Sick City

A Global Investigation into Urbanism, Infrastructure and Disease

Hilary Sample

A treatise on urban pathologies, Sick City is about the first global epidemic of the 21st century, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which claimed lives, infected thousands, quarantined tens of thousands, devastated economies and reconfigured urban infrastructures. In our globally mobile and interconnected world, disease and disaster are never isolated to one country or region. SARS originated in China and surfaced in Europe, North and South America and throughout Asia during 2003. In this thought-provoking book, author Hilary Sample, a Boston-based architect and teacher, takes a long and sober look at the SARS epidemic, considering how urban areas and their infrastructures can respond to crises in public health, and suggesting that maintenance and expansion for the future development of cities require flexibility. The author considers potential catastrophic events resulting in urban trauma – a subject that is extremely timely when issues like bird flu and terrorism are in the news.

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STAUFER & HASLER ARCHITECTS

Theory – Methods – Buildings

A beautiful slipcased three-volume set on the work of the much admired Swiss firm of Staufer & Hasler Architects. All of their diverse buildings have in common the continuous search for concise structures of space, and buildings which give an instinctive identity to the construction job and the site. The first volume is devoted to the theoretical research work of principals Astrid Staufer and Thomas Hasler. The second volume concentrates on the teaching activity of the duo, focusing on their approach to the interaction between drawing, designing and discussion. The third, most extensive volume presents the office’s design work, arranged in thematic order. With articles by Staufer, Hasler and Gian-Marco Jenatsch.

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