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What Adults Don’t Know About Architecture: Inspiring young minds to build a more beautiful world
Children are rarely introduced properly to architecture, but there are in fact few subjects more important – because the quality of the architecture that surrounds us has such an impact on our mood and sense of well-being. The bitter truth is that in modern times, we’ve built a world that’s far too often ugly or charmless – and we’ve done so because only a very few people ever feel they have the right to comment on what gets built around them. This is a chance for the next generation to develop the tools to talk about architecture with confidence, knowledge and passion. It tells us about what a satisfying building is, what makes a street enticing (or not), why some cities are charming and others repel us – and how we might build going forward in a way that will reliably delight and uplift us. This engaging and beautifully illustrated guide is designed to help children (and their favourite adults) to understand how buildings work and how we might create the better looking world we all crave and deserve.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2020
29 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
The School of Life
173 books3,153 followersThe School of Life is a global organisation helping people lead more fulfilled lives.
We believe that the journey to finding fulfilment begins with self-knowledge. It is only when we have a sense of who we really are that we can make reliable decisions, particularly around love and work.
Sadly, tools and techniques for developing self-knowledge and finding fulfilment are hard to find – they’re not taught in schools, in universities, or in workplaces. Too many of us go through life without ever really understanding what’s going on in the recesses of our minds.
That’s why we created The School of Life; a resource for helping us understand ourselves, for improving our relationships, our careers and our social lives - as well as for helping us find calm and get more out of our leisure hours. We do this through films, workshops, books and gifts - as well as through a warm and supportive community.
We believe that the journey to finding fulfilment begins with self-knowledge. It is only when we have a sense of who we really are that we can make reliable decisions, particularly around love and work.
Sadly, tools and techniques for developing self-knowledge and finding fulfilment are hard to find – they’re not taught in schools, in universities, or in workplaces. Too many of us go through life without ever really understanding what’s going on in the recesses of our minds.
That’s why we created The School of Life; a resource for helping us understand ourselves, for improving our relationships, our careers and our social lives - as well as for helping us find calm and get more out of our leisure hours. We do this through films, workshops, books and gifts - as well as through a warm and supportive community.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 22, 2021
This book is geared towards children, introducing them to the world of architecture, and teaching them why architecture is so important. I love the approach here, and the simple way that the book leads the reader into a better understanding of beautiful buildings. It begins with simple questions, What is architecture, and why is it important to each person? Why do some buildings look beautiful, and others are ugly? Who decides which buildings are pleasing or unpleasing?
I love the philosophy in this book about how the buildings where we live and work can shape our experiences and our culture, connecting us to our past and reflecting our personal lives. Buildings can make us feel safe or bored or inspired or sad. The environment around the building has a big impact too. Different designs will have different meanings, whether to be functional or inviting, to impress or to bring a calm atmosphere.
Architecture helps us to remember our past, preserving our culture and history in our beautiful houses and schools and churches. Appreciating great architecture can give meaning to our lives and help us to explore our own emotions and thoughts in new ways.
This book includes famous buildings as examples of how to look at architecture, appreciate the details, understand the history, and make sense of your own experiences with ugly or beautiful places you have seen. I read through the pages and stared in complete awe at the gorgeous architecture from various centuries!
What an absolute delight! I was almost in tears by the end, because I was so moved by this lovely journey through the world of architecture Suddenly I'm inspired to visit a local historic town and look around me in a whole new way!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
I love the philosophy in this book about how the buildings where we live and work can shape our experiences and our culture, connecting us to our past and reflecting our personal lives. Buildings can make us feel safe or bored or inspired or sad. The environment around the building has a big impact too. Different designs will have different meanings, whether to be functional or inviting, to impress or to bring a calm atmosphere.
Architecture helps us to remember our past, preserving our culture and history in our beautiful houses and schools and churches. Appreciating great architecture can give meaning to our lives and help us to explore our own emotions and thoughts in new ways.
