Translations: Architecture/Art

Miller Pollin, a principal of the Miller Pollin Architecture firm, shares a broad survey of her design work in this revealing monograph. Loading the work with illustrations, elevations, photographs, and drawings, Miller-Pollin also discusses her philosophy of “exploring that which is close to us in our landscapes and our local settings.” For example, after researching Massachusetts history, Miller Pollin designed a project for the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus that set buildings on narrow, gently sloping lots inspired by the area’s old tobacco farms. She illustrates how she often transforms vintage buildings by giving existing elements modern updates (“Though there was little left of the interior finishes, an antique birdcage elevator survived. Miller Pollin created an interior atrium space to feature it”); elsewhere, in the Opalinski House in Ware, Mass., she references Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier by creating varied ceiling heights. Her residential designs are informed by both the natural environment and the neighborhood around them, and are designed to be sustainable and colorful. Miller Pollin also discusses how she uses design competitions, student projects, and her own drawings and paintings as ways to uncover new ideas, questions, and innovations. Artists, architects, and designers of all levels will enjoy this thorough reflection on design and design theory. (Oct.)