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

by N. J. Habraken (Author), Jonathan Teicher (Editor)

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"Fans of John Habraken, rejoice!"
—Stephanie Stubbs, AI Architect

Product Description
"Fans of John Habraken, rejoice!" -- Stephanie Stubbs, AI Architect

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 author's 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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 381 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (August 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262581957
• ISBN-13: 978-0262581950
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #320,312 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential, June 30, 2007

By	J. I. Azpiazu "Ignacio Azpiazu" (New York, NY & Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Habraken is essential for understanding and practising contemporary architectural design. He started out his career pointing out the limitations of the then (and often still) prevailing design approach towards housing and large buildings, and proposing methods for systems design meant to allow several levels of control, and changing configurations over time (this was extremely influential, and all relevant contemporary building and systems design is heir to his work directly or indirectly). He then went on to explore and explain the underlying order for architectural/urban configurations, and in this book he explains the orders of 'Form' (which could also be called construction), 'Territory' (boundaries, control) and 'Understanding' (shared patterns, systems and types) that make built environments be what they are, illustrating everything with perfectly selected examples. If you know the examples, the beauty is in the way he makes the underlying orders coherent and understandable. And you will not know a few of the examples, so the book is also beautiful as a pointer for further studies.

3 other smaller books by him that develop details, or follow implications:
- Supports, An Alternative to Mass Housing';
- Variations, The Systematic Design of Supports;
- <---- this is where 'The Structure of the Ordinary' falls chronologically;
- Palladio's Children
all by Habraken, all essential.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately Illuminating!!!, September 3, 2003

By	Jeff Gibbon "g1bbs" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this book to be both insightful and ultimately very influential as to my own thoughts on sustainable design, urban planning, and the contemporary values and accustomed comfort levels which we, the western societies of the world, have come to take for granted when we think about our built environment. I feel that this book should be read by both students and practitioners alike. It's lessons are far reaching and all too relavent.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately unhelpful, May 17, 2001

By	Lester Townsend (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

Though well produced and well illustrated I found this book to be disapointing. I thought it woud be more overtly rigourous in its analysis. Instead it offers only personnal insights into the structure of ordinary enironments. The back cover says that the book is the result of years of 'design research', yet I could find little evidence of this research in the book. Some people may find these insights illumating, unfortunately I did not, and without formal research to back them up I found the book disappointing.