era defined by the space race, they developed a 'high-tech', lightweight, infra-structural approach that stretched far beyond known technologies or contemporary realities. They devised autonomous dwellings and focused on survival technology; they experimented with megastructures and modular construction systems; they explored mobility through the environment, and the use of portable living capsules: all through the medium of an incredible series of drawings and models Archigram's influence has been profound and enduring. They gave the High-tech movement its impetus; they inspired architects such as Renzo Piano and Norman Foster; and they laid the ground for the design of buildings such as the Pompidou Centre. This book catalogues Archigram's activities over fourteen years, together with commentaries by the architects and critics writing then and now. Edited and designed by Archigram member Dennis Crompton, it has been 40 years in the making

MoMA Modern Play House

£13.99

Quantity

Create a delightfully modern house with this innovative set of modular nesting boxes Aspiring architects and designers of all ages can create modern spaces, arrange furniture and accessories, and pack it all up to go with this distinctive house Includes: 6 nesting boxes, 8 mix-and-match furniture pieces, 12 removable vinyl clings, and endless possibilities Not for children under 3 years

Who Built That? Modern Houses

£10.99

Quantity

In Who Built That? Modern Houses Didier introduces each architect, the main concepts of their work, as well as their most important projects in charming drawings and accessible text, Architects Design for Living is a fun primer for anyone interested in learning more about modern architecture. Didier's step-by-step drawings of houses ranging from Gerrit Rietveld's Schroeder House (1924) and Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye (1931) to Shigeru Ban's Cardboard House (1995) and Rem Koolhaas's Bordeaux House (1998), provide original insight into the development of the architectural concepts behind each building Accessible to both children and adults, charming drawings are combined with informative text providing a fun primer to modern architecture

Architecture on the Carpet: the Curious Tale of Construction Toys and the Genesis of Modern Buildings

£19.95

Quantity

This entertaining book offers a novel view of architecture through the prism of construction toys. Ranging over the last century to the present, Brenda and Robert Vale draw parallels between the model-building sets of the modern period and architectural movements, social history, and national identities and myths. Some children’s construction toys such as Lincoln Logs and Tudor Minibrix have looked to the past. Others have looked to the future: as early as the 1920s, the American metal toy Bilt-E-Z could be used to construct a stepped-back skyscraper like the Empire State Building The Vales investigate not only how models sets have reflected different building styles but also whether the toys themselves influenced the careers of the children who grew up playing with them. They explore connections between model-railway buildings and modernism; model sets such as Castos and reinforced concrete housing; and even between the creative but slightly surreal Playplax and postmodern deconstructivist architecture

The Living, Breathing, Thinking, Responsive Buildings of the Future

£18.95

Quantity

The fact that objects can now sense, think, act and communicate with the help of technology is opening up the potential for an architecture aligned with the dynamics of living systems – a sentient architecture The Living, Breathing, Thinking, Responsive Buildings of the Futuredocuments the role of architecture in shaping this new reality in research launched and guided by the authors at The University of Toronto, MIT and the University of Hong Kong The research proposes that every building, city and landscape component can be – and will be – equipped with communication and computing capacities. The aim is to develop from collaborative experiments a digitally enhanced architecture that is well-equipped to handle challenges in building a healthy and sustainable environment The projects establish a platform involving artists, designers, scientists and engineers spanning different institutions and continents in a technological approach to spatial problems that is attuned to the dynamics of living systems

The LEGO Architecture Ideas Book

£20.99

Quantity

The LEGO Architecture Idea Book will provide endless inspiration for aspiring builders who want to turn their ordinary models into something extraordinary In this example-packed guide, Alice Finch (renowned for her massive, detailed models of buildings from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings) shares her best building secrets for crafting realistic walls, roofs, columns, and decorations using LEGO

Arts & Architecture 1945-49

£45.00

Quantity

Ambitious and engaged, Arts & Architecture magazine celebrated change and innovation across politics, society and especially culture. This selection from the magazine's first five years features the complete covers.  It focuses on the groundbreaking Case Study House Program, one of the most unique and influential events in the history of American architecture.

Plumen 001 LED bulb

£49.00

Quantity

The world's first designer low energy bulb, the iconic original Plumen 001, reincarnated in 2018 as a high performing LED with a lifetime of 20,000 hours and available in warm white (2700k) Fully dimmable Designed by Plumen and Samuel Wilkinson Combine with the pendant set for a saving

The Future Starts Here

£25.00

Quantity

Design will play an ever increasing role on every aspect of our future. From our DNA to the cosmos, from our planet to our desks, our futures will be mapped by the objects we use and the people who build them. This book explores the forking paths of future development, taking in corporate products backed by millions in venture capital to alternative bottom-up strategies dreamed up by individuals working in small groups The Future Starts Here examines the cutting edge of technology and how it shapes our everyday lives. Looking at real objects being developed today – including a UAV by Facebook designed to beam the internet down from space, to a robot developed by UC Berkeley which will do the laundry – expert authors show how design and technology impact every level of life, from sub-microscopic aspects of the human body to the entire planet. Published to accompany a major exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, it asks how we can use technology to shape the future of our world. The staggering developments featured here are all happening now, it is up to us to ensure they create a future for us all

Eco-Visionaries: Art, Architecture, and New Media After the Anthropocene

£40.00

Quantity

Eco-Visionaries presents contemporary positions in art and architecture seeking answers to current environmental problems that transcend mainstream notions of sustainability This comprehensive volume is a companion to the collaborative 2018 exhibition endeavoured by four participating European museums. Each show maintains a different focus and curatorial approach, and for each, artists investigate alternative visions regarding humankind’s place on earth through video and sound works, paintings, and installations While the series of exhibitions presents the works of artists and architects who offer critical reflections on pressing contemporary issues, the book unites research, essays, as well as a survey of the artworks. Besides the historical antecedents of current ecological thinking in the fields of art and design, this catalogue also promotes current approaches that represent alternative visions for future uses of energy, resources, and the environment

Building Better: Sustainable Architecture for Family Homes

£45.00

Quantity

Sustainability and energy efficiency play a critical role for anyone building or renovating a house. Thankfully, architects from around the world are now developing single-family homes that combine ecological responsibility with contemporary and imaginative design Building Better is an engaging visual showcase of outstanding environmentally friendly houses. It not only offers an insightful exploration of the latest developments in sustainable design, but it also takes an in-depth look at the high performance building materials and technical data involved in each featured project In the book, architects and homeowners work together to find unique and aesthetically compelling ways to build more sustainably. Melding client desires with real world pragmatism, these efficient homes present a diverse spectrum of solutions that include everything from state of the art climate control systems to ancient, passive, and renewable building techniques