Status Updates From Why We Build

Chapter 4, although an odd read, gives insight into the true cause for architectural design. Whilst the ideologies of the architects who pioneered architectural principles we still use today may have been disturbing and misogynistic at best, their end result is worth some credit even if their origins are not. Architecture should be considered and calculated for the users enjoyment, sexual or not.

The third chapter explains the fine balance of truth in architecture between the real and the fake. Buildings require truth but also a sense of imagination that gives space that special touch. Both the fake and literal must be moderated to maintain this balance.

Chapter 2 has been mostly about the connection between architecture and its purpose. I agree wholeheartedly that architecture cannot decide the fate of those who live in it. As Jonathan Raban says, design must be ‘soft’ and adaptable so as to encourage different perspectives and identities to emerge.

Lina Bo Bardi is now one of my favourite architects for her ideologies and methods. I definitely would like to talk about her in my personal statement and I am excited about the rest of the book. I prefer here how each example is given full explanations to better help the reader understand its background and the authors point of view.