Bruce Mau

This book is a survey of Koolhaas' architecture on various scales (hence the title). Each subsection takes you through the drafts and designs for one project. Interestingly, not all of the projects included were actually built, so you get to the end of the section and either flip the page to see a photograph of the finished building or you read about how they didn't get the bid or the project later stalled. A fun look at the work of a celebrated architect.

What the world could be if designers ruled. Not really, but that's how it's written. Some grand ideas with good intentions. Never trust futurists and never trust designers who act like futurists.

The book takes off from Toynbee’s words about "the welfare of the whole human race as a practical objective" and examines a broad range of fields, including urbanism, transportation, energy, materials, manufacturing, wealth and politics to see what steps are taken toward the "practical objective." It mainly consists of inspirational examples, conveyed in images, text and interviews with activists, thinkers, designers and scientists providing important contributions. In the words of the show more back cover, it is not a book about the world of design but rather about the design of the world. Compared with Thackara (2005; below), the aim is similar even though the style is very different. Another difference lies in the emphasis on information technology, which is much less pronounced in this book. Hence, the relevance for interaction design consists mainly in providing a broad introduction to a perspective of sustainability that is important also for interaction designers insofar as we share the responsibility for the man-made world. show less

Insight into worldwide celebrations and rituals...