Architecture

The Architecture of Happiness

The Architecture of Happiness

  • Downloads：1082
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-11 05:51:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Alain de Botton
  • ISBN：0241970059
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Summary

THE NUMBER ONE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

From one of our greatest voices in modern philosophy， author of The Course of Love， The Consolations of Philosophy and The School of Life， The Architecture of Happiness explores the fascinating hidden links between the buildings we live in and our long-term wellbeing。

'Engaging and intelligent 。 。 。 Full of splendid ideas， happily and beautifully expressed' Independent

What makes a house truly beautiful？ Why are many new houses so ugly？ Why do we argue so bitterly about sofas and pictures - and can differences of taste ever be satisfactorily resolved？

To answer these questions and many more， de Botton looks at buildings across the world， from medieval wooden huts to modern skyscrapers; he examines sofas and cathedrals， tea sets and office complexes， and teases out a host of often surprising philosophical insights。 The Architecture of Happiness will take you on a beguiling tour through the history and psychology of architecture and interior design， and will change the way you look at your home。

'Alain de Botton takes big， complex subjects and writes about them with thoughtful and deceptive innocence' Observer

'Clever， provocative and fresh as a daisy' Literary Review

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Reviews

Sally Kintz ，

Not what I expected， but thought provoking and intriguing。 I do recommend this book if you have an interest in architecture and the sense of place。

Martina ，

It is the premise of this book that "[a]n ugly room can coagulate any loose suspicions as to the incompleteness of life， while a sun-lit one set with honey-colored limestone tiles can lend support to whatever is most hopeful within us。 Belief in the significance of architecture is premised on the notion that we are， for better or for worse， different people in different places -- and on the conviction that it is architecture's task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be。" The same holds t It is the premise of this book that "[a]n ugly room can coagulate any loose suspicions as to the incompleteness of life， while a sun-lit one set with honey-colored limestone tiles can lend support to whatever is most hopeful within us。 Belief in the significance of architecture is premised on the notion that we are， for better or for worse， different people in different places -- and on the conviction that it is architecture's task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be。" The same holds true for books and writers of books。 Having read this book， it does lend support to whatever is most hopeful within me and who I might ideally be。 。。。more

Pascal ，

Nice house = good

Derek ，

A couple of things stood out:-Your environment should be additive to your sense of being but not apparent （i。e。 it should feel natural and unobtrusive）。-The appeal of abstract vs realistic aesthetic varies based on what values the society at the time is lacking

Helen King ，

Really thought provoking and beautifully written。

Kenji ，

A philosophical book about aesthetics and beauty through the lens of architecture。 Meh。 A mildly interesting book about a topic I am not particularly interested in。

Marina ，

"Belief in the significance of architecture is premised on the notion that we are， for better or for worse， different people in different places - and on the conviction that it is architecture's task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be。 Architecture can render vivid to us who we might ideally be。" "Belief in the significance of architecture is premised on the notion that we are， for better or for worse， different people in different places - and on the conviction that it is architecture's task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be。 Architecture can render vivid to us who we might ideally be。" 。。。more

Veronica Damico ，

only read it bc harry styles did but very interesting

Gianluca Ciccarelli ，

Witty and insightful but sometimes wordy。

thy ，

it's perhaps when our lives are at their most problematic that we are likely to be most receptive to beautiful things it's perhaps when our lives are at their most problematic that we are likely to be most receptive to beautiful things 。。。more

Betty Macdonald Saudemont ，

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 is a contemporary philosophy book that starts from the idea that our environment heavily influences who we can be， and it argues that it is architecture's goal is to create buildings to remind us of our full capabilities。 @alain_de_botton asks questions like: Why do we consider some things beautiful？ What is elegance？ What buildings say about the times they were built in？ How can buildings make us live a better life？ Can we and should we restrict architects？⁣⁣This b 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 is a contemporary philosophy book that starts from the idea that our environment heavily influences who we can be， and it argues that it is architecture's goal is to create buildings to remind us of our full capabilities。 @alain_de_botton asks questions like: Why do we consider some things beautiful？ What is elegance？ What buildings say about the times they were built in？ How can buildings make us live a better life？ Can we and should we restrict architects？⁣⁣This book gets you thinking in a way you probably never did before。 I discovered a whole new way of looking at architecture。 I realised that buildings have their own psychology。 The central argument is thought-provoking: we find architecture beautiful as it reflects the values we care about， the things we wish our lives had more of， the versions of ourselves we want to be。 Therefore， to build beautifully requires the humility to accept the unknowable complexity of the human experience， the wisdom to know what values a building should speak to， and the artistry to convey those values architecturally。 It gave me a whole new respect for architects and designers。⁣⁣The only problem in this book is the author’s reliance on the collective “we”。 I would have preferred him to use "I think" more often。⁣ 。。。more

