The Experience of Architecture

January 1, 2017

We all experience architecture as users of buildings and urban spaces. Plummer (architecture emeritus, Univ. of Illinois; Nordic Light) has researched this type of interaction, and deplores both the monotony and the theatricality of many contemporary architectural works. Here, he celebrates buildings that invite participation: sensuous appreciation, views, exploration, and operation. Chapters on floors and stairs, doors and windows, ambiguous spaces, hidden spaces, and stimulating buildings offer examples both traditional and modern, mostly illustrated with the author's color photographs. Some items, such as doors with hidden latches, seem whimsical, but the range of examples helps clarify Plummer's concepts. Most of the content is from Europe and Japan, although designs by American luminaries such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Kahn, and Paul Rudolph are included. Plummer's effusive, sometimes poetic essays about human encounters with built spaces will fascinate, and his examples are diverse. He references the humanities and social sciences as well as design. Unfortunately, the small sans serif typeface is not entirely reader-friendly. The 300 illustrations work well with the text. VERDICT Architects and architecture students will appreciate having another analysis of this vital aspect of their field.--David R. Conn, formerly with Surrey Libs., BC

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