The impressive "Before and After" story at the center of this book concerns a 1960s department store in the German town of Neuss. With its uniform facade of ceramic tiles, this building was the height of modernity when it was constructed. Three decades later it was an eyesore — until the architectural firm Ingenhoven & Ingenhoven rescued its walls from the wrecking ball and turned it into a multi-use facility with offices, a theater, a movie house, and retail space.
