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Humanise: A Maker’s Guide to Building Our World
'Humanise is a masterwork. It's quietly furious, impassioned, rigorous and forensic in all the right doses. It leaves me very hopeful indeed about how things could go from here' ALAIN DE BOTTON
In this manifesto for change, one of the world's pre-eminent designers explores how buildings and cities around the world lost their soul - and what we can do about it.
Thomas Heatherwick shows how design has a profound effect on our mental and physical health, the climate, as well as the peace and cohesion of societies. He shows how a flawed idea of utility and 'efficiency' has engulfed our towns and cities and hardened into a form of bland minimalism. But it doesn't have to be this there are other ways to build - with the power to lift our spirits, engage and connect us.
Heatherwick draws on his own work, the ideas of other experts in the field, and recent advances in neuroscience and cognitive psychology to offer both a case against the inhumanity of modernist design and a rallying cry to everyone to imagine the world anew. Looking through his eyes, we take in places around the world, old and new, famous and obscure, that can sap the life out of us - or nourish our senses and our psyche.
Humanise is a tautly argued provocation and an urgent call-to-arms to make the world around us a far better place for everyone to live.
'This book is a super accessible guide as to why we shouldn't put up with soulless buildings and how we might change that' GRAYSON PERRY
'Thomas Heatherwick brings a velvet sledgehammer to the way we think about buildings and how they change our lives. In simple, elegant words, he demands that we put people first. Not developers, politicians or architects. I want to live in the kind of city Heatherwick imagines! Vive la revolution!' Simon Sinek, Optimist and New York Times-bestselling author of Start with Why and The Infinite Game
In this manifesto for change, one of the world's pre-eminent designers explores how buildings and cities around the world lost their soul - and what we can do about it.
Thomas Heatherwick shows how design has a profound effect on our mental and physical health, the climate, as well as the peace and cohesion of societies. He shows how a flawed idea of utility and 'efficiency' has engulfed our towns and cities and hardened into a form of bland minimalism. But it doesn't have to be this there are other ways to build - with the power to lift our spirits, engage and connect us.
Heatherwick draws on his own work, the ideas of other experts in the field, and recent advances in neuroscience and cognitive psychology to offer both a case against the inhumanity of modernist design and a rallying cry to everyone to imagine the world anew. Looking through his eyes, we take in places around the world, old and new, famous and obscure, that can sap the life out of us - or nourish our senses and our psyche.
Humanise is a tautly argued provocation and an urgent call-to-arms to make the world around us a far better place for everyone to live.
'This book is a super accessible guide as to why we shouldn't put up with soulless buildings and how we might change that' GRAYSON PERRY
'Thomas Heatherwick brings a velvet sledgehammer to the way we think about buildings and how they change our lives. In simple, elegant words, he demands that we put people first. Not developers, politicians or architects. I want to live in the kind of city Heatherwick imagines! Vive la revolution!' Simon Sinek, Optimist and New York Times-bestselling author of Start with Why and The Infinite Game
495 pages, Paperback
Published October 19, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
November 20, 2023
Thank you to Scribner and Goodreads for this amazing book I won in a Goodreads Giveaway.
As soon as I held this book in my hands and opened it to the first page, I was hooked. CAPTIVATED! I had to see more, learn more, discover more!
To me, this is what a good book is supposed to do. Open your mind and show you things you've never seen before. Capture your interest and curiousity. I was truly fascinated from the start, where the author shares a photo of Gaudí's Casa Milà, and how he'd never seen a building like that until he saw it in a book he'd picked up years ago, and essentially how that made the light in his brain flick on and the rest is history.
Have you ever really thought about how the buildings that surround you might contribute to feelings of being sick or unhappy? I'd not really thought of that too much until I read this amazing book. It's certainly an interesting idea worth exploring! This book shares so many bright and interesting ideas of how we can begin to feel better starting with the structures that surround us, and how each of us can play a role in making things better.
I love everything about this book from the cover to the interesting black and white photos within, and the interesting informational charts provided in different layouts as well.
Fun fact, in case you did not know (I didn't realize at first) Thomas Heatherwick designed the Vessel structure in New York and if that's any indication of how cool this book is, well, there you have it.
Thank you again to Scribner and Goodreads for this book. It's one of my favorites and I always find something new and interesting on any page that I revisit!
Thanks for taking the time to read my review and happy reading!
As soon as I held this book in my hands and opened it to the first page, I was hooked. CAPTIVATED! I had to see more, learn more, discover more!
To me, this is what a good book is supposed to do. Open your mind and show you things you've never seen before. Capture your interest and curiousity. I was truly fascinated from the start, where the author shares a photo of Gaudí's Casa Milà, and how he'd never seen a building like that until he saw it in a book he'd picked up years ago, and essentially how that made the light in his brain flick on and the rest is history.
Have you ever really thought about how the buildings that surround you might contribute to feelings of being sick or unhappy? I'd not really thought of that too much until I read this amazing book. It's certainly an interesting idea worth exploring! This book shares so many bright and interesting ideas of how we can begin to feel better starting with the structures that surround us, and how each of us can play a role in making things better.
I love everything about this book from the cover to the interesting black and white photos within, and the interesting informational charts provided in different layouts as well.
