Event-cities

by Bernard Tschumi

Published 15 July 1994
This work presents an original selection of Bernard Tschumi's most recent architectural projects, which are at the centre of polemics on architecture and cities today. Tschumi has already expanded the field of contemporary architectural theory through his writings. Now, with "Event-Cities", he enlarges some of his earlier concerns to address the issue of cities and their making. He explores contemporary architecture through its confrontation with the major programmes defining the edge of the 21st century - airports, business centres, multipurpose railroad "cities," downtown areas and multimedia art centres - as well as video installations and domestic environments. Using different modes of notation ranging from rough models to sophisticated computer-generated images and testing various means to inscribe the movement of bodies in space, Tschumi reveals the complexities of the architectural process and the rich texture of architectural events that define the nature of urban reality.
This book unfolds a new type of architectural documentation, far removed from the glossy picture books that have become the major means of presenting architectural projects - a "project discourse" that may be as extensive and precise as any theoretical or critical text.