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Author: J.K. Birksted ISBN: 9780754678014 Format: HB Extent: 197 pp. Price: £55 Publication: Available Publisher: Ashgate

Set on a hillside near Cluny, in a region associated with religious institutions and sacred architecture (including Le Corbusier’s La Tourette), Le Carmel de la Paix, designed by José Luis Sert, remains tranquilly unvisited and quietly erased from architectural history. Why? This unusual convent falls outside the standard categories of Sert’s architecture and has been overlooked in most publications about his work. As J.K. Birksted explains, the design and construction process for this building proved nightmarish, resulting in a building which, at first sight, appears to be ‘ineloquent’. This first detailed examination of this building shows how the convent and the story of its creation offer valuable and important new insights into Sert, his architecture and his life.

Author: Joaquim Nabuco ISBN:  978-0-7643-4066-6 Format: HB Extent: 224 pp. Price: £49.95 Publication: Spring 2012 Publisher: Schiffer Books / Bushwood Books

Photographer Joaquim Nabuco has found art in the architecture, interiors, and landscapes designed by his fellow Brazilians. Through more than 160 large, lively images, Nabuco welcomes you on a journey to see more than 15 properties, including log homes in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro, beach houses in the resort towns of Búzios and Angra dos Reis, vast gardens on farm estates, restaurants, hotels, and more. Escape to simpler locales where interior and exterior spaces are enriched by stylish simplicity, local folk art traditions, vibrant colors, and a profound harmony with their lush tropical surroundings. Skylights, glass walls, verandas, and outdoor living spaces all offer practical designs for enjoying this paradise and the art of its structures.

Featured designers include the painterly and ardent recycler Hélio Pellegrino, impressionistic landscape and golf course designers Sonia Infante and Paulo Antonio Azeredo, and the global modernist giant Oscar Niemeyer. This is an ideal photographic study for art, architecture, and design enthusiasts, students, and teachers.