Joe Gilmore
Joe Gilmore
American Framing book design by Joe Gilmore for Paul Preissner, Park Books Joe Gilmore graphic design
Joe Gilmore graphic design
Joe Gilmore graphic design
Joe Gilmore graphic design
American Framing book design by Joe Gilmore for Paul Preissner, Park Books Joe Gilmore graphic design
Joe Gilmore graphic design
Joe Gilmore graphic design
Joe Gilmore graphic design
Joe Gilmore graphic design
Joe Gilmore graphic design
American Framing book design by Joe Gilmore for Paul Preissner, Park Books Joe Gilmore graphic design

American Framing, The Same Something for Everyone
Paul Andersen, Jayne Kelley, Paul Preissner
Published by Park Books, Switzerland, 2023
Softback, 252 pp., 210 × 229 mm
ISBN 978-3-03860-195-1

This book was commissioned to document the U.S. pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. From its origins in the Midwest in the early nineteenth century, the technique of light timber framing – also known at the time as 'Chicago construction' – quickly came to underwrite the territorial and ideological expansion of the United States. Softwood construction was inherently practical, as its materials were readily available and required little skill to assemble. American Framing is a visual and textual exploration of the social, environmental, and architectural conditions and consequences of this ubiquitous form of construction. The publication is bookended by two image essays. The layout is structured around different types of content: two photographic bodies of work by Chris Strong and Daniel Shea; photographs  of the U.S. pavilion; architectural plans; and essays on architecture. The book is printed on several paper stocks with fold-out sections. Printed and bound in Switzerland.