The Urban Housing Handbook

Book info: The Urban Housing Handbook (Hardcover, 328 pages) – Wiley, 2009. Language: English.

The handbook provides graphic representations and analysis of 30 urban case studies from around the world. These range from the London town house to apartments in Chicago and New York, taking in other European, South American, North African, and Asian examples. In each chapter, a housing type is fully explored through a traditional case study and then a more modern example that demonstrates how it has been reinterpreted in a contemporary context. Editorial Reviews From the Back Cover Focusing on the relationship between housing and the urban block, The Urban Housing Handbook is a vital design and analysis tool for architects, building professionals and students interested in the fabric of our cities. It outlines the characteristics of some of the most fascinating and prominent housing types from around the world. A modern pattern book, it juxtaposes traditional examples with contemporary interpretations.

The book features a selection of 30 housing types encompassing typologies as geographically diverse as: Parisian and Barcelonian Fin-de-Siècle apartment buildings; a patio house in Quito in Ecuador; longtangs in Shanghai; and the early residential towers of Manhattan. These are extensively illustrated with aerial views, archive material and plans and sections. All the graphic material has been redrawn to scale by the authors. In addition to this, contemporary case studies take in a wide range of recent housing projects, including those from: Atelier Bow-Wow, BIG, Morphosis, MVRDV and SANAA.

About the Author Eric Firley is an architect and urban designer, who is currently based in Paris. After studying in Lausanne, Weimar and London, he worked in several practices and design consultancies in France and the UK. Having initiated this project in 2005, he has spent over two years writing and researching it, travelling extensively in the process.

Caroline Stahl has run a Paris-based architecture practice since 2001. Born in Berlin, she studied in Weimar and Milan. She has worked on a wide range of projects in Germany and France. She undertook extensive research on housing for this book and developed the comparative contemporary studies.

Katharina Grön is a German urban designer who graduated in early 2008. She has helped produce the graphic material for the book, redrawing the urban and architectural plans.