Ehrlich Yanai: Outside-In—New California Modernism by Nancy Griffin; Introduction by Zahid Sardar
Recipient of the 2015 Firm Award from the American Institute
of Architects, EYRC Architects has worked in a multitude of typologies. This
book focuses on 15 single-family residences by the E (Steven Ehrlich, FAIA) and Y (Takashi Yanai, FAIA). The projects span from the
northern town of Ross in Marin County, to the southern enclave of Laguna Beach,
with a brief detour to Houston, where the client desired that “California
spirit.” Sardar’s essay, “The Nature of Houses,” frames the work through
California modernist history, along with seminal influences of African culture,
Japanese architecture, and minimalist art. After a few brief descriptive
paragraphs and a spread of architectural drawings, caption-less photos show the
homes in sun-drenched glory. Strongly emphasizing the photography does exactly
what the book attempts: to seduce observers by placing them into the space
between building and landscape.
The Monacelli Press, 2019, 240 pages,
hardcover,$60.
