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Why Architecture Matters
Why Architecture Matters is not a work of architectural history or a guide to the styles or an architectural dictionary, though it contains elements of all three. The purpose of Why Architecture Matters is to "come to grips with how things feel to us when we stand before them, with how architecture affects us emotionally as well as intellectually" — with its impact on our lives.
"Architecture begins to matter," writes Paul Goldberger, "when it brings delight and sadness and perplexity and awe along with a roof over our heads." He shows us how that works in examples ranging from a small Cape Cod cottage to the "vast, flowing" Prairie houses of Frank Lloyd Wright, from the Lincoln Memorial to the highly sculptural Guggenheim Bilbao and the Church of Sant'Ivo in Rome, where "simple geometries...create a work of architecture that embraces the deepest complexities of human imagination."
Based on decades of looking at buildings and thinking about how we experience them, the distinguished critic raises our awareness of fundamental things like proportion, scale, space, texture, materials, shapes, light, and memory. Upon completing this remarkable architectural journey, readers will enjoy a wonderfully rewarding new way of seeing and experiencing every aspect of the built world.
"Architecture begins to matter," writes Paul Goldberger, "when it brings delight and sadness and perplexity and awe along with a roof over our heads." He shows us how that works in examples ranging from a small Cape Cod cottage to the "vast, flowing" Prairie houses of Frank Lloyd Wright, from the Lincoln Memorial to the highly sculptural Guggenheim Bilbao and the Church of Sant'Ivo in Rome, where "simple geometries...create a work of architecture that embraces the deepest complexities of human imagination."
Based on decades of looking at buildings and thinking about how we experience them, the distinguished critic raises our awareness of fundamental things like proportion, scale, space, texture, materials, shapes, light, and memory. Upon completing this remarkable architectural journey, readers will enjoy a wonderfully rewarding new way of seeing and experiencing every aspect of the built world.
273 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
88 people are currently reading
1280 people want to read
About the author
Paul Goldberger
130 books44 followersPaul Goldberger, who the Huffington Post has called “the leading figure in architecture criticism,” is now a Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair. From 1997 through 2011 he served as the Architecture Critic for The New Yorker, where he wrote the magazine’s celebrated “Sky Line” column. He also holds the Joseph Urban Chair in Design and Architecture at The New School in New York City. He was formerly Dean of the Parsons school of design, a division of The New School. He began his career at The New York Times, where in 1984 his architecture criticism was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism, the highest award in journalism.
He is the author of several books, most recently Why Architecture Matters, published in 2009 by Yale University Press; Building Up and Tearing Down: Reflections on the Age of Architecture, a collection of his architecture essays published in 2009 by Monacelli Press, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude, published in 2010 by Taschen. He is now at work on a full-length biography of the architect Frank Gehry, to be published by Alfred A. Knopf. In 2008 Monacelli published Beyond the Dunes: A Portrait of the Hamptons, which he produced in association with the photographer Jake Rajs. Paul Goldberger’s chronicle of the process of rebuilding Ground Zero, entitled UP FROM ZERO: Politics, Architecture, and the Rebuilding of New York, which was published by Random House in the fall of 2004, and brought out in a new, updated paperback edition in 2005, was named one of The New York Times Notable Books for 2004. Paul Goldberger has also written The City Observed: New York, The Skyscraper, On the Rise: Architecture and Design in a Post-Modern Age, Above New York, and The World Trade Center Remembered.
He lectures widely around the country on the subject of architecture, design, historic preservation and cities, and he has taught at both the Yale School of Architecture and the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley in addition to The New School. His writing has received numerous awards in addition to the Pulitzer, including the President’s Medal of the Municipal Art Society of New York, the medal of the American Institute of Architects and the Medal of Honor of the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation, awarded in recognition of what the Foundation called “the nation’s most balanced, penetrating and poetic analyses of architecture and design.” In May 1996, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani presented him with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission’s Preservation Achievement Award in recognition of the impact of his writing on historic preservation in New York. In 1993, he was named a Literary Lion, the New York Public Library’s tribute to distinguished writers. In 2007, he was presented with the Ed Bacon Foundation’s Award for Professional Excellence, named in honor of Philadelphia’s legendary planner, and in 2009 he received the Gene Burd Urban Journalism Award from the Urban Communication Foundation.