Fun fact, in case you did not know (I didn't realize at first) Thomas Heatherwick designed the Vessel structure in New York and if that's any indication of how cool this book is, well, there you have it.
Thank you again to Scribner and Goodreads for this book. It's one of my favorites and I always find something new and interesting on any page that I revisit!
Thanks for taking the time to read my review and happy reading!
January 16, 2024
4/5
Tricky to rate. A very simple argument, made simply and repeated again and again over 400 pages.
Most modern buildings are boring and we need more interesting ones.
I knew this book would get pelters after reading the first few pages. It’s shouty and attacks current practitioners. And yes, it’s very self-indulgent and lacks depth. But! This seems an entirely appropriate way to get the point across to the audience it’s intended… the general public, i.e. the passers-by of buildings.
And I simply can’t agree more that buildings dominate the sense of a place – and that I’d much rather be surrounded by interesting architecture (like in Bath, for example) than boring architecture (like the vast majority of towns and cities in the UK). It’s something I’d noticed as a kid and possibly unlearned as an adult.
So, in short, I thought it’s a great point, made intentionally simply and repeated to death. And why not go about it like that? I’m imagining the author banging their head against the wall for thirty years making it – this book is the manifestation of that. A nice bonus too, it’s very well designed.
Will be passing on to my mates as requested by the author in the final pages.
Tricky to rate. A very simple argument, made simply and repeated again and again over 400 pages.
Most modern buildings are boring and we need more interesting ones.
I knew this book would get pelters after reading the first few pages. It’s shouty and attacks current practitioners. And yes, it’s very self-indulgent and lacks depth. But! This seems an entirely appropriate way to get the point across to the audience it’s intended… the general public, i.e. the passers-by of buildings.
And I simply can’t agree more that buildings dominate the sense of a place – and that I’d much rather be surrounded by interesting architecture (like in Bath, for example) than boring architecture (like the vast majority of towns and cities in the UK). It’s something I’d noticed as a kid and possibly unlearned as an adult.
So, in short, I thought it’s a great point, made intentionally simply and repeated to death. And why not go about it like that? I’m imagining the author banging their head against the wall for thirty years making it – this book is the manifestation of that. A nice bonus too, it’s very well designed.
Will be passing on to my mates as requested by the author in the final pages.
May 15, 2024
Humanise is a book with a simple message - we need to make buildings less boring for the sake of mental wellbeing, for the environment, and to foster creativity. This is repeated throughout the book, but it manages to avoid monotony through its interesting visual examples and graphic design. That said, I wish the author had gone into more depth about some of the topics, such as designing everyday buildings (not just vanity projects), building materials, and how software can help create and judge interesting designs.
Some takeaways from the book:
● A building should be interesting to look at from a city distance, street distance, and especially from a door distance.
● Interesting design doesn't have to mean lavish decorations - even slight variations in the depth of a facade draw a viewer's attention.
● Something I wasn't aware of - some of Le Corbusier's later works are a far cry from his typical brutalist blocks of flats!
Some takeaways from the book:
● A building should be interesting to look at from a city distance, street distance, and especially from a door distance.
● Interesting design doesn't have to mean lavish decorations - even slight variations in the depth of a facade draw a viewer's attention.
● Something I wasn't aware of - some of Le Corbusier's later works are a far cry from his typical brutalist blocks of flats!
August 29, 2024
This would be one of the first books I'd hand someone interested in why design in public places and architecture matters. It's incredibly accessible (there are a lot of fun pictures and graphics) and very well-reasoned. My main complaint is that the author overlooks the role slaves and underpaid workers played in making certain historical buildings/structures possible. But as a whole, it compellingly explains why our cities are so boring and how we can make them more human once again.
May 27, 2024
I absolutely flew through this one; I genuinely couldn't put it down. Heatherwick presents a somewhat repetitive but ultimately convincing argument that we are living in a cult of modernist architecture. While I have also embraced the ideals of prioritizing more "humanist" buildings that work to represent a sense of place, being designed from outside in, rather than vice versa. It is reassuring to see this case presented in a straightforward manner. Hopefully, this book will encourage others to adopt this perspective towards architecture moving forward.
July 8, 2024
So fun to read
October 3, 2024
4.5 stars. Yes, this book focuses more on emotions than statistics and a broader in-depth argument. But it gets people thinking, and is a brave stand in the modern architecture world, that until now has been only seen perhaps only among those in neoclassical/traditional architecture.
I'm not particularly a fan of Thomas Heatherwick's work. I do really like a few of his projects, but there's many that make me say 'yikes!'. However, his manifesto for architecture and urban design is incredibly refreshing and welcome. Humanise: A Maker’s Guide to Building Our World argues his case against 'boring' architecture, and for his desire for buildings that bring joy and interest to people, both from a distance, but also up close. It is not a thorough academic text, but an emotive one that is designed to get people thinking.
Its layout is original and very approachable - it's 400 pages, but filled with images and diagrams. I really do wish he had chosen to include more of the research that backs up his argument - it can come across as an emotive argument without the data to back it up (which his critics lean into) but the research is very much out there and echoing his thoughts. That it is so approachable is important in an industry that loves jargon and incomprehensible theoretical writings. It's aimed at been accessible for the public, to get them to think and be engaged, not just those in the industry.
