The concept of relational space in urbanism'understanding the space of the city as produced by society'is connected with an understanding of architecture unfolding in situations. Urban space is induced by architecture, space is produced while experiencing architecture within a situation. There is a dialectical interplay between architectonic material (intra-architectonic reality) and usage and action (urban reality). Thus, an architectonic situation can be interpreted as performative in the sense of performativity as it has emerged in the discourse over the last decade. The everyday urban life of the city, with all its potential and conflicts, is taken into consideration. Analyzing the urban is not enough. This discourse is about Urban Design. Is architectural design one part, and the actualization of architecture in a performative incident another? Does Urban Design need different practices?

The question of composition and spatial qualities arises in every urban design concept or intervention in the spatial structure of urban public squares. How are the essential elements involved: dimension, proportion, alignment, cohesion, accesses, shaping of focus point and of edges like surfaces and materials? How do they contribute to a character of urban space with which residents can identify? Comparing historical examples with current designs aids one in visualizing spatial effect. Similar to a floor plan manual for buildings, Squares allows the user to evaluate spatial conditions for movement and rest based on comparable existing urban squares. The book offers the planner a comparative example for most conditions (shape, size, location, topography, and so on). Seventy European urban squares are presented and explained with the most important characteristics in a consistent manner in as-built plan, ground plan, section, and axonometric projection.

Design is becoming a recognised academic discipline, and design research is the driving force behind this transformation. Design Research Now – Essays and Selected Projects charts the field of design research with introductory essays and selected research projects. The authors of the essays, all leading international design scholars, stake out positions on the most important issues of design research. They locate the significance of design research at the interface with technological development, describe what makes it a necessary ingredient of the continued development of the design disciplines, and assign it a seminal role in the relevant developments of society. The essays are supplemented by the presentation of recently completed research projects from universities in the Netherlands, the UK and Italy.

Summary: A collection of some 40 international texts from the period after 1960 mirrors the principal developmental phases of design research in particular and scientific research in general.

On the occasion of Italio-Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi's one hundredth birthday, this richly illustrated volume presents an overview of her oeuvre and highlights iconic buildings, such as her own home, the so-called Casa de Vidro, the Museo de Arte de Sao Paulo, and the cultural center SESC Pompeia. This is a spectacular book on a celebrated architect. Spanning architecture, stage sets, fashion, and furniture, her work drew inspiration from the International Style, which she translated into her own visual language. Fundamental to her work was her thoughtful engagement with her adopted country of Brazil, its culture, society, and politics, and she productively and provocatively voiced her sometimes radical views through designs, exhibitions, and writings.