He has been awarded honorary doctoral degrees by Pratt Institute, the University of Miami, Kenyon College, the College of Creative Studies and the New York School of Interior Design for his work as a critic and cultural commentator on design. He appears frequently on film and television to discuss art, architecture, and cities, and recently served as host of a PBS program on the architect Benjamin Latrobe. He has also served as a special consultant and advisor on architecture and planning matters to several major cultural and educational institutions, including the Morgan Library in New York, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, the New York Public Library, the Glenstone Foundation and Cornell and Harvard universities. He serves as special advisor to the jury for the Richard A. Driehaus Prize, a $200,000 prize awarded annually for traditional architecture and urbanism. He is a graduate of Yale Universi
He is the author of several books, most recently Why Architecture Matters, published in 2009 by Yale University Press; Building Up and Tearing Down: Reflections on the Age of Architecture, a collection of his architecture essays published in 2009 by Monacelli Press, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude, published in 2010 by Taschen. He is now at work on a full-length biography of the architect Frank Gehry, to be published by Alfred A. Knopf. In 2008 Monacelli published Beyond the Dunes: A Portrait of the Hamptons, which he produced in association with the photographer Jake Rajs. Paul Goldberger’s chronicle of the process of rebuilding Ground Zero, entitled UP FROM ZERO: Politics, Architecture, and the Rebuilding of New York, which was published by Random House in the fall of 2004, and brought out in a new, updated paperback edition in 2005, was named one of The New York Times Notable Books for 2004. Paul Goldberger has also written The City Observed: New York, The Skyscraper, On the Rise: Architecture and Design in a Post-Modern Age, Above New York, and The World Trade Center Remembered.
He lectures widely around the country on the subject of architecture, design, historic preservation and cities, and he has taught at both the Yale School of Architecture and the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley in addition to The New School. His writing has received numerous awards in addition to the Pulitzer, including the President’s Medal of the Municipal Art Society of New York, the medal of the American Institute of Architects and the Medal of Honor of the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation, awarded in recognition of what the Foundation called “the nation’s most balanced, penetrating and poetic analyses of architecture and design.” In May 1996, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani presented him with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission’s Preservation Achievement Award in recognition of the impact of his writing on historic preservation in New York. In 1993, he was named a Literary Lion, the New York Public Library’s tribute to distinguished writers. In 2007, he was presented with the Ed Bacon Foundation’s Award for Professional Excellence, named in honor of Philadelphia’s legendary planner, and in 2009 he received the Gene Burd Urban Journalism Award from the Urban Communication Foundation.
He has been awarded honorary doctoral degrees by Pratt Institute, the University of Miami, Kenyon College, the College of Creative Studies and the New York School of Interior Design for his work as a critic and cultural commentator on design. He appears frequently on film and television to discuss art, architecture, and cities, and recently served as host of a PBS program on the architect Benjamin Latrobe. He has also served as a special consultant and advisor on architecture and planning matters to several major cultural and educational institutions, including the Morgan Library in New York, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, the New York Public Library, the Glenstone Foundation and Cornell and Harvard universities. He serves as special advisor to the jury for the Richard A. Driehaus Prize, a $200,000 prize awarded annually for traditional architecture and urbanism. He is a graduate of Yale Universi
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 12, 2010
This book did not live up to my expectations. The author presents the book as an intorduction to architecture, but rambles about buildings, architects and cities in a way that only knowledgable architectural historians can familiarize with. The examples of buildings chosen seem to be mainly American and little thought is given to non european or non american architectural works. There were virtually no references to women architects, city planners or writers. I think Jane Jacobs was mentioned once. Goldberger's world is definitely a man's world.