It was wonderful to find a big name in architecture (although I hadn't realised he was an architect himself), criticising the cliquey snobbery the industry has. Unsurprisingly this book has been heavily criticised by the industry, with scathing reviews in The Architects' Journal etc. (perhaps calling the architect tutor's favourite architecture, Le Corbusier, 'the god of boring' hit a nerve, but it is certainly how I shall think of him now!). There are too many stories of architects who dismiss and look down upon the opinion of the public. However, unlike a piece of sculpture, it is the public who have to live with it and thus whose thoughts and feelings are very important in considering the design of a building (and there are many architects who even ignore the clients who hired them).
I wasn't expecting him to then argue at the end that part of the issue is that architecture has become removed from the world of artists. In my experience, architecture has gone too far that way, focusing on weird concepts and narratives, rather than the ergonomics of the building, and craftsmanship involved with it.
While reading this, I was thinking that perhaps he is a little to far the other way, into starchitecture, rather than a tasteful medium, but at the end he does acknowledge this saying: 'Of course every new building shouldn't strain to look iconic. I'm only saying that buildings should have enough care, complexity and emotional intelligence built into them that the people who use them and pass by them every day are nourished by them.' I was concerned this could come across as an advertising stunt for his practice, but while he does occasionally refence a building of his, it was not very often.
I bookmarked a couple of pages that made me think. Firstly, when he talks about Paul Morrell's stance against viewing buildings through the lens of profit. Value in a built asset isn't just profit. For instance in a hospital, its value should be patients healed, in a prison the number of inmates who go back to society and don't reoffend. You could decide to go for profit and max out the number of beds that can be fitted in, or instead fit less in, but focus on creating a healing environment. Secondly, a page with an image of repetitive tower blocks in India with the following sentence written across it:
'If you asked children to draw an imaginary dream city, how many would come up with something like this?'
I'm not particularly a fan of Thomas Heatherwick's work. I do really like a few of his projects, but there's many that make me say 'yikes!'. However, his manifesto for architecture and urban design is incredibly refreshing and welcome. Humanise: A Maker’s Guide to Building Our World argues his case against 'boring' architecture, and for his desire for buildings that bring joy and interest to people, both from a distance, but also up close. It is not a thorough academic text, but an emotive one that is designed to get people thinking.
Its layout is original and very approachable - it's 400 pages, but filled with images and diagrams. I really do wish he had chosen to include more of the research that backs up his argument - it can come across as an emotive argument without the data to back it up (which his critics lean into) but the research is very much out there and echoing his thoughts. That it is so approachable is important in an industry that loves jargon and incomprehensible theoretical writings. It's aimed at been accessible for the public, to get them to think and be engaged, not just those in the industry.
It was wonderful to find a big name in architecture (although I hadn't realised he was an architect himself), criticising the cliquey snobbery the industry has. Unsurprisingly this book has been heavily criticised by the industry, with scathing reviews in The Architects' Journal etc. (perhaps calling the architect tutor's favourite architecture, Le Corbusier, 'the god of boring' hit a nerve, but it is certainly how I shall think of him now!). There are too many stories of architects who dismiss and look down upon the opinion of the public. However, unlike a piece of sculpture, it is the public who have to live with it and thus whose thoughts and feelings are very important in considering the design of a building (and there are many architects who even ignore the clients who hired them).
I wasn't expecting him to then argue at the end that part of the issue is that architecture has become removed from the world of artists. In my experience, architecture has gone too far that way, focusing on weird concepts and narratives, rather than the ergonomics of the building, and craftsmanship involved with it.
While reading this, I was thinking that perhaps he is a little to far the other way, into starchitecture, rather than a tasteful medium, but at the end he does acknowledge this saying: 'Of course every new building shouldn't strain to look iconic. I'm only saying that buildings should have enough care, complexity and emotional intelligence built into them that the people who use them and pass by them every day are nourished by them.' I was concerned this could come across as an advertising stunt for his practice, but while he does occasionally refence a building of his, it was not very often.
I bookmarked a couple of pages that made me think. Firstly, when he talks about Paul Morrell's stance against viewing buildings through the lens of profit. Value in a built asset isn't just profit. For instance in a hospital, its value should be patients healed, in a prison the number of inmates who go back to society and don't reoffend. You could decide to go for profit and max out the number of beds that can be fitted in, or instead fit less in, but focus on creating a healing environment. Secondly, a page with an image of repetitive tower blocks in India with the following sentence written across it:
'If you asked children to draw an imaginary dream city, how many would come up with something like this?'
October 21, 2023
I come from an arts background, and have taught and advocated for years for creating communities which use arts and culture to benefit livability, quality of life and place, and even economic health. I was thrilled to come across this book, which has similar goals but comes from the architecture side of the picture. Renowned architect Thomas Heatherwick presents a simple premise: buildings used to be interesting. Now they’re boring. And boring buildings are worse than just boring. They are soul-sucking, stress-inducing, environmentally irresponsible monstrosities that have disadvantages far beyond the fact that they are boring and ugly.
