Design Thinking (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Peter Rowe's Design Thinking is a very useful compendium of ideas, examples, and literature about design inquiry in architecture. It is unusual to find in one source so many different perspectives, drawn from so many different fields of study."
—Donald A. Schott, Ford Professor of Urban Studies and Education, MIT



"Design Thinking raises the intellectual level of the discourse on architecture in general, and architectural thinking in particular. "
—Peter McCleary, University of Pennsylvania

Product Description

Design, according to Peter Rowe, is the fundamental means of inquiry by which architects and planners realize and give shape to ideas of buildings and public spaces; yet little sustained attention has been paid to the form of this intellectual activity. His book, Design Thinking, provides a general portrait of designing that characterizes its inherent qualities and sets it apart from other forms of inquiry. It treats multiple and often dissimilar theoretical positions--whether they prescribe forms that are deemed right for "good" architecture and urban design or simply provide procedures for solving problems--as particular manifestations of an underlying structure of inquiry common to all designing.

The book proceeds from detailed observations of designers in action to an examination of the broad frameworks that appear to shape design theory and inform design thinking. Rowe seeks to define the intellectual activity of designing both as rational inquiry, governed by guiding principles and constraints, and as a matter of the conviction and impulse by which design principles are invented and applied. Dozens of illustrations and a number of actual case studies support Rowe's thesis.

Among the topics the book takes up are the salient features of design problems: procedural aspects of design, including varieties of heuristic reasoning; normative positions that shape design thinking; problems of substantiating design doctrines; and problems associated with meaningful interpretation from either a naturalistic or a self-referential view of architecture.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 241 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (February 14, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 026268067X
• ISBN-13: 978-0262680677
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #453,282 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A very scientific view of the design process, March 4, 2008

By	Mario Cipresso "deathbyarchitecture.com" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book as a precursor to a lecture I was giving to a group of undergraduate architecture students on 'design thinking'. At this point you may be asking yourself, "what is design thinking"? Exactly. My understanding had more to do with how we identify and balance the multitude of issues that surround any architectural or urban design problem. I see it as our ability to distill from all the forces and influences on a site, the project's essence. Rowe sees it in a slightly different manner; a very scientific one. Which in this publication, for me at least, made for a somewhat dry read. There are stretches of scientific analysis of human problem solving skills that I imagine many will find fascinating. However, as an architect I was interested in understanding in a more tangible way, what informs our intuitive decisions related to site, place, space, movement, program, structure, etc.

Additionally, I would have liked to see the design and thought processes of the three initial case studies investigated more thoroughly. They were largely abandoned after their introduction with just a few references back to those examples in the text.

The writing can be a bit verbose at times and when blended with the frequent scientific jargon, a bit taxing. At times the book appears to be collecting and synthesizing all critical writing completed on the topic over the last century, frequently quoting and referencing other works. This is a serious read and if you approach it with the right mindset, you will find some real gems and well constructed thoughts.

1 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Honestly, July 21, 2004

By	C. Madison "cheet swerries" (maryland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am an architecture student and this book was assigned in my studio class. Although the reading can be difficult to follow, it is highly informative about the design process and challenges you to do further research to expand your knowledge. If you are buying this, don't be afraid to take that extra step while reading. Knowledge is power, Are you up to the challenge?