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Hotel
as Home: The Art of Living on the Road, by Gary
Chang.
Architect Gary Chang (of EDGE
Design Institute) is known mainly for his Suitcase
House, a building that is actually a hotel near the
Great Wall of China. It features a wonderfully creative
interior comprised of folding panels and hidden spaces.
Given the flexibility that comes from the multitude of possible
configurations of the panels, it's apparent that Chang wants
to make travel special. So it's no surprise that he authored
a book that presents his favorite hotels from around the
world.
Like many other architects today, Chang spends a great
deal of time away from home - 1/3 according to the introduction.
With all that time on the road he has stayed at a wide range
of hotels, from a Communist-era renovation to the latest
trendy number in New York. Some of my favorites (unfortunately
not from personal experience) include Jean Nouvel's Hotel
and the Hotel Zürichberg
in Switzerland, the Metropolitan
in Bangkok, and the Vigilius
Mountain Resort in Northern Italy. It's the wide range
of styles and types of hotels that makes Chang's account
documented here so refreshing. Unlike other design-oriented
books on hotels that focus solely on what's new and fashionable,
Chang's taste is all over the place. His sketch plans and
photographs also give the reader a more personal take on
the surroundings than most professionally photographed books,
though the cropping and detail-oriented focus of the photos
leave one yearning for a bit more.
. . or . . 
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