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Bricks & Mortals: Ten Great Buildings and the People They Made
A brilliant exploration of architecture through ten of the world’s great buildings.
We don’t just look at buildings: their facades, beautiful or ugly, conceal the spaces where we live. We are born, work, love, and die in architecture. We buy and sell it, rent and squat it, create and destroy it. All of these aspects of buildings—economic, erotic, political, and psychological—are crucial if we are to understand architecture properly. And because architecture molds us just as much as we mold it, understanding architecture helps us to understand our lives and our world.
In this book, ten buildings from across the globe tell stories of architecture from the beginning of civilization to the present day. From the remains of the Tower of Babel to the Summer Palace in Beijing, built and destroyed by Europeans, to the Ford car plant where the production line was born, Tom Wilkinson unpicks these structures to reveal the lives of the people who built and used them. Architecture has always had a powerful and intimate relationship with society and the lives of those who build and live with it. It has often been used to try and improve society. But can architecture change our lives for the better?
The buildings are: the Tower of Babel, Babylon; Nero’s Golden House, Rome; Djinguereber Mosque, Timbuktu; Palazzo Rucellai, Florence; the Garden of Perfect Brightness, Beijing; the Festival Theatre, Beyreuth; E.1027, Cap Martin; Highland Park Ford Plant, Detroit; and the Finsbury Health Centre, London.
We don’t just look at buildings: their facades, beautiful or ugly, conceal the spaces where we live. We are born, work, love, and die in architecture. We buy and sell it, rent and squat it, create and destroy it. All of these aspects of buildings—economic, erotic, political, and psychological—are crucial if we are to understand architecture properly. And because architecture molds us just as much as we mold it, understanding architecture helps us to understand our lives and our world.
In this book, ten buildings from across the globe tell stories of architecture from the beginning of civilization to the present day. From the remains of the Tower of Babel to the Summer Palace in Beijing, built and destroyed by Europeans, to the Ford car plant where the production line was born, Tom Wilkinson unpicks these structures to reveal the lives of the people who built and used them. Architecture has always had a powerful and intimate relationship with society and the lives of those who build and live with it. It has often been used to try and improve society. But can architecture change our lives for the better?
The buildings are: the Tower of Babel, Babylon; Nero’s Golden House, Rome; Djinguereber Mosque, Timbuktu; Palazzo Rucellai, Florence; the Garden of Perfect Brightness, Beijing; the Festival Theatre, Beyreuth; E.1027, Cap Martin; Highland Park Ford Plant, Detroit; and the Finsbury Health Centre, London.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2014
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460 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 26, 2014
I found "Bricks and Mortals" an exceptional read! I am lucky to have received an advanced copy of the book via Goodreads Giveaways, because I would plop down more money than I'm comfortable with to have this book read and resting among my bookshelves.
Tom Wilkinson provides such an expert job in overcoming the drudgeries of such a mechanical field--architecture--by bringing architecture into a discourse of its relationships and tangibilities with the world. What a relief considering my mindset! I have been accumulating a significant body of works on general art--art histories, artist biographies, art theory, books devoted to a single art piece, the psychology of art--and art's various modes--paint, illustration, cinema, music, sculpture, textiles, even fonts. A hold-out niche for me has been architecture. Apprehension has plagued my mind, because ever since college art history classes I've worried about drowning in the discipline's technicalities and multitudinous components and vocabularies. I do not possess an engineer's mind, and I do not feel natural inclinations toward studies of measurement, angles, and the like. My brief exposure to the architectural discipline left a stigma in my mind.
"Bricks and Mortals" takes the reader on such a different, unique approach though, I feel refreshed and enthusiastic toward architecture and confident in conversing about the discipline with others. Wilkinson uses a thematic philosophical approach, pulling from a variety of fields: history, psychology, sociology, art itself, literature, even politics. He discusses causes and effects. He "reads between the lines." He brings connection and importance of architecture within the community and with the rest of the world. Wilkinson takes a particular building and develops an entire chapterial essay on: its construction, its purpose(s), the people directly involved in its production and use, its influence locally and abroad, its legacy(ies), its style representation--its meaning(s), its essence. From ancient Babylon to feudal Shanghai to modern-day London to Rennaisance Venice to early-1900s Detroit to early Timbuktu, the buildings he showcases are from all times and places.
Among other themes and concepts, Wilkinson considers: primitive vs. civilized architecture, power & authority and architecture, morality and architecture (for instance, can an evil creator make a building evil?), the memorialization of architecture, how architecture and commerce work together, imperialism and architecture, the relationships between architecture and entertainment and politics and sexuality and work, and the tandem between architectural and medical advancements.
