Architecture matters. It matters to cities, the planet, and human lives.
How architects design and what they build has an impact that usually
lasts for generations. The more we understand architecture--the deeper
we probe the decisions and designs that go into making a building--the
better our world becomes.
Aaron Betsky, architect, author, curator, former museum director, and
currently the dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture,
guides readers into the rich and complex world of contemporary
architecture. Combining his early experiences as an architect with his
extensive experience as a jury member selecting the world's most
prominent and cutting-edge architects to build icons for cities, Betsky
possesses rare insight into the mechanisms, politics, and personalities
that play a role in how buildings in our societies and urban centers
come to be. In approximately fifty themes, drawing on his inside
knowledge of the architectural world, he explores a broad spectrum of
topics, from the meaning of domestic space to the spectacle of the urban
realm. Accessible, instructive, and hugely enjoyable, Why Architecture
Matters will open the eyes of anyone dreaming of becoming an architect,
and will bring a wry smile to anyone who already is.
