The Architecture of Happiness

The Architecture of Happiness

Unread postby Barrie Christian » 20 Sep 2012, 15:04

The Architecture of Happiness is the title of a book by Alain de Botton, a philosopher, not an architect.
We are each of us influenced, for better or worse, to a greater or lesser extent, by our surroundings. We delight in the things that please us, and, perhaps, ignore the things that don't.
Is architecture significant? "The noblest architecture can sometimes do less for us than a siesta or an aspirin". "Beautiful architecture has none of the unambiguous advantages of a vaccine or a bowl of rice". And even if we were to inhabit the most beautiful buildings, "we would still often be in a bad mood".
Beauty, in the form of art or architecture, need not be a grand statement. Small details - old floorboards, or morning light washing over a plaster wall, also have the power to move or stimulate us.
"You think philosophy is difficult, but I tell you it is nothing compared to the difficulty of being a good architect". (Ludwig Wittgenstein)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haus_Wittgenstein
Barrie Christian
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