Water and Architecture - Tapa blanda

Architecture engages in a continual dialogue with its environment, and water is one of the basic elements of that dialogue. Now more than ever, water is featuring in the most advanced, challenging architectural designs, and this study presents an account of its resurgent importance. "Water and Architecture" documents the dynamic interplay of buildings and water, solid and liquid, upright and level. Its worldwide coverage takes in classic examples and the latest leading-edge projects: sites discussed range from the Trevi Fountain in Rome to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania and the gleaming Tokyo Sea Life Park in Japan. Charles Moore's text first addresses the symbolism of water as a design element, then examines specific applications in all kinds of structures and settings: fountains and waterfalls, rivers and canals, lakes and pools, oceans and islands. He also takes a look at basic design principles and environmental issues. Documentary illustrations and plans accompany the text, and each section is complemented by a portfolio of colour pictures by photographer Jane Lidz, bringing the locations and ideas discussed to life.