Rob ，

https://m。youtube。com/watch？v=k-sn00T。。。Oh how time has changed my opinion of Botton。I wonder how many works of writing， or art in general， have been instantaneously written off this way。 Trusses of opinion opine for what’s familiar， and buckle under what isn’t， because of our desire to be the smartest person in the room。 It’s almost a “Room of One’s Own” situation。 How many people throughout history shied away from an expertise because of their unwillingness to start out as the village idiot？ H https://m。youtube。com/watch？v=k-sn00T。。。Oh how time has changed my opinion of Botton。I wonder how many works of writing， or art in general， have been instantaneously written off this way。 Trusses of opinion opine for what’s familiar， and buckle under what isn’t， because of our desire to be the smartest person in the room。 It’s almost a “Room of One’s Own” situation。 How many people throughout history shied away from an expertise because of their unwillingness to start out as the village idiot？ How many siblings of Shakespeare were there？ 。。。more

Jeanna ，

Second one reading this book and it never disappoints。 I savored the book this time， whereas the first time I definite read in a day to satisfy for my arch theory class。 As an designer in architecture， this book and the documentary were pretty essential to watch & read in architecture school。 I will say， if you are looking to find some hidden depth and meaning， do not listen to an audiobook。 I would also encourage one to watch the documentary as well， or as a companion piece; especially for thos Second one reading this book and it never disappoints。 I savored the book this time， whereas the first time I definite read in a day to satisfy for my arch theory class。 As an designer in architecture， this book and the documentary were pretty essential to watch & read in architecture school。 I will say， if you are looking to find some hidden depth and meaning， do not listen to an audiobook。 I would also encourage one to watch the documentary as well， or as a companion piece; especially for those that are more visually inclined and thrive from beautiful imagery on the screen versus the page。I gave this book 4/5 stars， primarily because this topic has been discussed， by many throughout the centuries in different forms， which is why I personally prefer the documentary。 The film version provides silence， minimalism and becomes its own piece of art， hence providing a new insight into the conversation and inspiration for aesthetic beyond what the book can provide…。but that’s just me。 。。。more

Elif Sena ，

"Kaç çeşit mutluluk varsa güzelliğin de o kadar çeşidi vardır。" StendhalKitabı ilk okuduğumda da bu cümle çok dikkatimi çekmişti。 Üniversitenin ilk yılında bir ödevim için okumuştum。 Şimdi de bir okuma grubumuz için okudum。 Bakış açım değiştiğinden çok farklı bir gözle okudum tabi ki。 İlk okuyuşumda çok beğendiğimi hatırlıyorum。 Şimdikinde ise eleştirdiğim， katılmadığım bir sürü nokta oldu。 Biraz da kitaptan bahsedeyim。 Kitap yazar gözünden mimari nedir？ nasıl olmalıdır？ mimari üzerinden mutlulu "Kaç çeşit mutluluk varsa güzelliğin de o kadar çeşidi vardır。" StendhalKitabı ilk okuduğumda da bu cümle çok dikkatimi çekmişti。 Üniversitenin ilk yılında bir ödevim için okumuştum。 Şimdi de bir okuma grubumuz için okudum。 Bakış açım değiştiğinden çok farklı bir gözle okudum tabi ki。 İlk okuyuşumda çok beğendiğimi hatırlıyorum。 Şimdikinde ise eleştirdiğim， katılmadığım bir sürü nokta oldu。 Biraz da kitaptan bahsedeyim。 Kitap yazar gözünden mimari nedir？ nasıl olmalıdır？ mimari üzerinden mutluluk nasıl olur？ güzellik nedir？ gibi soruları irdeliyor。 Yazarın bakış açısını sevdim。 Aklımıza gelebilecek pek çok soruya cevap aramış。 Üslup probleminden ideal yuva kavramına， binalar bize ne ifade etmeliden toprakla olan ilişkimize kadar pek çok konuya değinmiş。 Bir sürü örnek var kitapta konuya dair。 Çoğu yapının fotoğraflarının da olması ayrıca güzel bence。 Ben tasvirlerinden hayal edebiliyorum yapıları ya da yapıları bildiğimden。 Ama konuyla ilgili bilgisi olmayan biri de okusa onun da çok rahat anlayabileceği bir dilde yazılmış。Kısaca eleştirdiğim noktaları olsa da 5 yıldız alır benden bu kitap ve herkese tavsiye ederim ✨ 。。。more