Heatherwick starts with an analysis of one of the world’s most unique and beautiful structures, Gaudi’s Basilica de La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, then contrasts this and other buildings in Barcelona with the Modernist movement championed by Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jenneret-Gris) and echoed by other 20th Century artists from Picasso to Pollock in their attempt to strip art down to the basics and experiment with new forms. All well and good, but instead of work hanging on museum walls, building design and city planning affect all of us. In contrast to Louis Sullivan’s famous maxim that form should follow function, which places the design onus on the interior, Heatherwick argues that the exterior affects many more people and should be treated with more care.
Heatherwick applies his own belief in humanization of structure by making the format of the book creative and interesting. He includes dozens of examples of good and bad architecture, presents material using graphic creativity. Even if I were not interested in the subject matter, the format of the book would have kept me interested. Which, obviously, is the point.
This book should be required reading for architects, planners, designers, political officials and anyone else with a stake in creating communities that nurture people instead of dehumanizing them.
Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Heatherwick starts with an analysis of one of the world’s most unique and beautiful structures, Gaudi’s Basilica de La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, then contrasts this and other buildings in Barcelona with the Modernist movement championed by Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jenneret-Gris) and echoed by other 20th Century artists from Picasso to Pollock in their attempt to strip art down to the basics and experiment with new forms. All well and good, but instead of work hanging on museum walls, building design and city planning affect all of us. In contrast to Louis Sullivan’s famous maxim that form should follow function, which places the design onus on the interior, Heatherwick argues that the exterior affects many more people and should be treated with more care.
Heatherwick applies his own belief in humanization of structure by making the format of the book creative and interesting. He includes dozens of examples of good and bad architecture, presents material using graphic creativity. Even if I were not interested in the subject matter, the format of the book would have kept me interested. Which, obviously, is the point.
This book should be required reading for architects, planners, designers, political officials and anyone else with a stake in creating communities that nurture people instead of dehumanizing them.
Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
May 30, 2024
Heatherwick’s ‘Humanise’ is a beautifully designed and accessible book that reflects its mission; this book challenges and deconstructs dogmatic modernist ideas about form, function, and artistic theory. Though focussed through an architectural lens, as someone that studies and teaches English literature, I felt there was a certain universal truth to Heatherwick’s critique on modernist ideas surrounding the arts.
Even for the non-architecturally literate, this book contains an element of seductive intrigue for anyone who’s ever passed a building and FELT something. It delves into why we feel certain ways based on what we observe as a passer-by in a city and articulates how change is needed to ensure that positive, human design is encouraged in architecture and design planning.
Additionally, as well as being an interesting and well argued thought piece, this book is designed to be an experience. Every page’s use of image and text has been carefully considered to reflect its intent. I recommend this book highly.
Even for the non-architecturally literate, this book contains an element of seductive intrigue for anyone who’s ever passed a building and FELT something. It delves into why we feel certain ways based on what we observe as a passer-by in a city and articulates how change is needed to ensure that positive, human design is encouraged in architecture and design planning.
Additionally, as well as being an interesting and well argued thought piece, this book is designed to be an experience. Every page’s use of image and text has been carefully considered to reflect its intent. I recommend this book highly.
November 26, 2023
It turns the page on conventional architecture, challenging to design with heart rather than blueprints. A must-read for anyone who believes that cities should be as full of soul as they are of people.
January 20, 2024
A great book written for both architects and non architects with a simple truth: the building we build are boring. And a simple suggestion: we need to build buildings that are more interesting and humane.
March 29, 2024
Definitely one of my favorite book now !
Someone not afraid of telling the truth about what has been built over the last century and what is still being built nowadays! It’s time to wake up and use architecture to bring humanity and pleasure in our cities and homes !
Someone not afraid of telling the truth about what has been built over the last century and what is still being built nowadays! It’s time to wake up and use architecture to bring humanity and pleasure in our cities and homes !
August 4, 2024
The author's viewpoint is quite shallow and superficial. The focus is primarily on the visual design (attractiveness and beauty) of architecture, while largely ignoring other essential aspects to consider, such as spatial efficiency, balance, restoration, preservation, environmental protection, and material use.
He emphasizes that a boring city would lead to higher depression rates and the occurrence of chronic diseases among people. However, this is a logical fallacy, as both consequences are more likely due to the high density and lack of resources in such a city, including building and medical resources, fresh and clean food, rather than a direct causal relationship between the two consequences.
Despite this, the book does encourage readers to reflect on the meaning of buildings to them. Overall, it is a good leisure and reference read, but may not be inspiring for architectural professionals, as there are more multifaceted ways to define and appreciate a good building beyond just its outward appearance.
He emphasizes that a boring city would lead to higher depression rates and the occurrence of chronic diseases among people. However, this is a logical fallacy, as both consequences are more likely due to the high density and lack of resources in such a city, including building and medical resources, fresh and clean food, rather than a direct causal relationship between the two consequences.
Despite this, the book does encourage readers to reflect on the meaning of buildings to them. Overall, it is a good leisure and reference read, but may not be inspiring for architectural professionals, as there are more multifaceted ways to define and appreciate a good building beyond just its outward appearance.
December 9, 2023
A rollicking read!
This book is a call to arms to all involved in the Built Environment. We can and we must do better!
It’s an allegory too as to why Climate Change isn’t being actioned. Too much power by too few on too many.
Places and spaces which create joy and delight should be a human right!
