Free (ADE-DRM PDF) Terror & Wonder [Post-9/11 Architecture Essays by Pulitzer Writer]

[ATDrake]

Terror and Wonder: Architecture in a Tumultuous Age by Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin (Wikipedia) is a collection of his columns contemplating trends in the redefinement of form and function in buildings and public spaces in the wake of terrorist attacks, natural disasters, political/socio-economic pressures over the past decade, as well as tech-based environmental movements, free courtesy of the University of Chicago Press.

This is their Free eBook of the Month for September, and should be good through the 30th.

In addition to the original published columns (mostly from The Chicago Tribune), Kamin also adds introductions and postscripts to many of the essays, explaining the thematic context of their original writing and then following up on relevant developments since.

This is actually really interesting (and comes with lots of helpful illustrations of the buildings/spaces being examined) and it's a shame that Kamin's other UChicago Press book doesn't seem to be available in digital format, because I'd certainly consider picking it up (especially since their books are couponable @ Kobo) after having been given this one free.

Currently free @ directly from the publisher (ADE-DRM PDF available worldwide in return for your email address).

And this has been the selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day.

Enjoy!

Description
For more than twenty years now, Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune has explored how architecture captures our imagination and engages our deepest emotions. A winner of the Pulitzer Prize for criticism, Kamin treats his subjects not only as works of art but also as symbols of the cultural and political forces that inspire them. Terror and Wonder gathers the best of Kamin’s writings from the past decade along with new reflections on an era framed by the destruction of the World Trade Center and the opening of the world’s tallest skyscraper.

Assessing ordinary commercial structures as well as head-turning designs by some of the world’s leading architects, Kamin paints a sweeping but finely textured portrait of a tumultuous age torn between the conflicting mandates of architectural spectacle and sustainability. For Kamin, the story of our built environment over the past ten years is, in tangible ways, the story of the decade itself. Terror and Wonder considers how architecture has been central to the main events and crosscurrents in American life since 2001: the devastating and debilitating consequences of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina; the real estate boom and bust; the use of over-the-top cultural designs as engines of civic renewal; new challenges in saving old buildings; the unlikely rise of energy-saving, green architecture; and growing concern over our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

A prominent cast of players—including Santiago Calatrava, Frank Gehry, Helmut Jahn, Daniel Libeskind, Barack Obama, Renzo Piano, and Donald Trump—fills the pages of this eye-opening look at the astounding and extraordinary ways that architecture mirrors our values—and shapes our everyday lives.