Four Walls and a Roof : The Complex Nature of a Simple Profession

Architecture, We Like To Believe, Is An Elevated Art Form That Shapes The World As It Pleases. Four Walls And A Roof Challenges This Notion, Presenting A Candid Account Of What It Is Really Like To Work As An Architect, Buffeted By External Forces That Make A Mockery Of Any Pretense To Visionary Authority. Reinier De Graaf Draws On His Own Tragicomic Experiences In The Field To Reveal The World Of Contemporary Architecture In Vivid Snapshots. He Takes Us From Suburban New York To The Rubble Of Northern Iraq, From The Corridors Of Wealth In London, Moscow, And Dubai To Garbage-strewn Wastelands That Represent The Demolished Hopes Of Postwar Social Housing. We Meet Oligarchs Determined To Translate Ambitions Into Concrete And Steel, Developers For Whom Architecture Is Mere Investment, And The Layers Of Politicians, Bureaucrats, Consultants, And Mysterious Hangers-on Who Lie Between Any Architectural Idea And The Chance Of Its Execution. He Introduces Us To Histories Of Modern Architecture That Determine--at Least As Much As Individual Inspiration--what Architects Design. And He Questions The Hubris Of Those Who Believe They Are The Solution To The Overwhelming Problems Of Booming Megacities. Perhaps The Most Important Myth De Graaf Debunks Is Success Itself. To Achieve Anything, Architects Must Serve The Powers They Strive To Critique, Finding Themselves In A Perpetual Conflict Of Interest. Together, He Shows, Architects, Developers, Politicians, And Consultants Form An Improvised World Of Conflict And Compromise That None Alone Can Control.-- I. Authority: I Will Learn You Architecture! -- More Specifically, Everything -- Let Me Finish! -- Four Walls And A Roof -- Ii. Default By Design: Bloody Fools! The Story Of Pimlico School, 1970-2010 -- Architektur Ohne Eigenschaften -- Neufert: The Exceptional Pursuit Of The Norm -- Reference Without A Source: The Appeal Of Atlanta Airport -- The Inevitable Box -- Iii. Found Causes: Spaceship Earth -- Mies En Scene -- Intruders: How Smart Technology Infiltrates Architecture -- Public Space -- From Ciam To Cyberspace: Architecture And The Community -- With The Masses: The Architecture Of Participation -- Iv. Trial And Error: Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit: Part One -- London -- How Is Denmark? -- Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit: Part Two -- Facing The Facts -- Naukograd -- A Spanish Tender -- On Hold -- V. Powers That Be: After The End Of History -- The Other Truth -- Socialist In Content, Realist In Form -- The Descendant: A Conversation With Xenia Adjoubei, Nikita Khrushchev's Great-granddaughter -- Undesirable Work Styles -- A Benevolent Dictator With Taste -- Royal Approval -- His Architect -- A Property Developer For President -- Vi. Megalopoli(tic)s: A Faustian Bargain -- Amanha -- Smart Cities Of The Future -- The Sum Of All -isms -- Dear Mr. Barber -- At Your Service: Ten Steps To Becoming A Successful Urban Consultant -- Rankings -- Vii. Progress: Coup De Grace: Pruitt-igoe Revisited -- The Century That Never Happened -- In Memoriam: A Photo Essay -- The Captive Globe -- Remains Of A Brave New World. Reinier De Graaf. Includes Bibliographical References. Contents Preface I. Authority 1. I Will Learn You Architecture! 2. More Specifically, Everything! 3. Let Me Finish! 4. Four Walls and a Roof II. Default by Design 5. Bloody Fools! The Story of Pimlico School, 1970–2010 6. Architektur ohne Eigenschaften 7. Neufert: The Exceptional Pursuit of the Norm 8. Reference without a Source: The Appeal of Atlanta Airport 9. The Inevitable Box III. Found Causes 10. Spaceship Earth 11. Mies en Scène 12. Intruders: How Smart Technology Infiltrates Architecture 13. “Public” Space 14. From CIAM to Cyberspace: Architecture and the Community 15. With the Masses: The Architecture of Participation IV. Trial and Error 16. Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit: Part One 17. London 18. How Is Denmark? 19. Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit: Part Two 20. Facing the Facts 21. Naukograd 22. A Spanish Tender 23. On Hold V. Powers That Be 24. After the End of History 25. The Other Truth 26. Socialist in Content, Realist in Form 27. The Descendant: A Conversation with Xenia Adjoubei, Nikita Khrushchev’s Great-Granddaughter 28. Undesirable Work Styles 29. A Benevolent Dictator with Taste 30. Royal Approval 31. His Architect 32. A Property Developer for President VI. Megalopoli(tic)s 33. A Faustian Bargain 34. Amanhã 35. Smart Cities of the Future 36. The Sum of All Isms 37. Dear Mr. Barber 38. At Your Service: Ten Steps to Becoming a Successful Urban Consultant 39. Rankings VII. Progress 40. Coup de Grâce: Pruitt-Igoe Revisited 41. The Century That Never Happened 42. In Memoriam 43. The