This book is a call to arms to all involved in the Built Environment. We can and we must do better!
It’s an allegory too as to why Climate Change isn’t being actioned. Too much power by too few on too many.
Places and spaces which create joy and delight should be a human right!
April 7, 2024
CHALLENGE: Read Nonfiction Books I Own
1/11
This book is excellent and really spoke to how I’ve been feeling about how our cities are designed and filled with so many boring-looking and uninspiring buildings (I love that the author calls it a “blandemic” lol). There are a lot history lessons in the book (e.g, Modernist architects from the 20th century started the tall straight, rectangular buildings trend we see everywhere today) which I appreciated because it gives context as to why things are the way they are and where it all started from. The author provides solutions towards the end of the book (e.g architects should diversify their circles and collaborate more with artists and other creatives on building projects and not allow themselves to be so stifled by academia) which allows the reader to not feel hopeless and that the author is just complaining without doing something about it.
I bought this book on a whim when I saw it at a bookstore and skimmed through it (oh there’s also lots of pictures too). Highly recommended especially if you are interested in city design, architecture, and history.
1/11
This book is excellent and really spoke to how I’ve been feeling about how our cities are designed and filled with so many boring-looking and uninspiring buildings (I love that the author calls it a “blandemic” lol). There are a lot history lessons in the book (e.g, Modernist architects from the 20th century started the tall straight, rectangular buildings trend we see everywhere today) which I appreciated because it gives context as to why things are the way they are and where it all started from. The author provides solutions towards the end of the book (e.g architects should diversify their circles and collaborate more with artists and other creatives on building projects and not allow themselves to be so stifled by academia) which allows the reader to not feel hopeless and that the author is just complaining without doing something about it.
I bought this book on a whim when I saw it at a bookstore and skimmed through it (oh there’s also lots of pictures too). Highly recommended especially if you are interested in city design, architecture, and history.
July 1, 2024
The design was bold and engaging which really set it apart from books with similar topics.
As an ordinary person, I got disengaged towards the end with the constant ramblings on the “cult of boring”, didn’t make me feel anything except bored.
As an ordinary person, I got disengaged towards the end with the constant ramblings on the “cult of boring”, didn’t make me feel anything except bored.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2024
Ok so lots of things I enjoy about this book. The format is really engaging and the stuff about his degree show was great. Designers should be makers first, I agree.
However, this guys entire argument is to make buildings less boring, less oppressive for the sake of the mental well-being of passers-by. I then find out he is the designer behind the KX google land-scraper. A Building I walked past for years and with each day blocked out more of the sun and built an aggressive wind tunnel that makes that walk miserable. His argument felt hypocritical and oversimplified unfortunately.
However, this guys entire argument is to make buildings less boring, less oppressive for the sake of the mental well-being of passers-by. I then find out he is the designer behind the KX google land-scraper. A Building I walked past for years and with each day blocked out more of the sun and built an aggressive wind tunnel that makes that walk miserable. His argument felt hypocritical and oversimplified unfortunately.
June 25, 2024
Ugh. Lots of youthful energy here.
May 3, 2024
Well done on the design of the book.
While I agree that globally, buildings are becoming similar and similar, and I agree with some of the ideas in the last 70 pages or so, but and in a nutshell this book unfairly lashes out on architects. Let’s not forget that the “cult” criticised was at some point praised and accepted by the public which led to its global spread. It takes up to 300 pages to finally brush on the fact that building regulations constrain architects and their creativity. I am not an architect, but I work in the built environment and know the painful process that designs are subject to policy, regulation, client briefs, THEN the architects window of creativity, after all filters are applied. I for one would love to see designs as rich in ornamentations as Gaudi’s designs or the elegance of Brunelleschi in the current policy framework and financial situation.
Glorious old buildings were created at times when the only thing you needed was to be commissioned. No planning laws, frameworks, local plans, planning guidance and building regs to follow. Not to mention that as beautiful old buildings are, many were constructed as a result of massive quarrying activities, damaging natural environments and landscape, an environmental damage we are suffering from now.
The book references, for instance, “This could be one contributing reason why, for example, just 6 per cent of all homes in the UK are actually designed by architects, whilst in the US it's thought to be 1-2 per cent.” Another quote “It's not always true that architects are in charge of the design of major public building projects. These days it's increasingly common for clients to ask for building companies to lead them and essentially appoint and control the architect.” If 6 percent of homes only are designed by architects, shouldn’t the blame be focused elsewhere? Say, policy makers? Clients? This is acknowledged at the end of the book, calling making a building an “impossible job”. We cannot, no matter how hard we try, ignore the housing crisis and current financial situation. I would love to see beautiful social housing designed with 3D technology to cut time and cost but the reality is policy and regulation will always have the final say.
I found it contradictory that at the first half of the book, many studies and polls are referenced on how the public agree that buildings are boring, yet admitting the role of politics, in two paragraphs only in the book admits that “society needs to change”. I also found it odd that a criticism around building regulations meaning that windows, lifts, etc are standardised for legal liability purposes, yet the pattern books (basically having a set of designs) are praised. I appreciate that a pattern book ideas allow for a mix and match, but essentially is a form of standardisation.