I won't be giving away any spoilers now, mind you. The chapter on the E.1027 house (built in the 1920s on the French Riviera), for example, considers architecture and sex. How does architecture and sex link up, and in what ways has architecture affected human sexuality? Just in this one chapter, Wilkinson links together such seemingly unrelated things: women as architects, architect Le Corbusier, Freudian psychology, David Bowie, Ovid, Bocaccio's "The Decameron", Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Amsterdam's red-light district, Virginia Woolf, Manet, people who marry objects, the Berlin Wall, German cinema, voyeurism, and the reality show "Big Brother"--to name but a few discussion points.
The perspectives provided, and the extensive amount of provoked thought, nearly overwhelmed me. Some days I felt I could only read one chapter so I could reflect on all the material I absorbed. Wilkinson's insights set me up for looking at the world in a newer, more complete light.
I would highly recommend perusing "Bricks and Mortals" for mental stimulation. If you want a clearer, fuller understanding of architecture's importance, practicality, and influence, on our every day lives and society's trends, this is the book for you. While you may not fully agree with Wilkinson's opinions or descriptions, you cannot deny the education he will provide you in this book.
"Bricks and Mortals" is truly a spectacular achievement, one which I will refer to--and probably, which is rare for me, reread--time and again. Insightful, delightful, and definitive, a whole new way of viewing architecture and considering the world around you awaits in this book. So what are you waiting for? Get started already!
Tom Wilkinson provides such an expert job in overcoming the drudgeries of such a mechanical field--architecture--by bringing architecture into a discourse of its relationships and tangibilities with the world. What a relief considering my mindset! I have been accumulating a significant body of works on general art--art histories, artist biographies, art theory, books devoted to a single art piece, the psychology of art--and art's various modes--paint, illustration, cinema, music, sculpture, textiles, even fonts. A hold-out niche for me has been architecture. Apprehension has plagued my mind, because ever since college art history classes I've worried about drowning in the discipline's technicalities and multitudinous components and vocabularies. I do not possess an engineer's mind, and I do not feel natural inclinations toward studies of measurement, angles, and the like. My brief exposure to the architectural discipline left a stigma in my mind.
"Bricks and Mortals" takes the reader on such a different, unique approach though, I feel refreshed and enthusiastic toward architecture and confident in conversing about the discipline with others. Wilkinson uses a thematic philosophical approach, pulling from a variety of fields: history, psychology, sociology, art itself, literature, even politics. He discusses causes and effects. He "reads between the lines." He brings connection and importance of architecture within the community and with the rest of the world. Wilkinson takes a particular building and develops an entire chapterial essay on: its construction, its purpose(s), the people directly involved in its production and use, its influence locally and abroad, its legacy(ies), its style representation--its meaning(s), its essence. From ancient Babylon to feudal Shanghai to modern-day London to Rennaisance Venice to early-1900s Detroit to early Timbuktu, the buildings he showcases are from all times and places.
Among other themes and concepts, Wilkinson considers: primitive vs. civilized architecture, power & authority and architecture, morality and architecture (for instance, can an evil creator make a building evil?), the memorialization of architecture, how architecture and commerce work together, imperialism and architecture, the relationships between architecture and entertainment and politics and sexuality and work, and the tandem between architectural and medical advancements.
I won't be giving away any spoilers now, mind you. The chapter on the E.1027 house (built in the 1920s on the French Riviera), for example, considers architecture and sex. How does architecture and sex link up, and in what ways has architecture affected human sexuality? Just in this one chapter, Wilkinson links together such seemingly unrelated things: women as architects, architect Le Corbusier, Freudian psychology, David Bowie, Ovid, Bocaccio's "The Decameron", Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Amsterdam's red-light district, Virginia Woolf, Manet, people who marry objects, the Berlin Wall, German cinema, voyeurism, and the reality show "Big Brother"--to name but a few discussion points.
The perspectives provided, and the extensive amount of provoked thought, nearly overwhelmed me. Some days I felt I could only read one chapter so I could reflect on all the material I absorbed. Wilkinson's insights set me up for looking at the world in a newer, more complete light.
I would highly recommend perusing "Bricks and Mortals" for mental stimulation. If you want a clearer, fuller understanding of architecture's importance, practicality, and influence, on our every day lives and society's trends, this is the book for you. While you may not fully agree with Wilkinson's opinions or descriptions, you cannot deny the education he will provide you in this book.