Captive Globe 44. Remains of a Brave New World Notes Acknowledgments Chapters Previously Published "Architecture, we like to believe, is an elevated art form that shapes the world as it pleases. Four Walls and a Roof challenges this notion, presenting a candid account of what it is really like to work as an architect, buffeted by external forces that make a mockery of any pretense to visionary authority. Reinier de Graaf draws on his own tragicomic experiences in the field to reveal the world of contemporary architecture in vivid snapshots. He takes us from suburban New York to the rubble of northern Iraq, from the corridors of wealth in London, Moscow, and Dubai to garbage-strewn wastelands that represent the demolished hopes of postwar social housing. We meet oligarchs determined to translate ambitions into concrete and steel, developers for whom architecture is mere investment, and the layers of politicians, bureaucrats, consultants, and mysterious hangers-on who lie between any architectural idea and the chance of its execution. He introduces us to histories of modern architecture that determine--at least as much as individual inspiration--what architects design. And he questions the hubris of those who believe they are the solution to the overwhelming problems of booming megacities. Perhaps the most important myth de Graaf debunks is success itself. To achieve anything, architects must serve the powers they strive to critique, finding themselves in a perpetual conflict of interest. Together, he shows, architects, developers, politicians, and consultants form an improvised world of conflict and compromise that none alone can control."-- Jaquette du volume A Financial Times Best Book of the YearA Guardian Best Architecture Book of the Year“Sharp, revealing, funny.”—The Guardian“An original and even occasionally hilarious book about losing ideals and finding them again... [De Graaf] deftly shows that architecture cannot be better or more pure than the flawed humans who make it.”—The EconomistArchitecture, we like to believe, is an elevated art form that shapes the world as it pleases. Four Walls and a Roof turns this fiction on its head, offering a candid account of what it's really like to work as an architect. Drawing on his own tragicomic experiences in the field, Reinier de Graaf reveals the world of contemporary architecture in vivid snapshots: from the corridors of wealth in London, Moscow, and Dubai to the demolished hopes of postwar social housing in New York and St. Louis. We meet ambitious oligarchs, developers for whom architecture is nothing more than an investment, and layers of bureaucrats, consultants, and mysterious hangers-on who lie between any architect's idea and the chance of its execution.“This is a book about power, money and influence, and architecture's complete lack of any of them... Witty, insightful and funny, it is a (sometimes painful) dissection of a profession that thinks it is still in control.”—Financial Times“This is the most stimulating book on architecture and its practice that I have read for years.”—Architects'Journal "Architecture, we like to believe, is an elevated art form that shapes the world as it pleases. Four Walls and a Roof challenges this notion, presenting a candid account of what it is really like to work as an architect. Drawing on his own tragicomic experiences in the field, Reinier de Graaf reveals the world of contemporary architecture in vivid snapshots: from suburban New York to the rubble of northern Iraq, from the corridors of wealth in London, Moscow, and Dubai to garbage-strewn wastelands that represent the demolished hopes of postwar social housing. We meet oligarchs determined to translate ambitions into concrete and steel, developers for whom architecture is mere investment, and the layers of politicians, bureaucrats, consultants, and mysterious hangers-on who lie between any architectural idea and the chance of its execution. Four Walls and a Roof tells the story of a profession buffeted by external forces that determine--at least as much as individual inspiration--what architects design. Perhaps the most important myth debunked is success itself. To achieve anything, architects must serve the powers they strive to critique, finding themselves in a perpetual conflict of interest. Together, architects, developers, politicians, and consultants form an improvised world of contest and compromise that none alone can control."--Harvard.edu viewed Nov. 28, 2022 Architects, we like to believe, shape the world as they please. Reinier de Graaf draws on his own tragicomic experiences to present a candid account of what it is really like to work as an architect. To achieve anything, he notes, architects must serve the powers they strive to critique, finding themselves in a perpetual conflict of interest.