Roberto Rovira
PROJECT PUBLISHED in BOOK by PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS
Small Scale: Creative Solutions for Better City Living by Keith Moskow and Robert Linn [ ISBN-13: 978-1-56898-975-4] includes works from Architectural Resource Office, Centerbrook, Coop Himmelblau, Daly Genik Architects, David Adjaye, Eric Owen Moss Architects, Foster Partners, Garofalo Architects, Greg Lynn, Ground Inc, Howeler + Yoon Architecture, Julie Snow Architects, LTL Architects, Moore Ruble Yudell, Morphosis, Office of Metropolitan Architecture, OverUnder, Public Architecture, Olafur Eliassen, Salmela Architect, Roberto Rovira, Smith-Miller + Hawkinson, Steven Holl, Studio Granda, Toshiko Mori Architect & Zaha Hadid.
It presents fifty case studies of visionary yet simple solutions to certain specific problems inherent in contemporary urban life. Cities can be made better and more livable by employing innovative thinking to create eminently do-able projects. Each project is modestly scaled, with the potential for widespread impact. The projects range from purely conceptual to fully realized. These urban interventions provide resources and amenities in the spirit of the best “street furniture” from various cultures. They build upon the tradition of such historical interventions as the Japanese pocket garden, the iconic red English telephone booth and the elegant Parisian subway entry.
The projects exemplify intelligent design, not grand planning schemes or outrageously expensive public facilities such as convention centers, museums, or stadiums. They focus on everyday human activities and practical, sometimes humorous and ironic means to improve the lives of city dwellers while enriching and enlivening the urban fabric.
[See Interstate-880 project for more details]
