One year of architecture through projects, interviews, essays, reviews, chronicles and references to ponder on the most innovative buildings that have proved to set in motion new relationships with the surrounding environment and communities. A resistant tool against the idea of a prêt-à-porter and fast consuming architecture, The Yearbook presents a selection of worldwide projects that share the value to foster transformation and new ways of living public and private spaces. Big and little projects from all continents designed by renown and lesser-known designers provide a synchronic and problematic vision of major debate topics doomed to last.

Kindergartens, museums, residential, public and commercial buildings conceived to host life and generously answer the needs of those who will live or only visit them are displayed within Pierluigi Cerri’s art direction and through dedicated insights by Barry Bergdoll, Michael Sorkin, Olympia Kazi, Ole Bouman, Arjen Oosterman, Joumana al Jabri, Fabrizio Gallanti, Peter T. Lang, Marco De Michelis and many other scholars. Among selected projects, reference landmarks of contemporary debate: the High Line, urban park in New York by Diller Scofidio + Renfro a New York; Caochangdi factory of Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei; Oslo New Opera House by Snohetta; Fuji Montessori Kindergarten near Tokyo by Tezuka Architects, Spain Library in Medellin by Giancarlo Mazzanti, the spidernet house by R&Sie(n) in Nimes, Bruder Klaus Field Chapel by Peter Zumthor; the New Museum of Contemporary Art (NY, Sanaa), Bocconi University in Milan by Grafton Architects and many more, such as Beijing Stadium and Caixa Forum in Madrid by Herzog & de Meuron, Kanagawa Institute of Technology (Ishigami+Associates), Didden Village by MVRDV in Rotterdam and the House Tower by Atelier Bow Wow (Tokyo).

The Skira Yearbook of World Architecture, Skira, 2008

Editor-in-chief
Luca Molinari
Vice director
Nicola Russi
Art director
Pierluigi Cerri
Managing editor
Simona Galateo
Year Index
Chiara Spangaro
Editorial secretariat
Milena Sacchi
Editorial coordinator
Emma Cavazzini
Graphics
Pagina