| Synopsis: |
Stanton Williams: Volume is an exploration of the work and working methods of Stanton Williams, from their project designing Issey Miyake's London store in 1985 to their continued successes in tactile, spatial architecture today. The book opens with an introduction from design and culture critic Stephen Bayley providing his valuable insight into the company's practice and ethos. Bayley's fascinating observations about style, taste and contemporary design have made him one of the world's best-known commentators on modern culture. The book also includes an interview between Alan Stanton, Paul Williams and architectural journalist David Taylor, discussing the practice's background, looking at the very early work undertaken by Stanton and Williams, which largely focused on exhibition design, as well as showrooms for Issey Miyake and other contemporary designers. The interview further addresses how the practice developed and extended into large-scale projects such as the Tower Hill Environs, London, the Padua Botanical Gardens and more recently the Sainsbury Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Stanton Williams: Volume then goes into a critical essay by architect, architectural historian and critic Irenee Scalbert which sets the practice's work in a contemporary architectural context. Not only does this book delve into the architectural and design practices of the company but it also explores the people, art and philosophy behind the firm's success. Stanton Williams: Volume comprehensively profiles this innovative, highly unique architectural firm through informed essays and interviews. The book is handsomely illustrated with specially commissioned photography by architectural photographer Helene Binet." |