Architecture Against Architecture
A Manifesto
-
- Pre-Order
-
- Expected Mar 24, 2026
-
- $13.99
-
- Pre-Order
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
A fourteen-point manifesto to bring architecture into the twenty-first century
Architecture, as we know it, is in crisis. The authority of architects is crumbling, their methods no longer tenable. In a highly critical introspection, architect and writer Reinier de Graaf explores the tough choices ahead and the course of action that must follow.
Architecture Against Architecture demands we rethink both how and why we build. With wit and insight, De Graaf lays out the future of the profession, challenging readers to question the fundamental assumptions of the discipline. How do we end the feudal veneration of starchitects? When will architects finally recognize that it is in their own best interest to unionize? Why aren’t more practices collectively owned? Why do so many architects over sixty-seven refuse to retire? How do we stop buildings from being copy-righted? What will remain of architecture after AI? What can prevent iconic structures from being embroiled in money laundering? And the vital question: What projects should architects refuse on moral grounds?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Architecture is out of touch with the issues of the day—climate change, economic inequality, and political instability—and must reinvent itself as a "force for good," according to this fiery if incomplete treatise. Dutch architect de Graaf (Architect, Verb) contends that architectural firms exploit their workers, that their founders stay too long (Brazilian architect Oscar Neiemeyer was still designing buildings at 104), that their principals take credit for what is collaborative work, that architectural education ignores practice for theory, and that more attention is unjustly paid to client desires than user needs. To address these ills de Graaf offers numerous recommendations, including for architects to unionize, retire at age 67, make architectural education more hands-on and affordable, utilize AI for "frivolous" design choices while allowing architects to focus on more important ones, and adapt existing buildings rather than demolishing them and designing new ones. Many of de Graaf's accusations are logical and indisputable, though he's less clear about how his proposed reforms might be implemented or how the political activism he advocates might be made compatible with the goals of architecture. De Graaf raises salient points about architecture's place in the world, but readers may be left with more questions than answers.
