HUMANIZE

A British designer decries the fundamental ugliness and inefficiency of so much of the modern built world.

“A selfish building cares only about its ability to make profit for its owners,” writes Heatherwick, “and disregards everyone else.” What is worse, he believes, is the fact that buildings are downright boring, the result of repetition with a limited repertoire of tricks that once made buildings look interesting. Blame it on the likes of Le Corbusier and van der Rohe, who advocated monumental concrete blocks that cost little and could be built anywhere. Being boring is just one demerit, and bad buildings carry tremendous hidden costs, societal and environmental: They are wasteful because they are poorly built and often have to be torn down. Furthermore, “a total of 11 percent of annual global carbon emissions comes just from construction and building materials,” which the author reckons to be five times the number generated by the aviation industry. Additionally, being cooped up in boring buildings contributes to a social malaise that that can lead to crime and substance abuse. Heatherwick argues that it behooves us to do something about the waste and cost involved—and to do it with urgency, inasmuch as the number of humans living in cities increases daily. The author also proposes that the architectural profession be overhauled so that architects are not conceived of as “intellectuals,” but instead acquire both solid trade skills and the soulfulness of an artist who has the sensitivity to understand that, contra the modernists, “love of decoration is part of human nature.” Activists, too, will appreciate the author’s frequent potshots at the cult of cheapness: “Why do so many of the world’s new buildings look like greed? Because the ultimate customer in our capitalist world is not the public.” The book features a generous supply of photos, diagrams, and informative sidebars.

A spirited, spot-on critique of a world of crumbling, cookie-cutter developments.