The conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern catapulted the Basel-based practice Herzog & de Meuron from a highly rated insider tip into the top league of international architecture, their achievements recognised by such awards as the Pritzker prize in 2001 and the Praemium Imperiale in 2007. Their spectacular "Birds Nest" Olympic stadium in Beijing finally made them a household name.

The forthcoming fourth volume of the complete works of Herzog & de Meuron (edited by Gerhard Mack and published by Birkhäuser) spans the years from 1997 to 2001, so covering the projects of the time just after the beginning of the Tate Modern project. The projects and structures they have built since then are distinguished by the sensitive treatment of materials and are placed in a topographical conception of architecture that not only locates their designs in a larger context but also frequently structures them as landscapes. The structures presented include such icons of contemporary architecture as the Prada store in Tokyo Aoyama and the Allianz Arena in Munich, where the opening game of the 2006 Soccer World Cup was played. Groundbreaking museum structures such as the Schaulager near Basel, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the De Young Museum in San Francisco continue the discourse on what constitutes a truly contemporary presentation of modern art.

The years from 1997 to 2001 encompasses the highest number of realised projects in the history of Herzog & de Meuron to date – so high in fact, that the material has become as vast as their global building activities. It is against this background that the layout of volume 4 of the complete works has been completely redesigned in comparison to the three predecessor volumes. In the main part of the publication Herzog & de Meuron themselves comment on their experiences with the selected projects presented.

From above: Bibliothek Cottbus. Photo Future Photography / Erica Overmeer; Prada Aoyama, Tokyo. Photo Iwan Baan; Caixa Forum, Madrid. Photo Iwan Baan; Rehab Basel. Photo Ruedi Walti; Schaulager Basel. Photo Ruedi Walti