Maciek ，

O tym czy architektura powinna być piękna czy użyteczna。 Co to w ogóle oznacza że architektura jest piękna albo użyteczna。 Ciekawe porównanie różnych styli na przestrzeni czasu。 Pozwala spojrzeć z dystansem na otaczającą nas przestrzeń i dostrzec detale których na codzień nie dostrzegamy。 Dobrze się czyta。

Grace ，

going into my third year of architecture school and i believe this book has taught me more about our built world than anything else。a wonderful and beautifully insightful book about architecture and the drive， emotion， and design that goes into making up our world。 just how botton states that an architect must step outside themselves to really make a good work that truly appeals as a successful space， we must step outside our bubbles to acknowledge the true beauty around us and never forget it's going into my third year of architecture school and i believe this book has taught me more about our built world than anything else。a wonderful and beautifully insightful book about architecture and the drive， emotion， and design that goes into making up our world。 just how botton states that an architect must step outside themselves to really make a good work that truly appeals as a successful space， we must step outside our bubbles to acknowledge the true beauty around us and never forget it's roots。 this book has taught me just that， thank you alain。 。。。more

تُركي ，

غرفتي الساكنة بعد يوم عمل متعب، عملي المتعب صدفة بواجهات زجاجية، واجهات زجاجية صدفة تطل على بيت صديقي، الذي أهرب من غرفتي الساكنة لشقته。 لو تعلمت شيئًا من الكتاب، فسيكون أن المعنى الذي تخلقه الصدف ليس معلق بالهواء، إنها كما الجدران، كما العمارة، ثابتة، ساكنة، وتنتظر دفء أن تسقط يدي صدفة عليها، لتكتشفها。

Sherry ，

I was hoping for more from this title after really having enjoyed de Botton's The Course of Love。 I loved the concept， but this felt like a series of vague， sometimes contradictory observations and re-hashing of others' thoughts on the matter。 At least it was short。 I'm hoping that's just this title and that I'll enjoy his other works in my library far more。 I was hoping for more from this title after really having enjoyed de Botton's The Course of Love。 I loved the concept， but this felt like a series of vague， sometimes contradictory observations and re-hashing of others' thoughts on the matter。 At least it was short。 I'm hoping that's just this title and that I'll enjoy his other works in my library far more。 。。。more

Amy Yu ，

As someone with an interior architecture degree， I really appreciated this book as well as the moments when de Botton geeked over the little things。 It's all about details and energy of a space。 Also parts of this book made me feel like I was back in either an Art History or Architectural History lecture and I loved it。 So if you're an art nerd， this book is for you。 As someone with an interior architecture degree， I really appreciated this book as well as the moments when de Botton geeked over the little things。 It's all about details and energy of a space。 Also parts of this book made me feel like I was back in either an Art History or Architectural History lecture and I loved it。 So if you're an art nerd， this book is for you。 。。。more

Lottie Hewett ，

Had some great insights into alot of different aspects of architecture。 Took me a while to get through though

Ryan ，

Brilliant， willl read again and again。

Andrew McClarnon ，

Witty and poetic extended illustrated essay on what we should be thinking about when we think about housing。 I liked the way ADB uses examples to make his points， especially the flowing， free form passages that introduce some of the sections。 The book resists the temptations to get specific about happiness in architecture， but points to the complexity of the subject and what we may learn from its exploration。