"Bricks and Mortals" is truly a spectacular achievement, one which I will refer to--and probably, which is rare for me, reread--time and again. Insightful, delightful, and definitive, a whole new way of viewing architecture and considering the world around you awaits in this book. So what are you waiting for? Get started already!
July 28, 2015
easy reading, not too simple, not too academic, author looks at buildings/architecture via geography, sociology, history, with a bit of a marxist flavor, but that not overly berated. a good book to start one on a study of art, architecture, urban geography, build your appreciation/seeing muscles. wilkinson is i think editor of an architecture journal. has great pictures (not Enoch though) endnotes, super bibliography, index. highlighted places: tower of babel (hah!) ; golden house, rome ; djinguereber mosque, timbuktu ; palazzo rucellai, florence ; garden of perfect brightness, beijing ; festival theatre, bayreuth ; highland park car factory, detroit ; E,2017, cap marin ; finsbury health centre, london (on home place of lenin) ; foobridge , rio de janeiro (cool bridge from "offical" city to giant favela)
June 7, 2015
Couldn't wait for this obnoxious book to end. I tend to get bored quickly by theory, especially when it feels like an author has started with theory and is cherry-picking or bending the truth to match his or her ideas. Wilkinson is so guilty of this, as when, after dismissing the miasma theory of Victorian medicine (and its modern "sick building" counterpart) as the dead-end it is, he then reverses course to suggest that Legionnaires disease contradicts this dismissal! Why? Well, because Wilkinson hates capitalism and modern hospitals are a product of capitalism, so he takes pot shots whenever he can.
This book was almost entirely intellectual masturbation, full of tortuous sentences and pretentious language. Wow, I really hated it. Just realizing that now. It blew.
This book was almost entirely intellectual masturbation, full of tortuous sentences and pretentious language. Wow, I really hated it. Just realizing that now. It blew.
January 6, 2020
This was an ambitious book that tried to use buildings to see how the world was shaped. This then turned into 2 to 3 pages of the history of the actual building to an architectural criticism of the type of building. History was thrown in there, but it didn't seem to be a full blown history of the era and only there to transition to more of the discussion about the architecture. Chapters got really hard to finish and it didn't hold my interest. Kinda a clunker, but you'll get some of those once in a while.
July 4, 2015
I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads.
I received Bricks and Mortals as a Goodreads giveaway and I was impressed with how much information is packed into this book. This is not a book I would have normally picked up for leisurely reading but I really enjoyed learning about how building styles are linked together and the history behind how this came to be. I think I was hooked early on by the opening chapter discussing the Tower of Babel and I also was also intrigued by the Garden of Perfect Brightness in Beijing. Other building focused on in this book are Nero's Golden House, Djinguereber Mosque, Palazzo Rucellai, the Festival Theater, E.1027, Highland Park Car Factory, the Finsbury Health Center, and the Footbridge in Rio de Janeiro.
The biggest difficulty I had with this book is it was not completely finished. With most books, receiving an Advanced Reader Copy is really not an issue, however with this book many (and I mean many) of the images had not been added. When I am reading a book on buildings, I would like to have those images so I do not have to turn around and look up each one of these buildings so I can see what the author is trying to explain to me. The pictures which were included in this book were low resolution so this also did not help much to assist my ability to get the full image of what I was reading about. I would like to see a finished version of this book when it comes out and I am hoping they will include color images to really accent the great information included in the book.
I received Bricks and Mortals as a Goodreads giveaway and I was impressed with how much information is packed into this book. This is not a book I would have normally picked up for leisurely reading but I really enjoyed learning about how building styles are linked together and the history behind how this came to be. I think I was hooked early on by the opening chapter discussing the Tower of Babel and I also was also intrigued by the Garden of Perfect Brightness in Beijing. Other building focused on in this book are Nero's Golden House, Djinguereber Mosque, Palazzo Rucellai, the Festival Theater, E.1027, Highland Park Car Factory, the Finsbury Health Center, and the Footbridge in Rio de Janeiro.
The biggest difficulty I had with this book is it was not completely finished. With most books, receiving an Advanced Reader Copy is really not an issue, however with this book many (and I mean many) of the images had not been added. When I am reading a book on buildings, I would like to have those images so I do not have to turn around and look up each one of these buildings so I can see what the author is trying to explain to me. The pictures which were included in this book were low resolution so this also did not help much to assist my ability to get the full image of what I was reading about. I would like to see a finished version of this book when it comes out and I am hoping they will include color images to really accent the great information included in the book.
July 22, 2014
In one word, fascinating.
