Peter Buchanan Knihy

As one of the world's greatest museums approaches its 250th anniversary, the British Museum has undertaken a massive development programme, largely facilitated by the removal of the British Library from Bloomsbury. The Great Court, commissioned by the British Museum from Norman Foster and Partners following a prestigious architectural competition, is at the centre of plans to position the Museum for the new millennium and to present it as a great new civic space. A 6100 square metre glass canopy will cover the new cultural plaza that has been designed around the dome of the famous Round Reading Room. A link between the Museum's important architectural history and building design of the future, the Great Court project is destined to be one of the great architectural sights of Europe. "The Great Court" explores the ceation of a unique "urban room", the impetus for and background to the project, the competition, the complex design and construction processes, the role of the Museum in London and in the future. This book will be published to mark the opening of The Great Court at the British Museum, but will stand alone as an informative and accessible introduction to the concept of the Great Court and to the architecture itself.

This comprehensive volume documents the work of the Argentine architect, graphic designer, and industrial designer Emilio Ambasz. Ambasz's main concern is to integrate nature and construction into architectural design, which is why he is regarded as one of the most important pioneers of Green Architecture. In his work a combination of landscape and architecture emerges, in which his respect for the environment and ecological sustainability becomes clear. A prime example of this is the Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall in Japan: a building that houses more than 100,000 m2 of exhibition spaces, theaters, and offices is also an open green area in the form of a hanging garden. In addition to the documentation of Ambasz's architectural, graphic, industrial, and exhibition design, this publication contains essays by Barry Bergdoll, Kenneth Frampton, and Peter Buchanan, as well as three interviews with Emilio Ambasz, conducted by Michael Sorkin, James Wines, and Hans Ulrich Obrist.