On a better note, the bibliography is fabulous (if that can be said about a biblio.). This book highlights the best of the best architecural theorists and historians, and names their most prominent works. I would not recommend this book to those who are not passionate about architecture or urban development. For those who are, I would be happy to lend it to you.
On a better note, the bibliography is fabulous (if that can be said about a biblio.). This book highlights the best of the best architecural theorists and historians, and names their most prominent works. I would not recommend this book to those who are not passionate about architecture or urban development. For those who are, I would be happy to lend it to you.
October 13, 2025
Jag älskar en pedagogisk översiktsbok! Gick igenom värdefulla begrepp på begripligt sätt och höll det intressant. Inte en pageturner i alla lägen men alltid lärorik. 4 av 5 toasts
November 22, 2011
Earlier this year I read "Building Up And Tearing Down," a series of essays by Paul Goldberger, the Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic for the New Yorker. "Why Architecture Matters" is the other book he authored in 2009.
Divided into seven main themes (Architecture as Memory, Challenge and Comfort, etc.), this book takes a thoughtful journey through architecture from several distinct perspectives. Structurally and thematically, it reminded me a bit of a less poetic and more academic version of Alain De Botton's "The Architecture of Happiness." In some ways, that sense of this being a lesser version of another book became a cloud over "Why Architecture Matters" as I read it.
However, Goldberger's strong background in architectural criticism was a nice compliment to De Botton's perspective as a philosopher and cultural observer. There are some spectacularly great moments here on art versus function, purity and restraint versus fashion and exuberance, and historicism versus modernism. With occasionally brilliant writing and clear subject-matter expertise, Goldberger makes a great case in that architecture has to be a balance of these seemingly opposite forces.
Recommended for architecture or city nerds.
Divided into seven main themes (Architecture as Memory, Challenge and Comfort, etc.), this book takes a thoughtful journey through architecture from several distinct perspectives. Structurally and thematically, it reminded me a bit of a less poetic and more academic version of Alain De Botton's "The Architecture of Happiness." In some ways, that sense of this being a lesser version of another book became a cloud over "Why Architecture Matters" as I read it.
However, Goldberger's strong background in architectural criticism was a nice compliment to De Botton's perspective as a philosopher and cultural observer. There are some spectacularly great moments here on art versus function, purity and restraint versus fashion and exuberance, and historicism versus modernism. With occasionally brilliant writing and clear subject-matter expertise, Goldberger makes a great case in that architecture has to be a balance of these seemingly opposite forces.
Recommended for architecture or city nerds.
December 22, 2020
I really loved reading this book. Every single chapter, was amazingly written. I recommend this book definitely for people in the field of architecture and design, and people that are not.
September 2, 2014
Why Architecture Matters is a fantastically written book on appreciating architecture. I was only able to read half a chapter at a time because every paragraph really made you think about what it said. This book made me look at buildings in a whole new way, and not in a super analytical way either. More that I think more on what purpose does the building serve, who does it serve, and the like. I really like this book because it also talks about architecture from across a wide range of time. And each chapter focuses on important aspects architecture, some I wouldn't have even thought of. There is an entire chapter about how buildings change over time. And about how good buildings remain beautiful throughout time. How sometimes you can let an old building go for something great and new, but to also appreciate old buildings and preserve great landmarks. This book offers great insights into architecture and it is great for anyone even if they don't care much about architecture. I highly recommend this book for all kinds of people ages 14+ simply because it is very dense and could get boring to younger kids.
August 30, 2020
Por alguna razón que ahora he olvidado, aunque puede que esté relacionada con escuchar el podcast 99% invisible, empecé a leer libros de arquitectura en verano. No porque haya más tiempo para leer, sino porque la excelente biblioteca de Arquitectura en la UGR se salta el mes de agosto a la hora de devolver los libros, y los puedes tener hasta finales de septiembre. En muchos casos, han sido libros cuya referencia me ha llegado por algún lado; en este, lo busqué explícitamente (búsqueda general "libros chachi de arquitectura" o algo por el estilo).
