Modern Landscape Architecture: Redefining the Garden
Don't be fooled by the prosaic title. This is not just another textbook but a beautiful and disturbing work containing 18 case studies on the applications of modern architectural techniques in the natural landscape, including private gardens, public parks, and corporate headquarters. The descriptive essays are informative and the color photography is good, but most startling is their juxtaposition. The text accentuates the darker realities of the photographs, which show that in a natural setting modern architecture can be just as ugly and incongruous as it can be beautiful and harmonious. By bringing out this potential for a sometimes shocking ugliness, this book renders an important service. It will not teach anyone the finer points of aesthetic design, but it will make readers aware that, just as much is right with modern landscape architecture, much is also wrong with it. For public and academic libraries.- Glenn Masuchika, Chaminade Univ. Lib., HonoluluCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.