Architectural utopias of yesterday and today is the central theme of this well-illustrated foray into the political, technological, and aesthetic aspects of urban design. Carefully selected buildings clearly show how today's architects have confronted the utopian challenge. A detailed analysis shows the liberating power of contemporary architectural visionaries, complete with the full social and cultural context of their creations.
Essays by celebrated designers Steven Holl, Marcel Meili, and Nikolaus Hirsch demonstrate that utopian visions reflect not only specific social traditions, but also the architectural backgrounds of the authors themselves. Futuristic ideas also characterize the buildings section of this volume, which reviews the exceptional designs for the Expo 2000 in Hanover