Alain de Botton - What Adults Dont Know About Architecture

Published in 2020 by The School of Life

First published in the USA in 2021

70 Marchmont Street, London WC1N 1AB

Copyright The School of Life 2020

Design and illustrations by Studio Katie Kerr

Printed in Latvia by Livonia

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ISBN 978-1-912891-63-4

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Architecture is the business of designing buildings: houses, streets, towns and cities. If someone asked you, Are you interested in architecture? you might feel unsure what to say. But, probably without realising it, youve been interested in architecture for a long time. Maybe one day at the beach you built a great sandcastle with towers at each corner.

A sandcastle on Morro Strand State Beach, California, USA

Or perhaps when you were little you made a cottage using red and black bricks. Or maybe you did a drawing once of your dream house, with a pool and a slide instead of stairs.

Maybe one day you tried living in a blanket fort for the afternoon (it was a good idea until you tried to stand up), or perhaps you dreamed about the perfect tree house:

The perfect tree house, Quebec, Canada

You already understand the most important thing about architecture: You know the kinds of buildings you like and the kinds of buildings you dont like.

Perhaps one time in the countryside you saw an interesting house like this one. It seemed like a lovely place to live. It would be fun to sleep under the thatched roof, and nice to come home in winter knowing how cosy it would be inside.

Selworthy, Somerset, UK, early 19th century

But thinking about living in this house made you feel a bit sad:

A suburban house in Belgium, 19th/20th century

Or you went on holiday to Greece and saw a street like this:

Mykonos, Greece

Its the little street you walked down to get from the hotel to the beach. Although it was very sunny, the street was nice and shady. There was a tiny shop around the corner where they sold ice cream. In the evenings the people who lived on the street would sit out on their balconies or walk up and down chatting to their neighbours.

Then imagine that at another time you had to come here:

Athens, Greece

It was crowded and noisy, and even a bit scary. It wouldnt be a nice place to walk around in the evening.

And perhaps once your mum or dad showed you an old photograph of where they lived in Europe before you were born. They were living in a top-floor flat on a street like this:

It was quite busy but there were lots of trees and interesting shops and they said it was fun living in the centre of the city near all their friends. They could walk everywhere in a few minutes. All the buildings are packed together, but if you look at them carefully each building is quite beautiful.

Vienna, Austria

But then they showed you another picture from a time when they were away on a work trip:

New York, USA

They said there were hardly any attractive buildings (and none at all near their hotel), and there was no point even trying to cross the road, as it would take so long. You couldnt really walk anywhere, in fact. You had to take a taxi and then it would get stuck in traffic.

And sadly, most buildings are not very nice and only a few buildings and places are really lovely. Thats deeply unfair and unnecessary.

In this book were going to talk about what makes some places lovely. Were not just doing so for the sake of it:

Kyoto, Japan

But we dont only want to understand. Understanding how to make nice buildings and places is the first step to actually making more nice places. Thats the real goal. We cant do it on our own. Were going to need your help! Together we will build a more beautiful world.

Does it matter what a place looks like? If most people have somewhere to live and work, and they can get about and there are shops and hospitals and schools, isnt that enough?

One of the reasons why what places look like matters a lot is that buildings speak to us about things. Not actually by talking, but metaphorically by sending us messages.

When buildings are beautiful, it is as though they are speaking about lovely things, like kindness, hope and trust. And when they are ugly, it is as though they are speaking about hatred, aggression and nastiness. Imagine a place you were in was speaking to you. What might it be saying?

Your favourite street in Greece might say something like this:

I am very gentle, playful and sweet. I care about you. Thats why I want you to have a lovely balcony where you can sit and have a really interesting conversation. I want you to be able to stroll down the street without having to worry that a car is going to bump into you. I have got soft sides. I believe in friendship. I like it that anyone can wave to you from their window. I think calm is important. Thats why I wear soothing colours: I dont want you to feel agitated. I hope youll be happy here.