Atlas of Novel Tectonics
Jesse Reiser , Nanako Umemoto

Architects Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto have been generating some of the most provocative thinking in the field for nearly twenty years. With Atlas of Novel Tectonics, Reiser+Umemoto hone in on the many facets of architec-ture and illuminate their theories with great thought and simplicity. The Atlas is organized as an accumulation of short chapters that address the workings of matter and force, material science, the lessons of art and architectural history, and the influence of architecture on culture (and vice versa). Reiser+Umemoto see architectural design as a series of problem situations, and each chapter is an argument devoted to a specific condition or case. Influenced by a wide range of fields and phenomena—Brillat-Savarin's classic The Physiology of Taste is one of their primary models—the authors provide a cross-section of thinking and inspiration. The result is both an elucidation of the concepts that guide Reiser+Umemoto through their own design process and a series of meditations on topics that have formed their own sense as architects. Atlas of Novel Tectonics offers an entirely fresh perspective on subjects that are generally taken for granted, and does so with a welcome punch and energy.


Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto are the founding partners of Reiser+Umemoto RUR, an internationally recognized
architectural firm based in New York City. Their work encompasses a wide range of scales, from furniture design to landscape and infrastructure.

Reiser currently teaches at the Princeton University School of Architeture.
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Editorial Reviews

What Theyre Reading..., Interior Design:
"Sarah Dunn
Principal of UrbanLab


Theyre using computers to push the possibilities of what can be built by investigating geometry in a new way." — Deborah Wilk (January, 2007)

CULTURE BOOKS, Architect:
"Any book that starts with an essay on The Judo of Cold Combustion deserves a place on the summer reading list.

...Reiser + Umemoto RUR in New York, offer reflections on matter and force, material science, art and architectural history, and the interrelationship of architecture and culture." (July, 2007)

Architect Magazine:
"Any book that starts with an essay on 'The Judo of Cold Combustion' deserves a place on our summer reading list. The authors offer reflections on matter and force, material science, art and architectural history, and the interrelationship of architecture and culture." (July 2007)

Architecture Today, The Architectural Review :
"When I first held this book in my hands a visceral memory of holding Bernard Tschumis Questions of Space flashed into my mind. Indeed Novel Tectonics seems to have just as an ambitious point of departure as Tschumis little book.

...In a world where most architectural publishing is unimaginative and kowtows to the convoluted architectural star-system and the main protagonists sophist ideas, Princeton are to be applauded for the breadth of their vision in publishing this book." — Neil Spiller (October, 2006)

...Jess Reiser and Nanako Umemoto has won two prestigious awards:, Interiors & Sources Magazine:
"...Jess Reiser and Nanako Umemoto has won two prestigious awards:

The Jan Tschichold Prize for Best Designed Swiss Books, 2006

and

The Gutenberg International Prize of Leipzig -- Goldletter 1st Prize." (May, 2007)

AA Files:
"This is a book that swims courageously against the tide... it reclaims the autonomy of theoretical discourse in relation to built architecture. That alone makes it an event... Atlas of Novel Tectonics is nothing if not a fascinating collection of finely wrought conceptual miniatures. Most are of Borgesian brevity (or shorter), and there are gems among them. My favourite is the tale of the 'devolved' glass nose of the Heinkel III bomber." (July 2007)

AA Files:
"This is a book that swims courageously against the tide: its form is elegant...

...it reclaims the autonomy of theoretical discourse in relation to built architecture. That alone makes it an event. Given such heroics would typically be the hallmark of a budding practice with no built work to get in the way, it is all the more refreshing that Reiser + Umemoto are a mature office with commisions to their credit, a solid reputation in academic circles worldwide and, not least, a traditional architectural monograph in the making. " — George L. Legendre

Architecture Magazine:
"Required reading." (September 2006)

Architecture Magazine:
"REQUIRED READING..." (September, 2006)

Metropolis:
"This cerebral little manual probes some of the more esoteric aspects of architecture in pursuit of novel approaches to design. . . . Complete with didactic illustrations and diagrams, the book explores how matter and force, history, material science, and the relationship between architecture and culture can inform innovative problem solving." (June 2006)

The Architectural Review:
"In a world where most architectural publishing is unimaginative and kowtows to the convoluted architectural star-system and the main protagonists sophist ideas, Princeton are to be applauded for the breadth of their vision in publishing this book. . . . Reiser and Umemoto are deep and original thinkers and I look forward to a renaissance in their work that fully reflects the wealth of clear ideas that populate this text." (October 2006)

What Happens When the Masses Start Influencing Architecture and Design?, Metropolis :
"This cerebral little manual probes some of the more esoteric aspects of architecture in pursuit of novel approaches to design...

...for the academically inclined the authors serve up some interesting food for thought. Complete with didactic illustrations and diagrams, the book explores how matter and force, history, material science, and the releshonship between architecture and culture can inform innovative problem solving." — Rebecca Cavanaugh (June, 2006)

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