A. Quincy Jones: Building for Better Living Book

While A. Quincy Jones is most recognized as an architect of glamorous homes owned by Los Angeles' cultural elite, he was equally dedicated to less prosperous clients - middle-class families who were quickly populating the postwar Southern California landscape. As this fascinating book reveals, Jones and his collaborators were truly ahead of their time. Their vision of creating affordable, sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing structures prefigured the advent of several important architectural trends such as innovative and sustainable building designs, maximization of available space, careful detailing, and sensitive site planning. Filled with images from noted photographer Jason Schmidt, as well as with period photographs by Julius Shulman and others, this volume looks at every aspect of Jones' career. Original drawings, models, and furniture designs from the architect's personal archives illustrate a wide variety of projects featuring the hallmarks of Jones' style: soaring interior spaces, the blurring of indoor and outdoor spaces, laminated timber construction, angled walls, and innovate use of concrete, redwood, and glass. Essays explore Jones' quintessentially collaborative nature as he consulted with other noted architects, landscapers, interior designers, developers and city planners to create buildings of lasting beauty and importance.