Product Description

A provocative look at architecture—"exceptionally intelligent and original" (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World)

Deyan Sudjic—"probably the most influential figure in architecture you’ve never heard of" — argues that architecture, far from being auteur art, must be understood as a naked expression of power. From the grandiose projects of Stalin and Hitler to the "theme park" excess of today’s presidential libraries, Sudjic goes behind the scenes of history’s great manipulators of building propaganda—and exposes Rem Koolhaas, Frank Gehry, and other architects in a disturbing new light. This controversial book is essential reading for all those interested in the power of architecture—or the architecture of power.
* A Washington Post Book World Best Book of the Year

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #314545 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-28
• Released on: 2006-11-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
Sudjic grasps what too many critics miss. -- San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author
Deyan Sudjic is the architecture critic of the Observer in London. The author of many previous books on architecture, he was the editor of the Italian magazine Domus and director of the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Customer Reviews

The Power in Stone: 21st century architectural version of "The Prince".... awesome!
It took me some time to figure out what the Edifice Complex meant.


I first thought, being an "English Patient" in the realms of


English-speaking world, edifice complex meant something like "Sports


Complex". Later I found out that it was a derivitive of Oedipus Complex,


that there is a psychology in a poweful man, an urge to make a mark, a


desire to control, and an ambition to build. To build big and high.





I found this book particulary interesting because it focuses on the


side of clients, their hidden chambers of obsessions, disguised in


the form of political beliefs, orchestrated and realized by the hands


of architects. Plenty of different types of influential clients and


their episodes are portrayed.





Some stories are old (or well known)and some stories are new. To the old


stories, like that of Hitler/Mitterrand/Hussein, Sudjic gave a different


bent, to the new and lesser knowns, like that of


Mao/Rockerfeller/Agnelli/ US Presidents, Sudjic wrote electrifying lines.





Another remarkable aspect of the book is the political skills of many


past and current star architects. Johnson/ Pei/ Piano/


Koolhaas/ Gehry (and many more mentioned in the book) are illustrated as


true Machiavellian architects of this century that have tongue and pen to


realize the dreams of their Princes.





In the conclusion, Sudjic sums up by showing what kind of prevailing


architectural garments are out there for different political strategists.


The author also kindly guides us to the further readings that pertain to


the subject matter of the book.





One thing that made my head skew: Why are Blair and Libeskind beaten


when, in contrast, following French President and English Architect


mentioned in the book are promoted? Does it explain Sudjic's political


stance and his allies? Just a thought...

Art, architecture and power hold sway over all of us, whether or not we realize it ...
The reins of power can be fleeting or be erased with the passage of time, but the architecture of the world has made bold statements on the lives of those who once ruled and wooed the world. News events and crises can sometimes be quickly forgotten in a week or so, but imagery of palaces, museums, coliseums, theme parks, libraries, castles, pyramids and other landmarks are indelibly planted in our minds and visual memories. Is there anyone whom, when mentioning New York or Paris, cannot help but visualize the World Trade Center or the Eiffel Tower? Art, architecture and power hold sway over all of us, whether or not we realize it. Architecture is a statement of power, raw power. It is a lasting legacy of those who don't want to drift into obscurity . . . ever.

An Edifice Complex can loosely be defined as a politician or leader who wants to leave behind a structure, sometimes preferably a behemoth, as a part of his or her "legacy." Deyan Sudjic, prolific architectural author, prefers to think of architecture not as an art form, but rather as a "naked expression of power." In his fascinating newest release (which incidentally reads like a novel), THE EDIFICE COMPLEX: How the Rich and Powerful-and Their Architects-Shape the World, Sudjic postulates this theory citing the architectural legacies of the likes of Hitler to Hussein, with a little help from their friends, the actual architects.

It is no secret that Adolph Hitler would have loved to be an architect, but few realize that Saddam Hussein may well have had a similar desire to be a master builder and architect. Hussein modeled "himself on Nebuchadnezzar and on Stalin." His lavish State Mosque and statement of power had room for some 30,000 worshipers, the largest Islamic mosque the Islamic world had ever seen. Sudjic casually writes about many leaders and wealthy people, some well known, others obscure, who hoped to make their mark throughout eternity with their structures. According to him, "It {architecture} cannot make us live forever, but architecture can be used to confront our fear of death, and to offer the hope of some kind of permanence."

I thought this book would be as dry as a bone, but the author had a way with words and numerous stories that actually made it quite interesting. The book drew me in quite quickly when he related the story of how Emil Hácha fainted from the sheer force and intimidation of Hitler and the architecture of the German Reich. Obviously this book would have a narrow readership, particularly those with an interest in architecture, but the eclectic reader certainly wouldn't be disappointed.