Alex Popov Architects. Selected Works 1999-2007

In contrast, the architecture of Alex Popov is firmly grounded in an abstract monumentality. His response is not mimetic, it does not attempt to merge into or become one with the context, but rather establishes a relationship through juxtaposition and contrast, through the framing of views and then of the light-filled spatial experience within. The dialogue is cerebral in its abstraction, but lyrical in its experienced reality. Raw yet refined, still yet dynamic, disciplined yet intensely sculptural, the tensions in Popov's work emerge through the seemingly irreconcilable partnering of these ideas and the landscape." Alex Popov's architecture is an architecture of 'mass' brought to life by a singular clarity of composition and construction, combined with serene interior spaces... Popov’s recent work has become one of the most significant expressions of Australian contemporary architecture. This book examines 10 of his most recent projects through sketches, formal drawings and extensive photography. His architectural process can be traced, from the first sketches when the design emerges, through his structural approach to planning and configuration (his assembly), to the completed buildings themselves. An introductory essay by Anna Johnson analyzes the context, the principles and the development of Popov’s architecture.