Why am I passionate about this?
When I was young, my parents gave me a book of quotations. I was hooked. Now I’m the solo librarian for NBBJ, a design firm with 12 offices worldwide and I select and buy books for all 12 offices. I search for the best books to inspire the designers I work with. But I’m aware that not everyone who works for an architectural firm is an architect. We have people in accounting, facilities, tech services, and more. I try to have a selection of books for these people, too – people who are interested in architecture, but aren’t experts. I have a Master’s in medieval history and a Master's in Library and Information Science.
Laura's book list on architecture for non-experts
Why did Laura love this book?
This brief 280-page book illustrates the connection between us and our built environment – something that affects us all, but we don’t always appreciate. With illustrations that match the text, de Botton takes us around the world to show us how buildings and objects influence us – can make us happy or sad. A very accessible way to understand the philosophy of architecture. It will make you see your home and office in a new light.
1 author picked The Architecture of Happiness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
What makes a house beautiful? Is it serious to spend your time thinking about home decoration? Why do people disagree about taste? Can buildings make us happy? In The Architecture of Happiness Alain de Botton tackles a relationship central to our lives. Our buildings - and the objects we fill them with - affect us more profoundly than we might think. To take architecture seriously is to accept that we are, for better and for worse, different people in different places. De Botton suggests that it is architecture's task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be. Turning…
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