Architecture Depends
Jeremy Till • 2009
In Short
An architect criticizes architecture’s rejection of contingency and calls for a re-focusing of the profession on its political, social, and cultural significance.
In Depth
Who's the author?
Jeremy Till is an architect and teacher. He has taught and acted as head of architecture at University of Arts London, University of Westminister, and University of Sheffield. He has represented Britain at the 2006 Venice Architecture Biennale and works at Sarah Wigglesworth Architects where he practices architecture with his partner Sarah Wigglesworth.
What's the intention?
Till is making an extended critique of architectural practices that refuse the forces of contingency, which he explains as the uncertain, but inevitable, forces of everyday life and other people. He sets out to show why architects have come to think this way, why it‘s harmful for our designed environments, and what an alternative approach might look like.
Who's it for?
The book reads like it’s written mostly for architects and architectural students. Till mixes in personal anecdotes and opinions alongside his points which gives the text the feel of a conversation between professionals over drinks. I sense the argument of the book is a very personal one, so it makes sense that Till has a very personal voice to deliver it and a very targeted audience to deliver it to.
So what?
I’m not an architect, but I have often remarked on the parallels between architecture and interaction design. Till’s book is one of the few architecture books where those parallels come close to the surface (though not explicitly). Maybe that’s because Till is playing the role of agitator, making assertions that go against more traditional architectural thinking. Nonetheless, an interaction designer can read this and start to see ways of infiltrating the established practices for designing the built environment.
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