Across the book, many incidents state things like: I was the only one who reacted that way; people were too scared to give their true opinion so they conform (i.e I’m courageous and everyone else in the industry is not); elitist institutions (coming from a Royal Academician) just made the whole argument weaker to me.
While I agree that globally, buildings are becoming similar and similar, and I agree with some of the ideas in the last 70 pages or so, but and in a nutshell this book unfairly lashes out on architects. Let’s not forget that the “cult” criticised was at some point praised and accepted by the public which led to its global spread. It takes up to 300 pages to finally brush on the fact that building regulations constrain architects and their creativity. I am not an architect, but I work in the built environment and know the painful process that designs are subject to policy, regulation, client briefs, THEN the architects window of creativity, after all filters are applied. I for one would love to see designs as rich in ornamentations as Gaudi’s designs or the elegance of Brunelleschi in the current policy framework and financial situation.
Glorious old buildings were created at times when the only thing you needed was to be commissioned. No planning laws, frameworks, local plans, planning guidance and building regs to follow. Not to mention that as beautiful old buildings are, many were constructed as a result of massive quarrying activities, damaging natural environments and landscape, an environmental damage we are suffering from now.
The book references, for instance, “This could be one contributing reason why, for example, just 6 per cent of all homes in the UK are actually designed by architects, whilst in the US it's thought to be 1-2 per cent.” Another quote “It's not always true that architects are in charge of the design of major public building projects. These days it's increasingly common for clients to ask for building companies to lead them and essentially appoint and control the architect.” If 6 percent of homes only are designed by architects, shouldn’t the blame be focused elsewhere? Say, policy makers? Clients? This is acknowledged at the end of the book, calling making a building an “impossible job”. We cannot, no matter how hard we try, ignore the housing crisis and current financial situation. I would love to see beautiful social housing designed with 3D technology to cut time and cost but the reality is policy and regulation will always have the final say.
I found it contradictory that at the first half of the book, many studies and polls are referenced on how the public agree that buildings are boring, yet admitting the role of politics, in two paragraphs only in the book admits that “society needs to change”. I also found it odd that a criticism around building regulations meaning that windows, lifts, etc are standardised for legal liability purposes, yet the pattern books (basically having a set of designs) are praised. I appreciate that a pattern book ideas allow for a mix and match, but essentially is a form of standardisation.
Across the book, many incidents state things like: I was the only one who reacted that way; people were too scared to give their true opinion so they conform (i.e I’m courageous and everyone else in the industry is not); elitist institutions (coming from a Royal Academician) just made the whole argument weaker to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2024
This was a Christmas gift from my 18 year-old daughter. From the cover and description I thought "Good fit kid. It's nice to see that you know your Dad is into city planning and pedestrian safety designs and such." As I started to read it, the author takes us on a tour of human-scale urban places including Barcelona and the the Marais district in Paris. Here's the thing, we, as a family, had been in Paris last Christmas and New Years. Some of my favorite parts of that trip were just wandering semi-aimlessly through le Marais and ducking in and out of the courtyard communities often built into the center of the blocks. I talked about how it was so welcoming and human-scale.
And I guess I just assumed my teenager put up with me and tuned me out. But I was wrong.
The book itself is rather more focused on buildings and architecture itself versus urban planning and the whole street-scape than I would have preferred. Not a real complaint about the book - it does what it sets out to do - I'd just like a comparable volume that talks about traffic flow (car, bike, foot, transit) and the shape of the negative space of cities as much or more than the positive space of buildings.
I also appreciate that the author commits to the bit of humanizing the concepts and avoiding being boring. Much of the book is presented more like a PowerPoint presentation from a slightly hyper junior professor than a printed book. This is in line with the central theme against boringness. Few pages present a "wall-of-text" that a reader needs to steel themselves to climb. Instead, the fonts and presentations change; pictures are provided liberally, sometimes for multiple pages without much additional text; major ideas are called out with arrows and underlining or scrawled across the page in handwriting. It's a nice execution of the concepts the author is saying should be applied to architecture.
I wanted to be an architect when I was in middle school. I tried really hard to look at the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and see what everyone loved about them so much, but I really had trouble. Falling water doesn't mesh with its landscape for me, it's boring slabs of concrete that look like they are going to fall over (Spoiler - they keep trying to fall over and have to be patched all the time). I'm glad I didn't invest 7 years of post high-school life into the world that Heatherwick describes. I'd either have been indoctrinated into making boring buildings, or I'd be miserable, or both.
And I guess I just assumed my teenager put up with me and tuned me out. But I was wrong.
The book itself is rather more focused on buildings and architecture itself versus urban planning and the whole street-scape than I would have preferred. Not a real complaint about the book - it does what it sets out to do - I'd just like a comparable volume that talks about traffic flow (car, bike, foot, transit) and the shape of the negative space of cities as much or more than the positive space of buildings.
I also appreciate that the author commits to the bit of humanizing the concepts and avoiding being boring. Much of the book is presented more like a PowerPoint presentation from a slightly hyper junior professor than a printed book. This is in line with the central theme against boringness. Few pages present a "wall-of-text" that a reader needs to steel themselves to climb. Instead, the fonts and presentations change; pictures are provided liberally, sometimes for multiple pages without much additional text; major ideas are called out with arrows and underlining or scrawled across the page in handwriting. It's a nice execution of the concepts the author is saying should be applied to architecture.