"Por qué importa la arquitectura" responde también, más o menos, a por qué me importan los libros de arquitectura. Ni es un tratado técnico ni uno artístico: en sus capítulos nos cuenta qué es lo que hace que un edificio nos provoque una reacción; casi todos lo hacen, sea por lo original, por lo histórico, o simplemente por su presencia.
Hace poco he abierto una cuenta de Instagram, gr8arx, dedicada exclusivamente a la arquitectura contemporánea. La cuestión es que no sólo estoy haciendo fotos para esa cuenta: tengo un montón de fotos, de hace mucho tiempo, de edificios que me han llamado la atención. Este libro te explica por qué. Los principios de Vitrubio, firmitas, utilitas, venustas es decir, solidez, utilidad, pero también hermosura o belleza, se conservan hoy en día. La belleza ha dejado, en muchos casos, lugar a la "vendibilidad sobre plano o maqueta", pero ningún arquitecto deja hoy en día de ser guiado por esos principios; hasta en los bloques peor hechos de la época de la burbuja se puede encontrar un poco de belleza, sólo hay que saber buscarla.
En cualquier caso, las reflexiones sobre el espacio, el urbanismo, la vivienda, y demás son sumamente útiles a la hora de entender una ciudad, y concluir que en cualquiera de ellas puedes encontrar algo interesante, briznas de historia, en un montón de edificios y de calles.
"Por qué importa la arquitectura" responde también, más o menos, a por qué me importan los libros de arquitectura. Ni es un tratado técnico ni uno artístico: en sus capítulos nos cuenta qué es lo que hace que un edificio nos provoque una reacción; casi todos lo hacen, sea por lo original, por lo histórico, o simplemente por su presencia.
Hace poco he abierto una cuenta de Instagram, gr8arx, dedicada exclusivamente a la arquitectura contemporánea. La cuestión es que no sólo estoy haciendo fotos para esa cuenta: tengo un montón de fotos, de hace mucho tiempo, de edificios que me han llamado la atención. Este libro te explica por qué. Los principios de Vitrubio, firmitas, utilitas, venustas es decir, solidez, utilidad, pero también hermosura o belleza, se conservan hoy en día. La belleza ha dejado, en muchos casos, lugar a la "vendibilidad sobre plano o maqueta", pero ningún arquitecto deja hoy en día de ser guiado por esos principios; hasta en los bloques peor hechos de la época de la burbuja se puede encontrar un poco de belleza, sólo hay que saber buscarla.
En cualquier caso, las reflexiones sobre el espacio, el urbanismo, la vivienda, y demás son sumamente útiles a la hora de entender una ciudad, y concluir que en cualquiera de ellas puedes encontrar algo interesante, briznas de historia, en un montón de edificios y de calles.
July 22, 2023
Why Architecture Matters
Unfortunately, this book didn't grip me as I would have liked, and it fell below my expectations concerning why architecture matters in our ever-evolving world, and in many chapters is quite centrally-focused on American buildings. The subjects themselves, the idea of creating comfort and contentment in a balance of creative licence and functionality; understanding that architecture is both utilising aspects of art and engineering; and the innovative use of space and circulation to play on our senses - these are all subjects tackled in the book, and are great properties of architecture to explore.
The book does have some great content within it for anyone interested in architecture, and thinking of architecture as the object that can influence and inspire memories, and set-designs, movies and cityscapes or skylines, shows just how vast and expansive it really is, when it can touch cinematography, photography, literature, film, and can impact our lives at every level.
Unfortunately, this book didn't grip me as I would have liked, and it fell below my expectations concerning why architecture matters in our ever-evolving world, and in many chapters is quite centrally-focused on American buildings. The subjects themselves, the idea of creating comfort and contentment in a balance of creative licence and functionality; understanding that architecture is both utilising aspects of art and engineering; and the innovative use of space and circulation to play on our senses - these are all subjects tackled in the book, and are great properties of architecture to explore.
