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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I love this guy's writing. Subtle, but insightful and funny.
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
I didn't finish reading it, but it wasn't my favorite Alain de Botton book. It didn't have the sense of focus and direction others of his books had. There were gems here and there throughout the book, which is why I kept reading until my library loan ended.
Yet the bridge testifies to how closely a certain kind of beauty is bound up with our admiration for strength, for man-made objects which can withstand the life-destroying forces of heat, cold, gravity, or wind.
"Annotating what architecture talks to us about would not on its own ever be able to explain what it is about certain buildings that makes them appear to speak beautifully."
"To call a work of architecture or design beautiful is to recognize it as a rendition of values critical to our flourishing, a transubstantiation of our individual ideals in a material medium."
"To call a work of architecture or design beautiful is to recognize it as a rendition of values critical to our flourishing, a transubstantiation of our individual ideals in a material medium."
informative
slow-paced
Nothing surprising, though I may not be the target audience as someone who has studied architecture. Some points made do seem a bit dated now, and some with little foundation. I did find the last couple of chapters far more interesting than the rest of it.
Alain de Botton attacks yet again an engaging subject in « The Architecture of Happiness », exploring not only shapes, forms and aesthetics but also the experience created around a space.
The perfect balance of settings laid out for the readers, awaking your senses and imagination, and historical facts, allows for de Botton to reach a larger audience. He manages to transform what usually constitutes a long, painful read of impersonal and plainly expressed arguments into a light, educating book containing both a critic of the society and an interesting and different take on the duty and purpose of architecture. Alain de Botton pleads that architecture moves from the academy to applied practice in exploring more the psychological effects of its erection on the body and mind of the people it affects.
So many annotations! Loved it. I return to my notes everytime I feel unspired in my work. The reason I became an interior designer is because of the strong emotional bond I have with buildings and homes. I always hope to leave a home feeling like a piece of the person living in it. So that people can just tell who has loved this home...
Simple, well-argued critique of architecture. Best architecture book I have read since Tom Wolfe's "From Bauhaus to Our House"
In many ways, this is a political book. It has a lot to say about morality and our facades.
In many ways, this is a political book. It has a lot to say about morality and our facades.
Thought provoking at some points, but nowhere near as good as Essays on Love (which was excellent) to me.