Jorn Utzon - Houses Hardcover – 1 Oct. 2006

OK but I thought this was going to focus predominantly on Utzons houses but it also covers his public works which are covered by other (better) publications elsewhere. Best book on Utzon is Edition Blondal by Richard Weston - hard to come by but try publisher and DAC:http://edition-blondal.dk/richard-weston-utzon-inspiration-vision-architecture/http://www.dac-bookshop.dk/In-English.aspx?ID=103

As the previous review makes clear, this is more of a 'greatest hits' than the title suggests, and I must confess I would have preferred more detail on Utzon's exquisite houses rather than yet more coverage of the Sydney Opera House, Kuwait National Assembly, Bagsvaerd Church etc. That said, the photography is superb and in the absence of Richard Weston's out-of-print 'Utzon: Inspiration, Vision, Architecture', it's probably the best available intoduction to Utzon's work, particularly compared with the prohibitively-expensive 'Logbook' series (although if you can stretch to it, I'd still recommend The Courtyard Houses: v. I: Jorn Utzon Logbook).

This book is a real pleasure. The affection and respect of the author -- and the photographer -- for Utzon is clear.It opens with an essay, titled 'Conversations'. This is in the manner of a record of conversations between Jørn Utzon and Henrik Sten Møller, as retold by Møller. No quotations are used around Utzon's words, but the reader can discern when Utzon is talking and when Møller is adding his thoughts, or just thinking aloud.There is a charming account of the two meetings in America between the young Utzon and the great Mies van der Rohe: the first before and the second after the Sydney Opera House competition. (I won't spoil for you the amusement of reading this first-hand). I had not appreciated the early influence of Wright (with whom the Utzon's had stayed in America in the late 1940s or perhaps '50 or '51), but this comes out clearly, and is evident in Utzon's own house in Hellebæk (1952).A plan and one simple elevation of the Hellebæk house are included in the essay, but it has no chapter of its own in the book, which is arranged in ten chapters: The Kingo Houses (1954-57), The Sydney Opera House, (1958-1966), The Fredensborg Houses (1962-65), Bagsværd Church (1968-76), Espansiva (1969), Herning School Complex (1967-70), Can Lis (completed 1974), Kuwait National Assembly (commissioned 1969) photographed in its original form before the post-1991 restoration of the Gulf War fire damage, Paustian Furniture House (1987) and Can Feliz (1991-94).There we have two residential housing complexes, the design for a modular house construction system built only in prototype, a school house (now a home), two wonderful Mediterranean houses, a house of commerce, a house of worship, a house of national assembly and of course Utzon's magnum opus: a house for Opera and home for an Orchestra.Each chapter opens with a page or two of text on the building, has a small selection of Utzon's lovely concept sketches, some plans and elevations. But the majority of the book is devoted to Per Nagel's beautiful photographs of the buildings, which are allowed to speak for themselves. This is not the book for you, if you want pages of detailed drawings (in the manner of Phaidon's wonderful 'Architecture in Detail' series). Only a few of the photographs are captioned. Most of the others can be identified from reference to the simple plans included.Utzon, if not the greatest architect, is surely the greatest architectural genius who has ever lived. If you don't believe me, acquaint yourself with the Sydney Opera House (well beyond what is possible from this book's 'taster' chapter), beginning with an understanding of the site, including the view from the bridge and the city above it, the conception of its form, through the process of design development to the brilliant solution of the problem of the shells, their manufacture and construction and the Utzon's sadly unbuilt interiors.Yet, to me, this book shows Utzon in his simplicity and humility, a true student of nature's Architect and willing to learn from the wisdom built by other people in earlier ages, and always mindful to build for the people who will live and work and pray and meet and sing and listen in his buildings, soaring far above the arrogance of Wright, the pride of Mies and the presumptuously prescriptive ideologies of countless lesser architects. He is surely more than the equal in his architectural gifts than the justly acclaimed Alvar Aalto.The book is published by the Scandinavian house Living Architecture Publishing []I give the book four stars rather than five, as it is let down slightly by a number of typographical errors and awkward translations.But don't let that stop you from buying it, and absorbing yourself in it.SJW7.x.2009

Absolutely fabulous book with brilliant photographs and sketches of one of the finest modern architects

I love Utzon's work, especially his own residence in Majorca. The man is a genius. From the title "Jorn Utzon Houses", I was looking forward to a book on houses that people live in. Four of the ten "Houses" in the book were 1) the Sidney Opera House, 2) the Bagsvaerd Church, 3) the Herning School Complex and 4) the Kuwait National Assembly. There are many beautiful, period color photographs by Per Nagel, a nice long "Conversation" between Utzon and Moller and clear, well printed glossy pages. Many of the high quality photos I have not seen reproduced before. I especially liked seeing the Bagsvaerd Church and the Majolica house in greater detail. The diagram of Utzon's "additive architecture" was informative, but most plans and sections were too reduced in size. There is a little information about each project, but not as much as an architect would like to have. This is a beautiful coffee table book and given the fact that there is little of Utzon's residential work in book form, Utzon lovers have no choice but to buy this photo collection. I would suggest coupling this book with the Utzon chapter in Kenneth Frampton's "Studies in Tectonic Culture".