This book includes famous buildings as examples of how to look at architecture, appreciate the details, understand the history, and make sense of your own experiences with ugly or beautiful places you have seen. I read through the pages and stared in complete awe at the gorgeous architecture from various centuries!
What an absolute delight! I was almost in tears by the end, because I was so moved by this lovely journey through the world of architecture Suddenly I'm inspired to visit a local historic town and look around me in a whole new way!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
January 22, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. Its by no means a technical textbook but the book explains the topics in a simple, inclusive manner which anyone can understand. A lot of buildings that are mentioned in my first year architectural history class are featured in the book, as well as others I hadn’t even heard of. I think this is a good read for anyone with an interest in architecture or studying architecture, and even new students that want a lighter read than that of a textbook :)
August 5, 2021
I bought a couple of these School of Life books to give my 10-year-old some nonfiction to read this summer, but I knew I would probably like them because I’m a fan of Alain de Botton. I picked this one up and was impressed by it, especially by how many examples are discussed throughout the book. That alone was worth the price, just to be exposed to so many pictures of cool and not-so-cool architecture. At times I felt like the opinions offered were a bit heavy-handed - I would have appreciated it more if the author(s) has encouraged more inquiry and asked more open-ended questions. But overall it was a good read.
August 9, 2022
too subjective like writing opinions in a blog, without data.
dictating what’s good or bad with samples of pictures that some don’t even look clear enough.
good points for me:
it has big sized fonts and lots of pictures.
dictating what’s good or bad with samples of pictures that some don’t even look clear enough.
good points for me:
it has big sized fonts and lots of pictures.
January 19, 2023
Such an easy read and a powerful message! The style is warm and open, it has made me look at the built world around me very differently. The relation between the quality of the book and the time I took to read it is very good.
May 1, 2023
Eh. I feel like they were trying to push me to agree with them. But the pictures were nice and I like the font. Very euro-centric tho, no buildings from africa or asia. It’s a nice book to introduce yourself to architecture but you could find waaaay better.
February 4, 2021
Loved it!
February 12, 2022
A fun and quick read! Wish everyone would read it. Its largest flaw is that it's very Western European centric, but still makes important points about why we like the buildings and places we like. I would have liked to see a more inclusive overview of architecture from around the world, as the book is written in a straightforward, layman's way of explaining architecture that would be easy for anyone to grasp.
July 11, 2021
What a disappointment of a book. While it's filled with interesting color photographs of buildings and written in an easy, conversational style, it has a few huge flaws.
For one, it assumes the primacy of European architecture. Its starting point is classical architecture, and, the book says, classical architecture only became less dominant when travel to other countries became easier, when (European) people went to China and India and experienced the architecture there. Though the book does look at some buildings in Asia and one or two in Africa, these architectural traditions are not examined in any depth at all. They are, it seems, mostly of interest because of how they influenced European and American buildings.
Another problem is that this book is obsessively focused on the concept of beauty, and the authors are very sure that they know what beauty is (and isn't). The book encourages children to think of buildings as having personalities, which I suppose is fine, but then it assigns personalities itself, one after the other after the other (for example: this one looks like it wants to give you a big hug! this one only wants to talk about itself all day long! this one wants you to enjoy a cup of tea!). The book assumes that its takes are nearly universal, but I often found myself disagreeing. And the building-as-personality approach ultimately feels like a lazy way of making architecture relatable to children. There are other ways to make architecture interesting (and other books, like The Homes We Build, make good use of them).
The beauty angle is so dominant, in fact, that the book only has a paragraph or two about green/eco-friendly architecture, as an afterthought. In fact, at the end of the book, the authors suggest building over beautiful countryside and wetlands, for example, arguing that the problem isn't building over these places (which, it doesn't mention, are homes for many other plants and animals, and important to our survival, too), but building over them with ugly buildings. If we made prettier cities, it says, people wouldn't mind so much. I was astonished by what I was reading.
The book itself is very pretty and well designed. It's too bad that the content is so terribly disappointing.