Finally, a book that examines the architecture and history of structures, without the need for an art or history degree.
Mr. Wilkinson has created a fresh and fascinating read that weaves the human element with the structures which makes the building's history come to life.
For American history buffs, the chapter on the Highland Park Car Factory, Detroit was especially interesting since an unlikely pair, Henry Ford, a virulent antisemitic, and Albert Kahn, a trained architect and son of a rabbi, come together to create one of the largest automobile factories in the world.
Don't skip over the introduction. That alone was one of the most interesting introductions I've ever read.
I won this pre-release book through GoodReads.
Finally, a book that examines the architecture and history of structures, without the need for an art or history degree.
Mr. Wilkinson has created a fresh and fascinating read that weaves the human element with the structures which makes the building's history come to life.
For American history buffs, the chapter on the Highland Park Car Factory, Detroit was especially interesting since an unlikely pair, Henry Ford, a virulent antisemitic, and Albert Kahn, a trained architect and son of a rabbi, come together to create one of the largest automobile factories in the world.
Don't skip over the introduction. That alone was one of the most interesting introductions I've ever read.
I won this pre-release book through GoodReads.
September 11, 2024
Me ha costado mucho terminar este libro, que he leído en versión traducida. La idea de hacer un recorrido por la historia de la arquitectura a través de edificios singulares me atraía (me encanta la arquitectura), pero la ejecución no me ha convencido tanto. Y eso que las críticas eran buenas.
¿Qué es lo que no me ha convencido? Mi percepción es que Tom Wilkinson en algunos capítulos va de un lado a otro sin un rumbo muy concreto. Por ejemplo, en el último capítulo sobre los retos de los barrios pobres, no me queda claro cuáles son las soluciones más óptimas. A todas les pone un pero (sobre todo si el capital privado es el que lidera), y no acabo de entender el mensaje.
No recomendaría este libro.
¿Qué es lo que no me ha convencido? Mi percepción es que Tom Wilkinson en algunos capítulos va de un lado a otro sin un rumbo muy concreto. Por ejemplo, en el último capítulo sobre los retos de los barrios pobres, no me queda claro cuáles son las soluciones más óptimas. A todas les pone un pero (sobre todo si el capital privado es el que lidera), y no acabo de entender el mensaje.
No recomendaría este libro.
November 24, 2018
A book that captures philosophy, history, sociology, psychology, and architecture under one roof (lol), Bricks and Mortals is one of the most influential books I've read this year. Understanding these realms through architecture vastly changes any space you step into, and it's fair to say it has influenced the way I envision my day to day world more than any other book I've read has. Highly recommend.
May 27, 2024
Well researched and informative, but not too theory heavy. An easy read.
November 7, 2025
I am glad I read this book. This was an interesting read. For me, it even got more interesting as the author talked about architecture and health. There were lots of rich stories throughout.
February 6, 2015
"Bricks and Mortals: Ten Great Buildings and the People That They Made" by Tom Wilkinson
(I received this e-book from netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. It will be published in about July.)
Right off the bat I'll tell you the buildings, this isn't a spoiler considering you can see them in the book descriptions at various websites:
-Tower of Babel, Babylon
-Nero’s Golden House, Rome
-Djinguereber Mosque, Timbuktu
-Palazzo Rucellai, Florence
-Garden of Perfect Brightness, Beijing
-Festival Theatre, Beyreuth
-E.1027, Cap Martin
-Highland Park Ford Plant, Detroit
-Finsbury Health Centre, London
-Footbridge, Rio de Janeiro
There is a great amount of variety between these buildings; some are homes, some are public spaces, and one wasn't even built to completion. The author breaks down each building and what makes it important, interesting, and what it contributes to history and the area around it.
There was a question that the author brought up that I thought was so fascinating.If a building/structure/infrastructure/piece of architecture is built/commissioned by an entity that is terrible is the architecture morally bad? (The author obviously put it better then that, but I sum up). Let's talk about 2 examples.
Emperor Nero was crazier then a shithouse rat, by most accounts. He was self indulgent and narcissistic to an extreme and it seemed like Rome was there purely for his enjoyment, however that's not altogether true. He built some really amazing state of the art public buildings, including the baths that are discussed in the book.
Another example is the Nazis.Hitler had his own personal architect and he had some GRAND plans for the architecture for the 1,000 year Reich. Some of them weren't even technically possible given technology at the time, the man was not one for understatement. Many of the Nazis planned architecture projects never happened, but a few of them did. One I bet you've heard of: the autobahn. The author says that the autobahn network is "elegant, and contoured to a t and enhance the landscape". But the autobahn was built to facilitate quick troop movements and convenience for the Nazis. And parts of it were built by slave labor.
