Simon Kretz Bücher

Unsere Siedlungsgebiete haben sich grundlegend verändert: Agglomerationen, Städte, Dörfer und Landschaften bilden metropolitane Netzwerke, funktionale Zusammenhänge und räumliche Strukturen sind entstanden. Dieser neue Kompass verschafft Orientierung: Anhand von sechs Begriffen - Zentralität, Diversität, Interaktion, Zugänglichkeit, Adaptierbarkeit und Aneignung - hilft er, Qualitäten und Defizite in urbanen Gebieten festzustellen. Als praxisorientiertes Arbeitsinstrument richtet sich das Buch an Planerinnen, Architekten, Studierende und alle, die sich in der aktuellen Städtebau- und Raumentwicklungsdebatte mehr für Qualitäten und Potentiale als für Hektardichte und Ausnutzung interessieren. (Quelle: buchhandel.de)

An in-depth guide to attaining the enlightenment of the Philosopher's Stone

The Cosmos of Design' is a journey through the characteristic features of design thought processes that usually occur unconsciously. With the help of simple examples, designing is explored step by step: Creative experimentation and speculative thinking are highlighted in addition to cognition-oriented tests, iterative loops and abductive conclusions. The result of this study is a coherent pattern of thought, an enlightening philosophy of design. As a resource for students and practitioners, 'The Cosmos of Design' is intended to broaden the understanding of design and to provide theoretical foundation and practical inspiration.

This commentated anthology contains essential passages from eight important architecture and urban design theory texts from the 1960s to the 2010s. With these excerpts, the editors discursively outline the concept of form as a relational field of tension between man and material. The relational element is treated not only as a topos, but above all the interpretational perspective of architectural theory. The texts are arranged under the guiding themes of Type, Process, Place, and Things. The texts themselves were written by authors including Christopher Alexander, Oswald Mathias Ungers, Fumihiko Maki, Alison and Peter Smithson, Lucius Burckhardt, Bruno Latour, and Manuel de Solà-Morales. They offer a paradigmatic foundation that encourages further research and the continued view through the „relational lens.“

This publication is the result of a year-long dialogue between David Chipperfield and Simon Kretz. Its aim is to positively affect the future of urban developments, providing a manifesto for a relational, collective and diverse future for our cities. Using the Bishopsgate goods yard site in East London as a case study, this project highlights the conditions under which an ideal urban development project could flourish. The conclusions reached through this exercise demonstrate how future large-scale developments elsewhere could have more positive urban impact, both at the scale of the neighbourhood and the wider metropolis.