The book does have some great content within it for anyone interested in architecture, and thinking of architecture as the object that can influence and inspire memories, and set-designs, movies and cityscapes or skylines, shows just how vast and expansive it really is, when it can touch cinematography, photography, literature, film, and can impact our lives at every level.
November 17, 2020
Very nice!
Read
September 25, 2024Well written but I don’t really know what this is
March 7, 2010
This book is part of a series on Why X (e.g. Architecture) Matters, intended to be brief, inexpensive introductions to a topic. I enjoyed it although it probably could have been about 40-50 pages shorter - Goldberger tends to fall into "architecture-speak" at times. But all is forgiven because of Chapter 5: Architecture and Memory. He talks mostly about his own early architecture memories which made me start musing on mine and he talks of architecture in film, photography, art, and literature - wonderful long quotes. Because of the approach there are not enough pictures - I was okay with the cheap, black and white ones and wished there were more. I read this while traveling so couldn't jump on Google Images to find more and better pictures.
December 3, 2018
Интересно рассказано о том как архитектура влияет на нас, как отношение к зданиям вокруг нас меняется и по какому принципу нужно решать стоит ли стараться сохранить здание или лучше заменить его новым. Жалко что примеры в основном американские, хотелось бы такого же разбора на примере Европы и России
February 23, 2020
Enjoyed this book lot! A great introduction to the philosophy of architecture, spaces, aesthetics, and the affects they give us. Very accessible for the lay person. (audiobook version)
February 11, 2022
Paul Goldberger paints a vast and beautiful picture of modern-day architecture, and it's hard not to get caught up in his great appreciation for it. While he doesn't come down politically on one side or another as often as I would like, he does stay firmly in his lane while talking through the implications of the homogenization of large cities, the changing functions of old buildings, suburbia, our increasing reliance on technology and the internet, architecture as both an artistic and pragmatic field, and more. He curiously leaves out any discussion of video game or virtual architecture and instead presents online life as a basically architecture-less world, which we know is just not the case. It must also be said that, predictably, Goldberger provides a primarily white, western view of architecture, though he does make efforts to expand the scope of the book and mentions many non-western examples of wonderful and important structures. He also provides many loving anecdotes about the times and places of his travels, and it's these that I listened to with the most interest and delight. I would highly recommend looking up pictures of all the buildings, monuments, and rooms he mentions in the book as you go through it, as it's much easier to see what he's talking about with the assistance of reference photos (or just go visit these spaces if you can). I really enjoyed listening to this Audible version and found it was just long enough at six hours for my interest level as a layman. Michael Prichard's voice is of the cadence and tenor of a compassionate, codgy professor, which is very suited to the material. I absolutely recommend this text and will probably seek it out again soon.
August 19, 2021
This book is so much more than a history of architecture or the different styles through the ages. Rather, it is a celebration of all that architecture is, how it has been successful and unsuccessful, and what it means for our lives and our future. Goldberger writes with such passion and conviction about architecture that it is impossible not to love the buildings he so vividly describes. Also, his chapters on memory and time were fascinating to read since they spoke more about the reality of architecture then just façades and space. My only complaint about this book is that he references so many buildings that I didn’t know. I had to pause at many points to look up the buildings online, just so I could understand what Goldberger was referring to. Overall, it was a fantastic book about how architecture matters and so many points of our lives.
