Cool Construction

The first four volumes in the new 4x4 series, each of which features four works by four comparable architects. The concept of linkage is interesting, the four critics achieve an admirable synthesis, the price is right, and the books are full of useful information, plans and excellent photographs. Sadly, their accessibility has been compromised by a wildly self-indulgent designer who squandered eight pages on headline type, overlaid body type with shadow typography, and jammed in far too many miniscule images and discordant typefaces. ItÕs a lesson in how not to lay out a book and may scare away potential buyers.The persistent will be rewarded by graceful writing, especially by the peripatetic Dubliner, Raymund Ryan, and Catherine Slessor, executive editor of the Architectural Review. For the record, the architects covered are, in order: Antoine Predock, Tadao Ando, Wiel Arets and Ricardo Legorretta; David Chipperfield, Waro Kishi, Eduoardo Souto de Moura, and Tod Williams & Billie Tsien; Jones Partners, TEN Arquirtectos, RoTo, and Smith-Miller + Hawkinson; finally, Enric Miralles, Gunter Behnisch, Mecanoo, and Patkau Architects.