Ben ，

Happily， I will forever look differently at architecture

Оля ，

Бажаю всім її прочитати і зрозуміти свою любов до архітектури）

Kim ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Het boek begon sterk， met een vlotte schrijfstijl en veel historische feiten。 Verder heeft het boek mij weinig interessante informatie opgeleverd。 Het kwam mij meer over als filosofisch gewauwel。 Vooral het hoofdstuk thuisidealen， wat oa over schoonheid ging vond ik uit de lucht gegrepen。 Zoveel voorbeelden die kort door te bocht waren， op geen enkel feit gebaseerd maar puur - naar mijn idee - naar zijn eigen mening。 Wellicht dat ik het boek ook niet sterk vond omdat ik het dus vaak oneens was m Het boek begon sterk， met een vlotte schrijfstijl en veel historische feiten。 Verder heeft het boek mij weinig interessante informatie opgeleverd。 Het kwam mij meer over als filosofisch gewauwel。 Vooral het hoofdstuk thuisidealen， wat oa over schoonheid ging vond ik uit de lucht gegrepen。 Zoveel voorbeelden die kort door te bocht waren， op geen enkel feit gebaseerd maar puur - naar mijn idee - naar zijn eigen mening。 Wellicht dat ik het boek ook niet sterk vond omdat ik het dus vaak oneens was met deze mening。 Het voorbeeld over de man die een moeilijke periode doormaakt， in een wachtkamer die zichzelf herkend in het plafond。 Die bezit namelijk precies de eigenschappen die hij zou willen bezitten。。。 alsjeblieft zeg， ik snap dat wat we belangrijk vinden in het leven soms overeenkomt met keuzes die we maken voor onze 'woonstijl'。 Maar om nou direct aan de te nemen dat de bouwers pragmatisch waren， en het plafond lief is zonder sentimenteel te zijn， gaat voor mij te ver。 Hierna had ik moeite om derest van het boek serieus te nemen。 。。。more

Pınar Kurtulmuş ，

The first third of the book was great， like GREAT。 Such a clever way of comparing stuff so that we can actually understand better。 But after the first third， I felt like the writer was repeating himself so many times。 I found it hard to finish the book， felt like a chore and didn’t enjoy the latter parts a bit。

Nicholas Keng ，

A brilliant discourse on the purpose of architecture。 It refreshed my perspective on what architecture is and what it could be。

Jason D ，

I’m enough of a fan of the author to mindlessly buy this book assuming it’s a treatise on achieving happiness， but which， as it turned out， is literally about architecture。 Nevertheless， it IS a motivational book， encouraging readers to “（shift） the focus of discussion away from the strictly visual towards the values” not only of architecture but also good， interdisciplinary design。 Anyone familiar with Alain de Botton’s work* will know that his philosophy is not only approachable but applicable I’m enough of a fan of the author to mindlessly buy this book assuming it’s a treatise on achieving happiness， but which， as it turned out， is literally about architecture。 Nevertheless， it IS a motivational book， encouraging readers to “（shift） the focus of discussion away from the strictly visual towards the values” not only of architecture but also good， interdisciplinary design。 Anyone familiar with Alain de Botton’s work* will know that his philosophy is not only approachable but applicable and relevant to everyday life。 More than Marie Kondo， this book is what’s propelled me to declutter and get rid of more than three huge garbage bags of personal items during this lockdown period。*otherwise， get yourself acquainted 。。。more

Brennan Lauritzen ，

Made it about a third of the way through。 It's for architecture nerds--about the history of architecture not making livable spaces。 Also， of course my audiobook had no pictures--I'd only buy this from a store after flipping through to look for pictures （I got the audiobook 'free' from a subscription service）。 Made it about a third of the way through。 It's for architecture nerds--about the history of architecture not making livable spaces。 Also， of course my audiobook had no pictures--I'd only buy this from a store after flipping through to look for pictures （I got the audiobook 'free' from a subscription service）。 。。。more

Bec Reno ，

What a writer 💖 I had moments of wonder in this book。 A journey through the architecture of the soul， stark reminders of our constant communion with our environment and the stories we tell through architecture。 Alain is a genius！！！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Architecture of Happiness

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Architecture of Happiness&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Architecture of Happiness&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0