Books

by or contributed to by

Herbert Wright

People Place Purpose Poetry

A wonderful, sumptuously illustrated book about Mecanoo led by Francine Houben, their philoshophy and projects all around the world. It's big - 500kg, and over 3kg! I wrote the text, part of an amazing and huge team effort!

This monograph published 2023

Be.Hive UK Pavilion Milan Expo 2015 Limited Edition Book

by Wolfgang Butress, edited by and with contributions from Herbert Wright
The Hive won the Gold Award for Best Pavilion from the Bureau International des Expositions

People Place Purpose

by Francine Houben

Preface essay by Herbert Wright

mecanoo architects, 2015

Instant Cities (Black Dog 2008)

Editor and author of this major volume exploring issues of the contemporary metropolis. Includes essays from academic and practising architectural contributors. Themes:
Masterplanning v Growth (from New Towns to Third World slums), Utopia v Dystopia (including urban philosophy), Fantasy v Reality (including the Future City in film), Nuclear v Distributed (urban morphology), Nomadic v Rooted (from refugee camps and mass transit systems), Global v Local (urban identity and city networks) and Humanity v The Planet (eco-issues)

Skyscrapers- Fabulous Buildings That Reach For the Sky (Parragon 2008)

Skyscrapers from the lost nineteenth century masterpieces of Chicago and New York, through Art Deco, the International Style and Post-Modernism to new and planned supertalls such as the Burj Khalifa and Seoul’s Super Lotte Tower. 124 skyscrapers are examined in detail.
In the US this was published as Skyscrapers Reach for The Sky.

London High (Frances Lincoln 2006)

The past, present and future of London’s skyscrapers- architecture, engineering, politics, planning, property speculation, green issues, and key personalities. 125 skyscrapers examined in detail.
Good reviews in The Times (London), Building Design and Architects Journal

I have contributed to:

Beyond the Green Door (2014)

I am a leading commentator-contributor (actually, with most comments of all!) to Belgian curators Rotor's book of the show they curated at the Oslo Architectural Trienalle 2013. A remarkable Critical Look at Sustainable Architecture through 600 Objects

A Weird and wonderful Guide to London (le cool publishing 2008)
Contributor to maybe the best ever alternative guidebook to maybe the best ever city, edited by Mat Osman