The Architecture of Happiness
by Alain De Botton
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Book Summary Information
Author: Alain De BottonEdition: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2006-10-03
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Pantheon
Book Reviews of The Architecture of Happiness
Book Review: Eyes Which Do Not See
Summary: 3 Stars
The Architecture of Happiness is not a rigorous academic study but rather a discourse on the importance of architecture. Architecture affects our minds and souls for better or worse and the author makes a long-winded case for this and ends with a plea that we should expect our buildings to represent that to which we aspire, that they should be beautiful to lead us towards happiness.
The photographs are essential to the book and are very well-chosen whereas the text frequently becomes a bit baroque, obscuring the meaning, or meanders a little too far off course. This is not unusual in criticism, whether it be of restaurants or architecture.
Le Corbusier is unfairly blamed, frequently and at great length, for the misapplication of his pioneering principles by lesser architects. This is a running theme throughout the book and the entire work could be seen as an attack on Le Corbusier. Ironically, Le Corbusier wrote many manifestos espousing the same ideas found in this book and could be even be said to have laid its foundations.
Furthermore, almost all of the photographs chosen to positively illustrate the points in this book might have been better chosen from among photographs of the work of Le Corbusier himself. Few architects have been greater masters of raw concrete (Chandigarh), or of proportions and scale (Unité d'Habitation), of fenestration (Villa La Roche), beautiful ramps and stairs (Villa Savoie), organic forms (Ronchamp), order (any work), simplicity (the cabanon at Cap Martin), or of the relationship between a building and its surroundings (La Tourette). Certainly no twentieth century architect was so great a master in all these things. In fact, it would certainly be possible to rewrite the entire book using only examples chosen from the work of Le Corbusier to prove its points and do a better job doing so.
The greatest irony is that no architect has been more conscious than Le Corbusier of the importance of the way architecture affects us and how it should be used for the benefit of our minds and souls.
On the other hand, Le Corbusier sometimes rambled a bit in his discourses also.
Despite its shortcomings, I can still recommend this book to anyone interested in architecture and how it affects us. Even architects should read it to see how a layman might view their work and even misunderstand it.
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