The Structure of the Ordinary: Form and Control in the Built Environment

Habraken, N. J. ; Jonathan [Editor]

ISBN 10: 0262082608 / ISBN 13: 9780262082600

Published by The MIT Press, 1998

Copyright 1998, no additional printings indicated. Binding is tight, sturdy, and square; very light wear to tan boards, white print titling on spine remains clear and bold. Text and images are very good throughout. Unclipped dust jacket is very good with light shelfwear. Jacket arrives wrapped in protective Mylar. Due to the size/weight of this book extra charges may apply for international shipping. NOT available for domestic priority/expedited shipping. Ships from Dinkytown in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Seller Inventory # 308800

Synopsis:

According to N. J. Habraken, intimate and unceasing interaction between people and the forms they inhabit uniquely defines built environment. The Structure of the Ordinary, the culmination of decades of environmental observation and design research, is a recognition and analysis of everyday environment as the wellspring of urban design and formal architecture. The authors central argument is that built environment is universally organized by the Orders of Form, Place, and Understanding. These three fundamental, interwoven principles correspond roughly to physical, biological, and social domains.

Historically, "ordinary" environment was the background against which architects built the "extraordinary." Drawing upon extensive examples from archaeological and contemporary sites worldwide, the author illustrates profound recent shifts in the structure of everyday environment. One effect of these transformations, Habraken argues, has been the loss of implicit common understanding that previously enabled architects to formally enhance and innovate while still maintaining environmental coherence. Consequently, architects must now undertake a study of the ordinary as the fertile common ground in which form- and place-making are rooted. In focusing on built environment as an autonomous entity distinct from the societies and natural environments that jointly create it, this book lays the foundation for a new dialogue on methodology and pedagogy, in support of a more informed approach to professional intervention.

About the Author: N. J. Habraken has served as Founding Director of the SAR Foundation, Founding Chair of the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at Eindhoven Technical University, and Professor and Head of the Department of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is currently Professor Emeritus. He is an honorary member of the Architectural Institute of Japan and the author of six books, including Supports: An Alternative to Mass Housing and Variations: The Systematic Design of Supports.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Structure of the Ordinary: Form and ...
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publication Date: 1998
Binding: hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
Edition: First Edition.