"Rethinking Architecture" offers a refreshing take on the statement of architecture -- what we mean by what we build. Brought together for the first time, this collection of core writings on architecture by many of the key philosophers and cultural theorists of the twentieth century reconsiders many of the accepted tenets of architectural theory from a broader cultural perspective. "Rethinking Architecture" represents a careful selection of the very best theoretical writings on the ideas which have shaped our cities and our experiences around architecture. Neil Leach lays out five sections composing the predominant schools of twentieth century thought. Sectional introductions link important ideas and themes, and surveys of the lives and works of each theorist preface their writings.
A very well prepared text that eclipes the boundries of typical architectural thought. The collections of essays outside the field of architecture allow insight to those without direct architectural training. The text reveals the intertextual nature of the world of architecture while challenging the architect to question the meaning of the architect as creator.
Excellent review of five major trends in contemporary architectural discourse: Modernism, Post-Modernism, Structuralism, Post-Structuralism, and Feminism.
The fact that it's a survey and I can remember the categories it covers a year after finishing speaks well of it.