Idea

TED Book review: The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings

Kirsty de Garis

Inspired by his 2014 TED Talk, architect Marc Kushner has published a little book powered by a big idea: That everyone loves architecture, even if they’re not aware of it.

He believes modernity and media enable us all to shape our environments in ways never before available to us. And a great example of this is the buildings we see every day.

Some of these are fairly unusual, as the 100 buildings in 100 Buildings demonstrates. Posed as 100 curious questions with 100 different buildings as answers, he asks everything from “Can you live on a rock?” (Tiny Timber Forest Retreat, Czech Republic) to “Can you swim in poop?” (Plus POOL Initiative concept, New York).

It’s true that, even if you’re no fan of architecture, at least some of these structures are bound to move you. Be it cheekiness, invention or staggering beauty, the creators of Kushner’s 100 have taken accepted norms of spaces to contain humans and flipped them around kaleidoscopically.

As with all TED Books, this one doesn’t take long to read. Each photograph of each building is accompanied by a locating caption and a paragraph from the author detailing what he finds so exceptional about it. And that’s it. It’s a fun, inspiring and different way to spend an hour or two of your life that I don’t think you’ll want back.

The Future of Architecture in 10 Buildings, published by Simon & Schuster, is available to purchase from Abbey’s Bookstore HERE, along with all TED books.

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