Description: "A portion of this book was originally published as La Matâerialitâe de l'architecture (Marseille: Editions Parentháeses, 2018)."
Review Quotes:
"Thanks to his immense knowledge of building technologies, along with the acute observations of contemporary practice made over the years, Antoine Picon has carved a masterful synthesis on the very substance of architecture. From ancient vestiges to current designs, the meaning of materials in designs and buildings is dissected in this dense, inspired volume. A must-read for students, scholars, and professionals alike."--Jean-Louis Cohen, author of The Future of Architecture Since 1889: A Worldwide History
"This rich and synthetic book rethinks four centuries of Western architectural discourse, arguing that materiality is not a raw essence, nor a state of being, but a branch of technological thinking. In six brisk chapters, Antoine Picon wonderfully combines lucid explanations of architects' technical processes with insights on their cultural motives. The main takeaway--and it is a brilliant one--is that materials in architecture have ultimately served as a kind of linguistic referent. A needed corrective to recent claims of dematerialization, and a highly rewarding read."--Lucia Allais, author of Designs of Destruction: The Making of Monuments in the Twentieth Century