For one, it assumes the primacy of European architecture. Its starting point is classical architecture, and, the book says, classical architecture only became less dominant when travel to other countries became easier, when (European) people went to China and India and experienced the architecture there. Though the book does look at some buildings in Asia and one or two in Africa, these architectural traditions are not examined in any depth at all. They are, it seems, mostly of interest because of how they influenced European and American buildings.
Another problem is that this book is obsessively focused on the concept of beauty, and the authors are very sure that they know what beauty is (and isn't). The book encourages children to think of buildings as having personalities, which I suppose is fine, but then it assigns personalities itself, one after the other after the other (for example: this one looks like it wants to give you a big hug! this one only wants to talk about itself all day long! this one wants you to enjoy a cup of tea!). The book assumes that its takes are nearly universal, but I often found myself disagreeing. And the building-as-personality approach ultimately feels like a lazy way of making architecture relatable to children. There are other ways to make architecture interesting (and other books, like The Homes We Build, make good use of them).
The beauty angle is so dominant, in fact, that the book only has a paragraph or two about green/eco-friendly architecture, as an afterthought. In fact, at the end of the book, the authors suggest building over beautiful countryside and wetlands, for example, arguing that the problem isn't building over these places (which, it doesn't mention, are homes for many other plants and animals, and important to our survival, too), but building over them with ugly buildings. If we made prettier cities, it says, people wouldn't mind so much. I was astonished by what I was reading.
The book itself is very pretty and well designed. It's too bad that the content is so terribly disappointing.
April 13, 2024
První knížka od School of Life, která mě zklamala. Líbí se mi, že radí dětem, aby se zamyslely, co by která budova říkala nebo jakou by měla povahu, kdyby byla člověk. Taky souhlasím s tím, že tu máme nějaké velmi dobře vyzkoušené "recepty", jejichž dodržování vede ke krásným budovám. A také si myslím, že nejlepší ulice jsou ty, které kombinují komerční a obytné prostory. Ale názor, že na bytech u nádraží nebo u továrny není nic špatného, mi přišel úplně mimo mísu. Zdá se, že autoři nikdy nebydleli ve městě, kde je v noci hluk a nedá se spát u otevřeného okna. I kdybych si představila dokonalou továrnu, která do okolí nevypouští žádný jedovatý kouř, pořád tu budou hlučné a smradlavé náklaďáky, které ji musí zásobovat.
Úvodní části bych ještě vytkla přílišné soustředění na západní architekturu a téměř úplnou ignoranci k té východní, arabské, o americké nebo africké ani nemluvě.
Nejvíc mě naštval závěr, ve kterém autoři vyzývají k významnému zastavění přírodních ploch, aby tím dosáhli toho, že bydlení bude levné, protože ho bude dost a díky tomu nebude potřeba stavět tak vysoké domy. Nedává to smysl ani ekologický, ani ekonomický, prostě žádný, zdá se mi, že to napsal někdo s naprostou neznalostí o výstavbě infrastruktury a její údržby a celkově logistiky.
Mrzí mě, že v zásadě dobré myšlenky jsou zaneřáděny takovými přešlapy, kvůli kterým bych nakonec tohle ani moc dětem číst nechtěla (na rozdíl od stejné knihy akorát o umění).
Úvodní části bych ještě vytkla přílišné soustředění na západní architekturu a téměř úplnou ignoranci k té východní, arabské, o americké nebo africké ani nemluvě.
Nejvíc mě naštval závěr, ve kterém autoři vyzývají k významnému zastavění přírodních ploch, aby tím dosáhli toho, že bydlení bude levné, protože ho bude dost a díky tomu nebude potřeba stavět tak vysoké domy. Nedává to smysl ani ekologický, ani ekonomický, prostě žádný, zdá se mi, že to napsal někdo s naprostou neznalostí o výstavbě infrastruktury a její údržby a celkově logistiky.
