Field Architecture
Conversations with the Land
9781946226976
400 pages
Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers Llc
Overview
The first book by father-and-son team Stan and Jess Field reveals an inspirational collection of projects that balances the beauty of human creation and the purity of natural systems. The Fields bring a vision of architecture that is deeply connected to the land such that each of the buildings in this volume forms a symbiotic relationship with the distinctive landscape that inspired it. The living environments unfold as a series of closely choreographed spatial and sensory experiences. Each reflects the alchemy that occurs when buildings and their natural settings are intimately intertwined, as these buildings are. They not only capture—but also elevate—the ineffable feeling of living with the land. Conversations with the Land follows the architects' journey of exploration across the places and events that influenced their creative process. From their native country of South Africa to their adopted home in Northern California, Stan and Jess learned how to pair architecture with natural terrain by examining its range and diversity. This book captures the insights and moments of discovery gained from their encounters with the land. The Fields' responsive approach and meticulous execution extends to every element of their architectural practice, from considering the way that a tree casts a shadow on a wall to carefully orchestrating a project to minimize the impact of construction on a site. The book includes a Q&A with Stan Field; an essay by Jess Field on his sources of inspiration; sketches and models that they use as design tools; and a portfolio of 10 exquisitely crafted houses shaped by the imprint of the natural world and beautifully documented by acclaimed photographers Joe Fletcher and Matthew Millman.
Author Bio
Tami Hausman of Hausman LLC, has a combined background in marketing, public relations, and architectural history. For over 20 years, she has been an expert advisor to top firms in the AEC industry who seek out her experience and insights. Her clients include a wide range of architects, related professional services firms, and non-profit organizations. Tami creates customized communications strategies to open doors to targeted audiences and strengthen her clients’ position in the marketplace.Aaron Betsky is Director of the School of Architecture and Design at Virginia Tech. Previously, he was President of the School of Architecture at Taliesin. A critic of art, architecture, and design, Mr. Betsky is the author of over twenty books on those subjects. He writes a twice-weekly blog for architectmagazine.com, Beyond Buildings. Trained as an architect and in the humanities at Yale University, Mr. Betsky has served as the Director of the Cincinnati Art Museum (2006-2014) and the Netherlands Architecture Institute (2001-2006), as well as Curator of Architecture and Design at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1995-2001). In 2008, he also directed the 11th Venice International Biennale of Architecture. His latest books are Fifty Lessons from Frank Lloyd Wright (2021), Making It Modern (2019) and Architecture Matters (2019). His Anarchitecture: The Monster Leviathan was published by The MIT Press in 2022.Born and raised in London, UK, Joe Fletcher studied painting at Chelsea College of Art & Design, receiving his BA in Fine Art, and later attended London’s Goldsmiths University, graduating with a MFA in photography. In 2003, he left soggy London for foggy San Francisco. His photos have since been featured in magazines such as Wallpaper, Architectural Digest and San Francisco, displaying his aesthetic and his appreciation for the art of architecture and the beauty of light. Fletcher is also the photographer of two books, Ranch Houses, Living the California Dream (Rizzoli) and Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House (Rizzoli). He now lives with his wife and two mischievous dachshund mutts in Oakland, CA.Matthew Millman has been photographing architecture and interior design for over 20 years. Drawing his earliest influences from the long history of landscape photographers native to California, he continues to view photography through a fine arts lens. Matthew’s work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, Dwell, Architectural Digest, Interior Design, Elle Decor, Luxe, and Architectural Record. He has photographed books such as Art House, West Coast Modern, Collected Cool, and Inner Spaces. His personal work focuses on various subjects from architectural abstractions to a 10 year project of portraiture and reportage in Haiti.Juhani Pallasmaa is a Finnish architect, exhibition designer, writer, teacher and practicing architect. As director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture from 1978 to 1983, he was germane in internationalising its activities and exhibiting the works of such architects as Tadao Ando, Alvaro Siza and Daniel Libeskind, who only later became renowned throughout the world. He runs his own architect’s office – Arkkitehtitoimisto Juhani Pallasmaa KY – in Helsinki, but to date his body of practical work remains comparatively small. • Pallasmaa became universally known through his lectures and books on architectural theory and his interest in phenomenology. In his widely read 1996 book The Eyes of the Skin. Architecture and the Senses he stresses the importance of experience in architectural production which today is neglected by most practitioners. During the course of his career, he has also served as State Artist Professor (1983-88); Director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture (1978- 83); Associate Professor at the Haile Selassie I University, Addis Abeba (1972-74); Director of the Exhibition Department at the Museum of Finnish Architecture (1968-72, 74-83); and Rector of the College of Crafts and Design (1970-1972). He is currently the Ruth & Norman Moore Visiting Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, U.S. as well as the current Plym Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois, U.S.Stan Field was born in South Africa and received his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Cape Town in 1967. He received his Masters in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia in 1968, studying under Louis I. Kahn. He has practiced in three countries where his work has been widely acclaimed. Stan was appointed Chief Architect to the City of Jerusalem in 1978, was a partner in Moshe Safdie Associates and later opened his own practice in Jerusalem. In 1990, following his appointment as visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Stan relocated his residence and office to Palo Alto, California. His projects have included large scale planning projects, master plans, urban and town planning projects, institutional buildings, custom residences and residential developments, design guidelines, wineries, health and community centers and, most recently, a synagogue complex in the heart of Silicon Valley.Jess Field was born in Johannesburg, where his father, Stan, introduced him to architecture at a young age. Stan would sit Jess on top of large-scale plans on the dining table, where they would pour over drawings together. Stan’s stories of hut construction in Swaziland, and Lou Kahn’s teachings at Penn formed Jess’ first impressions of architecture. Sketching from an early age, Jess developed a fluency in drawing and draftsmanship, later to be complemented by an equal level of skill and artistry with digital tools.