I wanted to be an architect when I was in middle school. I tried really hard to look at the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and see what everyone loved about them so much, but I really had trouble. Falling water doesn't mesh with its landscape for me, it's boring slabs of concrete that look like they are going to fall over (Spoiler - they keep trying to fall over and have to be patched all the time). I'm glad I didn't invest 7 years of post high-school life into the world that Heatherwick describes. I'd either have been indoctrinated into making boring buildings, or I'd be miserable, or both.
November 12, 2023
Humanize: a Maker's Guide to Designing Our Cities by Thomas Heatherwick is a very readable treatise on how to lay out our shared spaces where nature does not dominate the surroundings. Humanize is a plea to create spaces that are visually interesting and deep with public areas that encourage human interactions.
Heatherwick sees much of the last century's buildings as "boring", a word he uses to describe buildings with a lack of interest to the passerby. Flat-fronted buildings with flat windows are sometimes preferred by clients because they are less expensive to build, but Heatherwick claims they cost society by being unnoticeable. The modern era has stripped as many of the details of past times as possible. A person can take in the entire building without needing to slow down or stop. And to him, herein lies the problem.
His theory goes like this, people do not stop to consider the edifice, they keep moving. They do not interact with other passersby or neighbors and do not become acquainted with other people who live sometimes in the same building. This creates space that separates us as humans instead of becoming neighbors.
And then there is the problem of tearing boring buildings down and putting up more featureless buildings. This leads to more carbon being put into the air than the entire airline industry worldwide. And the problem is not relieved by the new buildings.
The book is full of photos and other illustrations to make this point starting with the early 20th century's Spanish architect and designer Antoni Gaudi who was responsible for Casa Mila and Sagrada Familia, two examples of the least boring modern-ish buildings that exist.
Heatherwick makes a compelling argument. Maybe this book is a good start to instigate more change in the world of architecture and design. Maybe this is an important book for the building industry.
Thank you Netgalley for the prepublication copy to read and review.
Heatherwick sees much of the last century's buildings as "boring", a word he uses to describe buildings with a lack of interest to the passerby. Flat-fronted buildings with flat windows are sometimes preferred by clients because they are less expensive to build, but Heatherwick claims they cost society by being unnoticeable. The modern era has stripped as many of the details of past times as possible. A person can take in the entire building without needing to slow down or stop. And to him, herein lies the problem.
His theory goes like this, people do not stop to consider the edifice, they keep moving. They do not interact with other passersby or neighbors and do not become acquainted with other people who live sometimes in the same building. This creates space that separates us as humans instead of becoming neighbors.
And then there is the problem of tearing boring buildings down and putting up more featureless buildings. This leads to more carbon being put into the air than the entire airline industry worldwide. And the problem is not relieved by the new buildings.
The book is full of photos and other illustrations to make this point starting with the early 20th century's Spanish architect and designer Antoni Gaudi who was responsible for Casa Mila and Sagrada Familia, two examples of the least boring modern-ish buildings that exist.
Heatherwick makes a compelling argument. Maybe this book is a good start to instigate more change in the world of architecture and design. Maybe this is an important book for the building industry.
Thank you Netgalley for the prepublication copy to read and review.
October 28, 2023
I want to give this book 20 stars! It is written with wit, in an easy-to-read font, loaded with drawings and photos that make you stop and think, and reminds me of the joy when I read about Frank Lloyd Wright's ideas and buildings. It is intuitive too! I remembered times when I was enchanted by old buildings including the house where I lived as a child. I had loved the decorative style of the grade school that I went to back in the 1950's. I remember the decorative doors and the impressive staircase that wound its way up four floors. I cried when 60 years later, it was torn down and replaced with a big white box, not a tall one but a square one. It took me three days to recover. I also remember wonderful art museums that thrilled me with being a piece of art.
The author helps us learn what happened when architects adopted Le Corbusier's seven principles, which negatively impacted the design of modern buildings. I will pass this book on to a friend but I am keeping my notes about what was considered bad and good. I will never design a building but a retired person, I spend a great deal of life in apartment buildings. LOL, I have had emotional reactions to buildings that were built for people to work like machines and not experience joy. What brings you joy in the design of buildings, furniture, and art? For me, it is often that which is joyful and is a part of nature.
Please read this wonderful book.
The author helps us learn what happened when architects adopted Le Corbusier's seven principles, which negatively impacted the design of modern buildings. I will pass this book on to a friend but I am keeping my notes about what was considered bad and good. I will never design a building but a retired person, I spend a great deal of life in apartment buildings. LOL, I have had emotional reactions to buildings that were built for people to work like machines and not experience joy. What brings you joy in the design of buildings, furniture, and art? For me, it is often that which is joyful and is a part of nature.
Please read this wonderful book.
December 23, 2023
Excellent point, well made at the start, tripping over itself at the end.
While I agree with the author that boring buildings aimed at profit rather than human happiness or healing or rehabilitation (what should mark the success of a home, hospital, or prison, respectively) are too many and hurting us, I could not help but laugh at the mentions of his routemaster (boris bus) design. The worse bus experience of my entire life, every time i enter. The author may be right that boring is killing us, but, so is his horrible bus. Pretty on the outside, full of discomfort and pain inside. And so, his message about the exterior aesthetics of buildings, ends up diluted for me. Because a decorative thing is not a successful thing.
