Architektur-theorie im deutschsprachigen Kulturraum 1486-164

This very large, heavy catalogue with a blue, foil-embossed hardcover lists over one thousand writings on architectural theory from the early modern period and is a remarkable, seemingly timeless store of knowledge. A very long, lavishly illustrated essay by the editor (and book collector) is followed by the catalogue section, where the texts by over 60 authors are grouped in chronological order. Illustrated introductions to each author precede the detailed technical descriptions of the individual works, each of which is accompanied by an illustration of its cover. The design makes optimum use of the characteristics of the material, employing a simple but well thought-out grid to create highly dynamic, constantly changing layouts. An excellent navigation system in the running headers and the margins combines with carefully executed typography to ensure that for all its dense, specialised content, the book manages not to be off-putting. As a system of reference for knowledge dating back up to five hundred years, it epitomises the essential function of the book as medium, escaping as it does from the flow of time. Its large dimensions and material qualities underscore the ambition to produce a book that, given the right conditions, can itself endure for five centuries.

Autor(en)/Auteur(s)/Author(s)

Werner Oechslin, Tobias Büchi, Martin Pozsgai, Einsiedeln

Gestaltung/Graphisme/Design

Claudiabasel GmbH, Basel

Druck/Impression/Printing

DZA Druckerei zu Altenburg, Altenburg (DE)

Verlag/Publication/Publisher

Colmena, Basel

ISBN

978-3-906896-05-2