Green architecture

Wines (dean of architecture, Univ. of Pennsylvania) proposes to steer the architecture profession away from the "vacuous shape-making" of "academic Modernism" toward an ecology-centered aesthetic. Wines is best known as the founder of SITE (Sculpture in the Environment), which produced the iconoclastic and whimsical BEST Products showrooms. He argues that mainstream Modernism is misdirected, ultimately isolating humans from nature in "machines for living in." Among such greats as Le Corbusier, Mies, Johnson, and Gehry, only Wright escapes his accusations of environmental insensitivity. This generously illustrated alternative history spotlights an eclectic assortment of lesser-known architects (including Wines himself) who in widely varying degrees incorporate ecological awareness into their designs. In De-architecture, Wines explored architecture's psychosocial relevance; now he offers the latest installment in his crusade to expand the limited vision of today's architects, spurring them on to create structures that respond equally to the needs of the natural environment and its inhabitants. Strongly recommended for academic and large public libraries in search of divergent viewpoints.DDavid Soltsz, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.