Mrzí mě, že v zásadě dobré myšlenky jsou zaneřáděny takovými přešlapy, kvůli kterým bych nakonec tohle ani moc dětem číst nechtěla (na rozdíl od stejné knihy akorát o umění).
March 29, 2023
The constructed world has, for me, always been an unnoticed aspect of life. I'm unmoved by complaints about the way a building looks, willing to accept the function of the building as it's primary standard and ignore that amorphous uncomfortable feeling some structures exude. I've never owned a home and never had any great desire to do so. I've never wandered around a town simply to observe it's built landscape. The aesthetics of construction has never been a point of concern, or consideration until I read this book. Now buildings speak to me; this little book has given them a voice. I hear them judging me, or congratulating me, or inviting me inside for a cozy chat about my day. As is typical of all The School of Life books I've read so far, my appreciation of, and engagement with the world has been increased through staggeringly simple, but illuminating lessons. Each short chapter contains a gentle homily on a specific idea, reinforced with pictures, examples, and even thought experiments. The lessons in this book are magical.
November 13, 2025
A quick read with lots of pictures to exemplify their ideas. I enjoyed this overall and it made me think more about architecture as I look more at the buildings around me and how they make me feel. Not quite as interesting as the matching book What Adults Don’t Know About Art, in my opinion. My only major criticism is near the end, when they start talking about why buildings are so expensive due to land being expensive and criticizing the idea to not build cities in “the countryside”. Basically it’s completely human centric as they never once mention, hey maybe one reason we don’t build cities everywhere is that other ecosystems and species have a right to exist. I basically wanted to scream out loud at their idea that it would be a great idea to drain a natural wetland to make another Venice! Wetlands have a ton of ecological value to many species, and to not even consider that devalues how I thought about the rest of their points in the book.
September 20, 2021
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
You might not think much about architecture, but architecture shapes our world -- literally. Is your city boring or beautiful, and what makes it that way? By understanding what buildings are saying to us, we can work to build a better world together.
The School of Life has an agenda, and I felt pushed to agree with their opinions on what makes a place beautiful. While the later sections helped me understand their whys, I didn’t appreciate being told what to think. I still like some of the ideas this book offers on how to look at buildings in a way I never have, but the pushy language was a huge disappointment to me after I loved their other book, “What Adults Don’t Know About Art.”
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
You might not think much about architecture, but architecture shapes our world -- literally. Is your city boring or beautiful, and what makes it that way? By understanding what buildings are saying to us, we can work to build a better world together.
The School of Life has an agenda, and I felt pushed to agree with their opinions on what makes a place beautiful. While the later sections helped me understand their whys, I didn’t appreciate being told what to think. I still like some of the ideas this book offers on how to look at buildings in a way I never have, but the pushy language was a huge disappointment to me after I loved their other book, “What Adults Don’t Know About Art.”
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
April 11, 2024
fantastic - I like the idea that buildings can have certain personalities - for instance, Button surmises the New Sri Lanka Parliament, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1979-1982 could be saying:
"I'm interested in, and loyal to, the past and I don't want to forget where l've come from. But I'm also interested in what we can do now (and in what we can maybe do tomorrow). You don't have to decide between past or present: You can like both at the same time."
he also claims that land doesn't have to be expensive, and actually quite affordable, if only governments, architects and the like put more thought into how to organize these functional buildings. he claims the ways we have currently put together buildings have been a disaster - people thought they want suburbs, but in reality, what they really wanted was liveliness.
another problem is that the government wants to protect land - which is not so much a problem, except that it drives up land prices; this is fine, but how about, for instance, an untouched piece of wetland? he then uses Venice as an example; its fields and ponds were transformed into something beautiful - so therefore, it isn't buildings that we are against - it's “ugly buildings". he ultimately claims that "the problem is not that there are too many cities, but that there are too many ugly cities.”
he explains his ideas better in the book, it's a fun read, could probably complete in a day.
