wang shu: 'imagining the house' book report

wang shu with sou fujimoto at their book signing during the venice architecture biennale at the swiss pavilion
image © designboom (see designboom’s coverage of the swiss pavilion here)

author: wang shu
publisher: lars müller publishers
year: 2012
size: 168 pages, 24 x 29.7 cm
ISBN: 978-3-03778-314-6

2012 pritzker prize winner, architect wang shu communicates the importance of hand drawing in a design world that has almost completed replaced it with computer drafting. traditional chinese calligraphy is a recurring theme throughout the work, representing an ancient practice and careful attention to scale and detail, brought to modernity and analogous with hand drawing. the 68 hand sketchesreproduced at full scale give a valuable look into his sensitive ability to draw freehand, where one can almost see the process of the designs.

bi-folds and tri-folds give us an unabridged complete view of his work, along with accompanying photographs and a description of each project presented, all bound in an appropriately rudimentary fashion, with simple holes and string.

the volume encourages us to step away from the screen and pick up a physical object to draw on. taking a look at the wide range of sketches is more than anything inspiring, and does offer an interesting approach to design that is very quickly disappearing behind technology.

signing of the book
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cover
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intro and project list
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title page signed by wang shu
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calligraphy by master zhong you
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technical drawings
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project intro page
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personal notes included with the sketches
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image © designboom

photographs accompanied by descriptions
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drawings showing different scales
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from left to right: wang shu, lars müller and sou fujimoto during the book signing at the swiss pavilion at the venice architecture biennale
image © designboom