The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture

It's interesting to write a few words about a book that came out more than a dozen years ago, a book that was such a big deal when it came out but whose purpose – to present more contemporary architecture than anywhere else – was soon after usurped by websites that can show more photos and more drawings of even more buildings, and continually, to boot. One need not open this hefty atlas/guide to 1,052 buildings in 75 countries to know that most of the content is found in Europe: each page is color coded to the continent, and the green European pages take up more than half of the book's thickness. This is hardly surprising, if disappointing, especially for something that labels itself "a comprehensive portrayal of the best show more contemporary architecture from around the globe." I'll admit the editors did a good job in terms of quality; they were just more "comprehensive" on the European continent than anywhere else.

Some notes on the largeness of this book, whose pages are 16x21". Yes, it comes with a plastic case, though once it's found a home I doubt anybody would want to move it around. It should have come with a stand as well, both to make it more usable (it's a pain to get off the shelf) and to maintain its binding over time. Sensing that an atlas isn't needed for everybody, Phaidon released a travel edition one year later, but it lacks the numerous photos and drawings that made this pre-Arch Daily book so necessary for architects. show less

As much as I like the numerous Phaidon atlases, they're just too damn big and heavy to be practical. My three atlases (Contemporary, 21st Century, and 20th Century) are stowed away on the one shelf at home that is big and strong enough for them, though they'd be better served at the office, where unfortunately I don't have the space. So when it comes time to browse the atlases, it's nice to have miniature versions of them (a companion to the 21st century atlas also exists). Given that more than 1,000 projects are squeezed into about 400 pages that are 4.5x6" in size, there's limited information: one photo, two sentences, and basic data for each project. This makes the travel version a jumping-off point for exploring elsewhere, be it in show more the full-size atlas, in other books, or online, including the atlas's own website (it started as a subscription model then switched to free, testament to difficulty in making money online these days). And of course the small size and inclusion of addresses make it perfect for traveling – particularly to Europe, where the bulk of the atlas's projects are located. show less

shelved at: 91 : Architecture [Large book shelved on top shelf]

The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture I
The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture II
The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture III