KDL Recommends

The Architecture of Happiness

ISBN: 0375424431

Title: The Architecture of Happiness

Author: Alain De Botton

KDL Description:

A thoughtful study of architecture that examines how we both shape and are shaped by our surroundings considers how our private homes and public edifices — from Classical to Gothic to minimalist Modern — reflect how we feel and explains how our stylistic choices can be used to increase our chances of happiness.

Amazon Description:

One of the great but often unmentioned causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kinds of walls, chairs, buildings and streets that surround us.

And yet a concern for architecture and design is too often described as frivolous, even self-indulgent. The Architecture of Happiness starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences who we can be, and it argues that it is architecture’s task to stand as an eloquent reminder of our full potential.

Whereas many architects are wary of openly discussing the word beauty, this book has at its center the large and naïve question: What is a beautiful building? It is a tour through the philosophy and psychology of architecture that aims to change the way we think about our homes, our streets and ourselves.