Yona Friedman presents a personal
selection of half a century of his work. In 1958 Yona Friedman published his
first manifesto on "mobile architecture" and founded GEAM (Groupe d'Etude
d'Architecture Mobile), which proposed different strategies and actions geared
to the adaptation of architectural creation to modern user requirements
concerning social and physical mobility.
In this initial manifesto, Friedman points out that architectural knowledge
cannot be the exclusive property of professionals and specialists, and suggests
writing guides ("manuals"), which explain topics related to architecture and
urban planning in clear and simple terms. Following some recent publications
that have reasserted the importance of Friedman's work, Pro Domo is "a
collection of fragments of scattered topics," a set of "milestones" selected by
the author himself. In his words, these highlights are not meant as a testament
nor do they, form a coherent whole." Instead, they form a personal selection
chosen according to their sentimental value and span fifty-year period of
production dating from the foundation of GEAM.
The book includes building structure studies, urban design theories,
observations on regional development, as well as design manuals for
self-construction and competition projects.
