John Pawson is the foremost proponent of minimalism in architecture and design. Already known to designers for his austere yet luxurious interiors, he has attained public acclaim for his high-profile retail projects such as the Clavin Klein flagship store in New York, his celebrity clients like Martha Stewart as his book "Minimum". This book features ten of Pawson's projects, each one treated as a case study of the design process as experienced by architect, client and critic. The author seeks to make the emotional and artistic content of John Pawson's work explicit through a close examination of a range of different projects. Sudjic's text, aided by specially-commissioned pictures, traces the design process, the architect's working methods and his philosophical approach. Sudjic considers the interaction between architect and client, the way in which design is influenced by the processes of construction and making, and explores the nature and significance of the finished scheme.
This book is a record of John Pawson's developing approach to design and his unique position at the meeting point of art and design, and, through that, it offers much wider insights into culture, society and architecture.