Customer Reviews

The Edifice Complex: How the Rich and Powerful Shape the World

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This book is not only informative but highly entertaining at the same time. One would consider this a high quality journalistic piece rather than cerebral thesis. As the title said appropriately, Deyan discussed the significance of architecture in humanity. Some architects and urban planners would design buildings and city plan to facilitate civilisationn whilst some would twist these disciplines to endorse their idealogies, expressing their yearning for immortality. Naturally, a few meglomaniacs such as Chairman Mao, Stalin, Saddam Hussein, Hitler, Miterrand, Mussolini and many others are featured in length. There were also discussions about the "superarchitects", of why they become so, of why they have become their own worst enemies, of why some have let egos get the better of them (namely David Childs from SOM versus Daniel Libeskind regarding the construction of Freedom Tower on Ground Zero). I truly say that after reading the book, I'm more informed of the architecture around me. Suffice to say that it's ideal to read the book now where the featured projects are still fresh and up-to-date. In another five years or beyond, it might become less convincing to the younger generation despite that the essence of architecture shall remain the same. As one should know, architecture takes a long time to evolve. If you refer to Palladio design, it's still a fresh as it was concocted few hundred years ago. A book written with conviction and passion by an enthusiastic but knowledgeable author who shares with eager and enthusiastic reader like myself. Highly recommended and look forward to a sequel if there's such a thing. The only improvement I can comment is probably including pictures of those mentioned buildings as reference. In doing so, the book become more interactive and even more effective. What a joy!

The individual sentences of this book are written in a literate, engaging style. The author is a master of the telling figure of speech. For example, he compares some architects' broad, over-the-top creations to books published in large-print. However, the paragraphs often follow a somewhat difficult zigzag course. Reading along them is like trying to get a zipper back on track. Sudjic refers now to an architect - now to his predecessor - now to his replacement.

Nevertheless, this book is worth the concentration it takes to read it through. When you finish, you will have a better insight into the minds of many dictators and tyrants than a whole host of psychology books can offer. After all the analyses of Hitler's motives that have been put forth, after all the anguished Holocaust questionings of "Why?" - this book gives one of the most revealing looks into what might impel such savage destruction. You will see the drive these men have to clear away diverse individuality and to replace it with monolithic constructions designed to memorialize them for the ages. It's Ozymandias all over again and again.

There are also good chapters on less weighty building projects - such as the various Presidential libraries. And for mystery fans, you will even find a good true-life murder story here.

I just wish the publishers of this book had gone to the extra expense of including pictures. It would have been valuable to see the buildings that Sudjic refers to as he describes them.

My only other criticism is that when all is said and done, Sudjic still seems to subscribe to the idea of architecture as a great man's sculpting projected large upon the landscape. He seems to approve of Brasilia, for example - with all its incommodious vastness of space and structure. Sudjic would do well to incorporate the ideas of urbanologist Jane Jacobs into his analyses. But you can compare the philosophies yourself. After reading this book, get a copy of Jacobs' "Death and Life of Great American Cities" for a more complete understanding of how form really must be made to follow function.

Learned from it and loved it. Highly recomend the book; you'll never look at buildings the same.

fantastic writing, very concentrated information, wonderfully entertaining and at the same time a very spot on framing of architectural related moments, works and people. highly dynamic content which ranges from detailed descriptions of Hitler and Speer's relationship to the modern day contemporary art museum dynamics.

Mr. Sudjic is an architecture critic. In this book he talks about the buildings that the wealthy and the powerful have put up to honor themselves. He writes mostly of well known things: the designs Albert Speer did for Hitler, Saddam Hussein's Mother of All Battles Mosque (to celebrate Iraq's victory in the First Gulf war - Yes, that's right, victory), the designs of the Presidental libraries in the US, Donald Trump's various constructions.

Beyond understanding more about these buildings, it makes you take a different view of what's going on around you. For instance their is a new sub-division of McMansions being built in the town where I live. They are ugly, stupid, tacky buildings, no originality at all. They are not identical, in fact all are different; but they all look just alike.

And you think of Bill Gates $30 million house in Seattle. And the tower at Stanford University sometimes called 'Hoover's Last Erection.'

This is a very readable book that moves quickly to new projects and players without getting dull. The only drawback is a lack of illustrations but the writer is so good at description that it allows you to easily understand the experience of each building project.

Most of the major works are already well known and written about extensively elsewhere But compiling them here with the authors perceptive analysis makes for good reading. I suggest searching the internet for pictures of the more interesting projects.

I was also impressed by the scope of the book. Rather than limiting himself to one geographic area or the best known examples of architecture used for control or ego enhancement, Sudjic includes worldwide examples with relevent background information.

Sudjic also attempts to make sense of the motivation of the architects involved. Can an architect produce architecture without being drawn in to the politics. Are the architects of despots fellow conspirators, enablers or simply earning a living. Does the ego of the architect, in many cases of questionable talent, make them easy prey for those seeking to build an architecture of oppression. In each example Sudjic makes use of the information available to try to clearify this as well as the motivation of the rich and powerful who commission such architecture.

Ultimately this is a book that will appeal not only to those knowledgable in architecture who are familiar with the cast-of-characters but also those who just want a very interesting book.