While I agree with the author that boring buildings aimed at profit rather than human happiness or healing or rehabilitation (what should mark the success of a home, hospital, or prison, respectively) are too many and hurting us, I could not help but laugh at the mentions of his routemaster (boris bus) design. The worse bus experience of my entire life, every time i enter. The author may be right that boring is killing us, but, so is his horrible bus. Pretty on the outside, full of discomfort and pain inside. And so, his message about the exterior aesthetics of buildings, ends up diluted for me. Because a decorative thing is not a successful thing.
February 11, 2024
Has made me look at buildings differently. Beforehand, I just kind of accepted modern buildings are cool as they are "modern" and shiny. Now I have changed my mind.
Central point is modern(ist) buildings are boring as they lack complexity. Depicts architectures as a guild aiming to please each other with Modernist ideas while compellingly argues most people actually value complexity and depth in buildings (think Sagrada Familia, Hausmannian Paris, Kalamaja but also Burj Khalifa).
Fun fact - construction and building materials account for 11% of world's carbon emissions. That's 5x more than aviation. --> his point is we should build for 1000 years
Also, it's a super nice visual read - wish more books were designed like this.
Central point is modern(ist) buildings are boring as they lack complexity. Depicts architectures as a guild aiming to please each other with Modernist ideas while compellingly argues most people actually value complexity and depth in buildings (think Sagrada Familia, Hausmannian Paris, Kalamaja but also Burj Khalifa).
Fun fact - construction and building materials account for 11% of world's carbon emissions. That's 5x more than aviation. --> his point is we should build for 1000 years
Also, it's a super nice visual read - wish more books were designed like this.
February 4, 2024
Bought on a whim this one man attack on boring buildings certainly is eye opening and has at least caused this reader to look around more at the buildings he walks by.
What Heatherwick is asking is no mean feat and his Humanise movement is admirable but there's a long road ahead - what he procalims makes perfect sense and as I walk down streets seeing flat, lifeless office block after office block it's not hard to side with his veiw on the anti-modernist approach to architecture.
It's a rich man's game at the end of the day and the consumerism is a tough tower to topple but good luck to him.
What Heatherwick is asking is no mean feat and his Humanise movement is admirable but there's a long road ahead - what he procalims makes perfect sense and as I walk down streets seeing flat, lifeless office block after office block it's not hard to side with his veiw on the anti-modernist approach to architecture.
It's a rich man's game at the end of the day and the consumerism is a tough tower to topple but good luck to him.
February 12, 2024
I find Heatherwick’s design studio super interesting. This written piece reveals insights on his own perspective about architecture (and cities). However, it often gets repetitive and superficial. As if looking at ‘40 meters from the problem’ to put it on his own words. On top of that, all the graphic design work seems a bit excessive and distracting. Interesting approach, but could have been an article instead of a book.
PD. Anyone who dares to speak of Le Corbusier like that deserves a place on my bookshelf.
PD. Anyone who dares to speak of Le Corbusier like that deserves a place on my bookshelf.
March 2, 2024
This book was a delight to read - super visually interesting and unique, which added excitement to what could be a dense subject. I will never look at buildings in my neighborhood the same way. I’m inspired by Heatherwick’s message!
I do find myself wanting to research Modernism myself after reading, though. At points this felt like a persuasive essay rather than a purely informative work. While everything the author described FEELS right, it felt a little harsh towards the institution of architecture, which surprised me. Worth a read!!
I do find myself wanting to research Modernism myself after reading, though. At points this felt like a persuasive essay rather than a purely informative work. While everything the author described FEELS right, it felt a little harsh towards the institution of architecture, which surprised me. Worth a read!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2024
Loved everything about this: the arguments, the design of the book, the tone. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about building design or architecture and I wouldn't have said I had an overt interest, but this is one of those books that makes it's subject interesting to a lay reader. It's more like a long lecture/presentation (or a series of them) than a straightforward nonfiction book. It's a thick paperback but it's illustrated well throughout and should take many avid readers little over a couple of days to whizz through.
June 5, 2024
Finally, a book about modern architecture that’s fun to read, and makes the discussion about who humans are and what makes them happy.
Thomas Heatherwick takes aim at the industry of modern architecture, showing us the social and environmental costs of buildings that prioritize abstract aesthetics over designing environments that humans actually thrive in. The scientific data underlying his criticism was fascinating, and lots of examples point the way toward how we can (and sometimes do) do modern architecture better.
Thomas Heatherwick takes aim at the industry of modern architecture, showing us the social and environmental costs of buildings that prioritize abstract aesthetics over designing environments that humans actually thrive in. The scientific data underlying his criticism was fascinating, and lots of examples point the way toward how we can (and sometimes do) do modern architecture better.
November 3, 2023
Our city is permitting apartment buildings to be built at an alarming rate without regard to the human element. I found Humanize A Maker's Guide to Designing Our Cities by Thomas Heatherwick a very timely book. It is full of black and white photos and examples of wonderful buildings and also by cheap, boring buildings that make people sick and unhappy. He suggests ways we can humanize buildings to make our world a better place to live.
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