October 16, 2023
the book should have been called "why starchitecture matters".
this is the same white boomer bullshit that has passed for criticism for decades -- positing subjective opinion as universal, privilege as credibility, in short the kind of "wealthy elites like this stuff so it must be great" nonsense that john berger poked through in art criticism, but the same hasn't happened in this book. the writer is also very boring and the writing lacks narrative flow, so it feels like he's just raving about some personal experience he's had over and over again.
it's funny because the writer actually alludes to these issues several times -- why is a church architecture while public housing is not, etc -- but he refuses to dwell on or even engage with the thought beyond a throwaway line here and there. very disappointing book.
this is the same white boomer bullshit that has passed for criticism for decades -- positing subjective opinion as universal, privilege as credibility, in short the kind of "wealthy elites like this stuff so it must be great" nonsense that john berger poked through in art criticism, but the same hasn't happened in this book. the writer is also very boring and the writing lacks narrative flow, so it feels like he's just raving about some personal experience he's had over and over again.
it's funny because the writer actually alludes to these issues several times -- why is a church architecture while public housing is not, etc -- but he refuses to dwell on or even engage with the thought beyond a throwaway line here and there. very disappointing book.
May 6, 2024
Entire pages are dedicated to vapid lists which make pointless statements along the lines of 'architecture can be small or big, light or dark, comfortable or not comfortable' - not sure how the editor didn't put a condom on that shit and tell him to just say "architectecture comes in many forms" but alas, we are subject to even the most obvious observations as if they are philosophy. It wasn't until the afterword that I understood who the intended audience was. The text swings from providing basic definitions to name-dropping architects without any sort of information that would make the allusion meaningful to a novice. The book deepened my appreciation of architecture but not of the author.
July 19, 2024
I absolutely loved this book; it was exactly what I was looking for at the right time. I’ve watched a lot of architectural documentaries and have visited many architecturally significant buildings during my travels, but the only other architecture book I had read was Alain de Botton’s *The Architecture of Happiness*. Obviously, Goldberger is a fountain of knowledge and insight when it comes to architecture. However, the reason I loved this book was because it ignited in me a desire to learn and experience more. There are endless references to keep pulling on the thread of my interest, and I’m so glad I read this early in my research on the topic.
December 24, 2019
Excellent introduction to architecture and why it matters as a space, a form, a memory, an object, a symbol. It helps to appreciate how much architecture shapes our lives and social interactions, and how much it is shaped by culture, function, esthetic, time, and much more. It also introduces you to some fundamental readings on the subject and the writing and work of many masters. Strongly recommended.
May 6, 2022
The book explains importance of architecture in terms of aesthetics, functionality, character, & history preservation.
The author presents lots of architectural examples to the topics of each chapter, it would probably be more enjoyable if I understood these examples and if i had a background knowledge in architecture.
It was somehow informative.
The author presents lots of architectural examples to the topics of each chapter, it would probably be more enjoyable if I understood these examples and if i had a background knowledge in architecture.
It was somehow informative.
February 19, 2024
A well written set of essays designed to inspire a love of architecture. Don’t agree with all of his analysis and he could have brought in more about policy and social/racial justice than he did (though he explains why he doesn’t), but overall a satisfying read.
June 8, 2018
I think it's a great book for those who want to understand architecture better, see the bigger picture.
April 10, 2019
A nuanced exploration of some of the most compelling examples of architecture, although it sometimes remains superficial and leaves you hanging.
February 4, 2019
A brilliant account of modern architecture. Filled with personal impressions yet strangely up to the point in terms of both science&history.
July 8, 2019
Beautifully written and wise, considering architecture from all angles, and with a powerful defence of the common ground.
June 17, 2021
The book is too American-centric and its structure is overcomplicated. Had the author used the inverted pyramid, the book would have been way easier to read.
January 13, 2024
Good discussion of architecture and it's importance in our lives and happiness. A little dry.
September 23, 2024
This book genuinely changed my opinion on several aspects of architectural design
March 31, 2025
Good book + bonus points for James Gamble Rodgers / Eero Saarinen / Paul Rudolph fixation
October 17, 2025
A thorough introduction to architecture and architectural thinking.
February 7, 2024
Есеї про різні аспекти архітектури, що не дають відповідь «нащо потрібна архітектура» проте спонукають до особистих роздумів про неї. Має велику кількість посилань і обширну бібліографію.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews