This book traces the development of John Hejduk's architectural career, using the idea of "exorcism" to uncover his thought process when examining architectural designs. His work encouraged profound questioning on what, why and how we build, which allowed for more open discourse and enhance the phenomenology found in architectural experiences.

Three distinct eras in his architectural career are applied to analogies of outlines, apparitions and angels throughout the book across seven chapters. Using these thematic examples, the author investigates the progression of thought and depth inside the architect's imagination by studying key projects such as the Texas houses, Wall House, Architectural Masques and his final works.

Featuring comments by Gloria Fiorentino Hejduk, Stanley Tigerman, Steven Holl, Zaha Hadid, Charles Jencks, Phyllis Lambert, Juhani Pallasmaa, Toshiko Mori and others, this book brings to life the intricacies in the mind of John Hejduk, and would be beneficial for those interested in architecture and design in the 20th century.

About the Author

J. Kevin Story, AIA is an architect in Houston, Texas. He has served as part of the Adjunct Faculty at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design since 1996. Kevin teaches Intermediate and Advanced design studios and architectural construction detailing. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree from the University of Houston.

Reviews

"As architectural practice and education keep turning into a formulaic pragmatism, John Hejduk's poetic pedagogy and artistic work, as well as his emphasis on drawing, craft and making, concretize an alternative approach of crucial value. His work expands the narrow expressive scope of contemporary architecture to the realms of fantasy and dream, ritual and narrative, fear and hope. As architecture is restricted by a shallow quasi-rationality, Hejduks view of the art of building as an ethical and poetic exploration provides a demanding and liberating alternative perspective.
Kevin Story's book mediates the deep complexities of Hejduk's thinking, work and mental world through a successful method of multiple exposure."
- Juhani Pallasmaa, Architect SAFA, HonFAIA, IntFRIBA, Professor emeritus (Aalto University, Helsinki), Writer

"John Hedjuk's crusade for a "poetics of architecture" seem even more urgent in our time of enormous corporate practices. Kevin Story's book, The Complexities of John Hejduk's Work, consists of concepts and stories underlying the extraordinary force of his convictions.
John was an architect of ideas at a time when modern architecture had become rigid and unimaginative. In the midst of postmodern eclecticism, John taught that we should keep our "umbilical cord" connection to modernity. His amazing imagination gave wings to Jung's reflection that each of us is "modern in search of a soul."
From meeting him in 1974, to our last exchange when he wrote enclosing, Lines: No Fire Can Burn (1999), he kept the faith for architecture... a gift of future generations."
- Steven Holl, Architect

Book Information
ISBN 9780367511487
Author J. Kevin Story
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 960g