Mario Botta: Light and Gravity: Architecture 1993-2003

Since he started out in 1965, Botta has designed more than 300 buildings and has become known for creating spaces that not only relate seamlessly to their environment, but are particularly successful at reflecting, projecting and encouraging the uninterrupted flow of light into a space. This book highlights his most notable projects-populist victories like the Municipal Library in Dortmund, Germany; personal gems like two weekend houses in the mountains of Locarno-Cardada, Switzerland; the highly acclaimed Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MART) in Rovereto, Italy; and breathtakingly dramatic modernist designs like the Kyobo Tower in Seoul, Korea. Though the book does a first-rate job of representing each work, using fine photography and descriptive summaries, the essays in the front are far from illuminating. Botta's escapes criticism, as it's merely a brief overview of his work and philosophy, but the other three are generally vague and fawning. Of the MART, for instance, Giuliano Gresleri writes: ""The building's perfect incorporation within its surroundings occurs with a naturalness that is both explanatory and monumental, confirming a capacity for interpretation that has reached the clearest point of its comprehensibility."" Passages like this make one yearn for less analysis and more description. Still, the book succeeds as a representation of Botta's achievements, and is a worthwhile read for architecture buffs and anyone who appreciates the elegance of modern design.