Of castles and cavesThough there may be distinctions between a house and ahome, the fact remains that the fundamental ideas of shelter, life anddeath are intertwined with the architecture of the commonplace in everydwelling, from cave to castle. The house can be a measure of civilization,wealth or, indeed, intelligence; it is a barometer of existence. Dependingon the
architect and the client, a house can be at the very cutting edgeof architecture, casting aside notions of the past in search of a newparadigm; it can accept the rules of urbanism while standing them on theirhead. It can float in the air or emerge from the depths of the earth. Wherefactors of cost may limit civic architecture to tried and trusted methods,some houses break all the rules, and help architecture to move forward.This book is not about decoration, nor is it a practical guide to buildingone's own house. It is, rather, a search that may lead the willing readerfrom Patagonia in Argentina to the cliffs of Dover Heights, Australia tosee some of the most remarkable houses built in the past five years. Flexicover, 19.6 x 24.9 cm, 416 pages, Multilingual Edition: English, French, German