So these interesting, practical, useful pieces or architecture were built by horrible people, does that make the work morally bad? Should we have ripped down the autobahn because of how and by whom it was constructed? Is it okay that it still stands and is used everyday? I think this is a question to be wrestled with, also the next time I need to sound smart at a cocktail party I'm going to bring this up. I keep thinking about it and I still don't know what the answer is....
Sex and eroticism and sexuality come up a lot in this book. I guess I never really considered that aspect of architecture (maybe I don't have the right kind of graphic imagination?). It especially comes up on E.1027, I think not in any small part to the very public sex lives of the people connected to the building. Also in the very beginning of the book they talk about how many artists do their work in what we would consider small little shacks. Gauguin had a little cabin in the South Pacific and he called it his "maison du jouir, the house of orgasm". This is when I butt in and remind everyone that Gauguin died in agony due to advanced stage syphilis.
I enjoyed this book immensely. As previously stated I find architecture fascinating and I love how this book made all the connections to history and time and place. I think my favorite highlighted building was the Festival Theatre. My only complaint is that I feel like the author really let a lot of his personal beliefs show through in the sections about the Tower of Babel. It's absolutely their prerogative to do that but I think the facts would have been sufficient without their bias. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5!
(I received this e-book from netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. It will be published in about July.)
Right off the bat I'll tell you the buildings, this isn't a spoiler considering you can see them in the book descriptions at various websites:
-Tower of Babel, Babylon
-Nero’s Golden House, Rome
-Djinguereber Mosque, Timbuktu
-Palazzo Rucellai, Florence
-Garden of Perfect Brightness, Beijing
-Festival Theatre, Beyreuth
-E.1027, Cap Martin
-Highland Park Ford Plant, Detroit
-Finsbury Health Centre, London
-Footbridge, Rio de Janeiro
There is a great amount of variety between these buildings; some are homes, some are public spaces, and one wasn't even built to completion. The author breaks down each building and what makes it important, interesting, and what it contributes to history and the area around it.
There was a question that the author brought up that I thought was so fascinating.If a building/structure/infrastructure/piece of architecture is built/commissioned by an entity that is terrible is the architecture morally bad? (The author obviously put it better then that, but I sum up). Let's talk about 2 examples.
Emperor Nero was crazier then a shithouse rat, by most accounts. He was self indulgent and narcissistic to an extreme and it seemed like Rome was there purely for his enjoyment, however that's not altogether true. He built some really amazing state of the art public buildings, including the baths that are discussed in the book.
Another example is the Nazis.Hitler had his own personal architect and he had some GRAND plans for the architecture for the 1,000 year Reich. Some of them weren't even technically possible given technology at the time, the man was not one for understatement. Many of the Nazis planned architecture projects never happened, but a few of them did. One I bet you've heard of: the autobahn. The author says that the autobahn network is "elegant, and contoured to a t and enhance the landscape". But the autobahn was built to facilitate quick troop movements and convenience for the Nazis. And parts of it were built by slave labor.
So these interesting, practical, useful pieces or architecture were built by horrible people, does that make the work morally bad? Should we have ripped down the autobahn because of how and by whom it was constructed? Is it okay that it still stands and is used everyday? I think this is a question to be wrestled with, also the next time I need to sound smart at a cocktail party I'm going to bring this up. I keep thinking about it and I still don't know what the answer is....
Sex and eroticism and sexuality come up a lot in this book. I guess I never really considered that aspect of architecture (maybe I don't have the right kind of graphic imagination?). It especially comes up on E.1027, I think not in any small part to the very public sex lives of the people connected to the building. Also in the very beginning of the book they talk about how many artists do their work in what we would consider small little shacks. Gauguin had a little cabin in the South Pacific and he called it his "maison du jouir, the house of orgasm". This is when I butt in and remind everyone that Gauguin died in agony due to advanced stage syphilis.
I enjoyed this book immensely. As previously stated I find architecture fascinating and I love how this book made all the connections to history and time and place. I think my favorite highlighted building was the Festival Theatre. My only complaint is that I feel like the author really let a lot of his personal beliefs show through in the sections about the Tower of Babel. It's absolutely their prerogative to do that but I think the facts would have been sufficient without their bias. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5!
December 27, 2014
I was hoping this would be more with individuals rather than large groups of people. Also wish that it told more of a narrative of how architecture and history intertwine.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews