Product Description

Expanding Architecture presents a new generation of creative design carried out in the service of the greater public and the greater good. Questioning how design can improve daily lives, editors Bryan Bell and Katie Wakeford map an emerging geography of architectural activism--or "public-interest architecture"--that might function akin to public-interest law or medicine by expanding architecture's all too often elite client base. With 30 essays by practicing architects and designers, urban and community planners, historians, landscape architects, environmental designers and members of other fields, this volume presents recent work from around the world that illustrates the ways in which design can address issues of social justice, allow individuals and communities to plan and improve their own lives and serve a much larger percentage of the population than it has in the past. This new inclusionary practice must define new services and new processes, and these are illuminated in the generously illustrated texts as well.
Building on the momentum of Bell's Good Deeds, Good Design and other recent landmark publications such as Rural Studio and Design Like You Give a Damn, Expanding Architecture examines evolving notions of socially conscious practice and serves as a guide for designers who are willing to take on the social, economic and environmental challenges we face today.
Bryan Bell is the Executive Director of the Raleigh, North Carolina-based Design Corps, which he founded in 1991 to provide community service through architecture. His other initiatives include the Design Corps Fellowship program, the Design Corps Summer Studio and the Structures for Inclusion annual conference. In 2007 he received a National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects.
Katie Wakeford received her M.Arch from North Carolina State University School of Architecture, where she became interested in community design. She began working with Design Corps in 2002, and currently serves as an intern architect with the North Carolina State College of Design's Home Environments Design Initiative, a research and community outreach endeavor focused on affordable and sustainable housing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #175225 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-01
• Released on: 2008-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781933045788
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"This is the Barack Obama of books. It tells a story about the change we need in the fields of architecture and urban design, professions that have lost their way, easily seduced by wealthy clients. And much like the presidential Democrat, this book of slightly radical ideas is attractively packaged in a way that can't be easily dismissed. Editors Bryan Bell and Katie Wakeford have compiled 30 essays by leading architects and designers across the U.S. - all accompanied by gorgeous photography. Each focuses on issues of social justice and design, and most succeed in making a compelling case for architects, urban planners and landscape designers to stop whatever they're doing and begin working for the greater public good...The authors' earnest and passionate voices come through in almost every paragraph, making this book a heartfelt journey as much as an educational one."

- Matthew Blackett, AZURE Magazine --AZURE Magazine November/December 2008

Review

"...This visually rich book, (published by Metropolis Books) is an inspiring read for anyone, but its clear and instructive descriptions also make it a reference book of sorts for those interested in acting through architecture...

This book presents diverse examples of architectural projects directed towards the greater public good, in stories told from the perspectives of the architects. The stories aren't about the individuals themselves, but about their experiences. As they discuss projects that range from a public transit shelter in a disadvantaged neighborhood to new dwellings in a rural part of Taiwan, each designer describes the design process, challenges they faced and the proposed solutions...

Expanding Architecture is arranged into eight chapters of various topics that allow designers of all interests to relate. As a professional designer, I found it easy to be inspired by a project. What I found extremely helpful was that this book offered guidance on how to proceed with projects in a similar way to those described, showing me exactly how I could make a difference myself. The architects profiled discuss their processes step by step, telling what worked and the actions they took. It's wonderful to have a collection of stories that so strongly makes this point, by showing the broad array of projects that are already making a difference, and hopefully inspiring more like them in the future.

Review
"Their intent is that if architecture can be reexamined along all fronts, it can wield preventative as well as sustainable and restorative benefits for the public-- a sizeable promotion from the reactive role architecture has historically played.

Expanding Architecture argues that environmental sustainability, though still relevant and important, is insufficient to yield well-intended architecture. Rather, a combination of sustainability and its less charismatic cousin, public interest, make up the ideal ticket for equity and adequacy in design within a world faced with economic, social, and environmental turmoil.

Expanding Architecture is a thorough handbook that will no doubt become a staple resource for the field of public architecture..."

- Dana Nishimura Bryan, Assoc. AIA

Customer Reviews

Not Just for Designers
I'm about half-way through this book and am already amazed at all the ways designers have made a difference in their local communities, and beyond. Because a range of projects, small to large, have been included it is even more inspiring to be able to imagine how one person with a good idea and the energy to implement it could have a big impact. I think that even those outside the design profession would find that some of the included projects could serve as a model for how other professions can make similar contributions. I've had other people who are not designers pick up my book and start flipping through and ask if they can read it when I finish. I can't wait to read the rest and pass it on!

Enthusiastically recommended to anyone with a serious interest in expanding the humanitarian role of modern architecture
Expanding Architecture Design as Activism collects thirty in-depth essays about the concept of "public-interest architecture", that is, building designs created explicitly with the benefit of the public in mind. Illustrated with full-color photography on virtually every page, individual essays discuss examples ranging from building housing or water systems to best serve the needs of a refugee population, to participatory planning in a Taiwanese mountain village that transforms an abandoned creek into swimming ponds for the village's future, to exploring different ways to create strong designs with minimal environmental impact, all at a reasonable profit. Enthusiastically recommended to anyone with a serious interest in expanding the humanitarian role of modern architecture, from professionals in the field to any concerned citizen voting on city planning projects.

Good design can be Everywhere!
This book is filled with examples of good designs that redefine architectural resources. I am challenged to share architectural ways of thinking and space making in my own town. This book shows how good design can improve the way we work and live together!