As in the past, anyone who builds a country house today will want the first sight of it to impress, but they will also have requirements suited to 21st-century life. ADAM Architecture has an international reputation for its diverse portfolio, and its country houses are among the practice's most admired work. 'The Country House Ideal' explores the way in which ADAM Architecture uses historical precedents, including construction techniques, materials and layout, to give expression to thoroughly modern projects. While the practice is famed for classical design, the houses featured here are far from pastiche, and could have been built at no other time than our own. Architectural historian Jeremy Musson first sets the modern country house in its rich historical context, then presents a series of magnificent new houses, arranged into chapters reflecting a variety of traditional styles: Anglo-Classical, Rural Romantics, Palladian and Neoclassical. This lavishly illustrated book reveals how, in an ADAM Architecture design, such considerations as energy conservation, technology and sustainability receive meticulous attention all in pursuit of the country house ideal. AUTHOR: Jeremy Musson is an architectural historian, writer and broadcaster. Formerly Architectural Editor of Country Lifemagazine, he is the author of 'English Ruins' (with Paul Barker; Merrell, 2011) and several books on English country houses, including 'English Country House Interiors' (2011). SELLING POINTS: . The first book devoted to the country houses of one of the world's leading practices specialising in classical design . Focuses in-depth on 19 new houses in England and Scotland in a range of styles, all specially photographed for the book . Written by a well-known expert on the history of country houses 270 colour photos, 6 plans