"I'm interested in, and loyal to, the past and I don't want to forget where l've come from. But I'm also interested in what we can do now (and in what we can maybe do tomorrow). You don't have to decide between past or present: You can like both at the same time."
he also claims that land doesn't have to be expensive, and actually quite affordable, if only governments, architects and the like put more thought into how to organize these functional buildings. he claims the ways we have currently put together buildings have been a disaster - people thought they want suburbs, but in reality, what they really wanted was liveliness.
another problem is that the government wants to protect land - which is not so much a problem, except that it drives up land prices; this is fine, but how about, for instance, an untouched piece of wetland? he then uses Venice as an example; its fields and ponds were transformed into something beautiful - so therefore, it isn't buildings that we are against - it's “ugly buildings". he ultimately claims that "the problem is not that there are too many cities, but that there are too many ugly cities.”
he explains his ideas better in the book, it's a fun read, could probably complete in a day.
June 5, 2021
The School of Life is always thought provoking and creates a new perspective for me. While I am an adult reader, I enjoyed this book as it will cause me to ask questions about architecture that I had not previously considered - why are certain areas appealing and others not. It is like tasting a glass of wine. Rather than just say I enjoy the wine, try to define the tastes and characteristics so that I can find similar wines again.
This book is great for adults as well as children.
This book is great for adults as well as children.
November 13, 2024
We enjoyed this perspective as the author challenged us to consider "what is beauty" and to examine the location, culture, local materials, and people's opinions of what buildings, streets, and cities should look like. It took us quite some time to finish the book as we weren't as diligent with our architecture study as we could have been, but we still appreciated it and are glad to have completed it.
November 21, 2021
There are two places in Canada that are used in the book. One is Winnipeg as a boring city with less attractive to tourists because of the boring architecture. That's not fair. The place is so cold in half a year but has no ideal natural mountain for skiing... The other is a residential area in Markham. I totally agree with that one.
September 29, 2023
This was a fun, simple intro into architecture for a 4-year-old! We all enjoyed it. I didn't agree with everything in it but the concept as a whole was a great way to start discussions about what makes a building or city beautiful (and now we point out different window arch styles whilst driving!).
February 2, 2024
I really love this series and I think this may have been even better than the one on art. Reading it to my four/five year old came with mixed results, sometimes he would zone out and then other times he was thoroughly fascinated with certain buildings and discussions of architectural concepts. Love The School of Life publishing.
December 30, 2025
Short and gold, plenty of graphics and great message that we need to build better designed houses and cities, away with the boring Bauhaus and Corbusier boxy setups. It's just I think with regards to taste one shouldn't be democratic. Instead, it should be aristocratic, people should be guided to know what is good taste. Definitely going to read more of this series.
August 10, 2021
I appreciate the attempt to make architecture more approachable but this is a book about planning not architecture. The discussion about why beauty is important does not hold water because it is subjective.
January 28, 2022
Such a beautiful book. It was not a problem for me that this book is aimed at teenagers. I know very little of architecture and this was the perfect level for me. The pictures were beautiful and there was a lot of them. The design is also well thought-out and nice to look at. My heart is happy :)
March 30, 2025
Neden biz çocukken böyle kitaplar yoktu. Sorgulayan ve bunu görsellerle besleyen kitaplar harika oluyor. Çok kötü şehirleşmiş bir İstanbul’da oturan bir birey olarak güzellik mevzuunu daha ciddiye almış olsaydık diye hayıflanıyorum.
January 29, 2022
There are a couple photo references of Toronto and Markham 🥲
March 24, 2022
Lovely and packs a punch.
February 21, 2025
A homeschool project, and we really enjoyed this. We loved how buildings were given voices which led to a fun photography and writing project, finding the voices of houses in our neighbourhood.
December 11, 2025
it's good & it's teaching about architecture
September 27, 2021
Easy-to-read on how to think about architecture.
June 4, 2022
Very western/caucasian centric. Written concisely, with some fair points, but with a bias to European-styled architecture being the golden standard of beauty.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews