Yale University Press Minoru Yamasaki 山崎實 現代主義世界的人文主義建築

“The architect Minoru Yamasaki, as this deeply researched, lucidly written, and handsomely illustrated book shows, was driven, brilliant, and insecure. And he was exploring paths — particularly our emotional response to architecture and architects’ search for inspiration from the past — we are still traveling down today.” — Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune

 

Minoru Yamasaki, a visionary Japanese-American architect, achieved global renown as the chief designer of the original World Trade Center in New York City. Commissioned by the Port Authority in 1962, Yamasaki sought to move away from the stark austerity of traditional post-WWII modernism. Instead, he embraced a philosophy of New Formalism, aiming to infuse the massive project with humanism, serenity, and delight. Though initially criticized for its imposing scale, Yamasaki’s design redefined the Manhattan skyline and became a global symbol of economic power and architectural innovation.

 

Born to Japanese immigrant parents in Seattle, Minoru Yamasaki (1912–1986) became one of the towering figures of midcentury architecture, even appearing on the cover of Time magazine in 1963. His self-proclaimed humanist designs merged the modern materials and functional considerations of postwar American architecture with traditional elements such as arches and colonnades. Yamasaki’s celebrated and iconic projects of the 1950s and ’60s, including the Lambert–St. Louis Airport and the U.S. Science Pavilion in Seattle, garnered popular acclaim.
 
Despite this initial success, Yamasaki’s reputation began to decline in the 1970s with the mixed critical reception of the World Trade Center in New York, one of the most publicized projects in the world at the time. The towers stood proudly until their tragic destruction on September 11, 2001, cementing Yamasaki's masterwork forever in world history and the spectacular failure of St. Louis’s Pruitt-Igoe Apartments, which came to symbolize the flaws of midcentury urban renewal policy. As architecture moved in a more critical direction influenced by postmodern theory, Yamasaki seemed increasingly old-fashioned. 

 

In the first book to examine Yamasaki’s life and career, Dale Allen Gyure draws on a wealth of previously unpublished archival material and nearly 200 images to contextualize his work against the framework of midcentury modernism and explore his initial successes, his personal struggles—including with racism—and the tension his work ultimately found in the divide between popular and critical taste. Gyure's skilled presentation encourages us to reconsider Yamasaki’s legacy. He offers a wealth of insights into the architect’s values and design approach, revealing the complex and conflicted nature of Yamasaki's career.

 

Features

• Edition : -
• Binding : Hardcover
• ISBN : 9780300217094
• Publication Date : 2017/11/28

 

Materials & Care

• Imported