The following is only a select annotated bibliography. A complete list of references can be found in the Bibliography.

Books

Colomina, Beatriz. Privacy and Publicity: Modern Architecture as Mass Media. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1994.

This book is a comparison study between the works of Adolph Loos, an architect who kept none of his records and Le Corbusier, an architect who threw nothing out. It features an interesting introduction about how Modern Architecture is simply another form of mass media in today's society. The author draws conclusions about the way we currently perceive buildings through various forms of media (photography, video, etc.,) without ever visiting them. This she feels is influencing the way we design. The author presents an interesting point of view about the influence media has on architecture.

To think about modern architecture must be to pass back and forth between the question of space and the question of representation. Indeed, it will be necessary to think of architecture as a system of representation, or rather a series of overlapping systems of representation. This does not mean abandoning the traditional architectural object, the building. In the end, it means looking at it much more closely than before, but also in a different way. The building should be understood in the same terms as drawings, photographs, writing, films, and advertisements; not only because these are the media in which more often we encounter it, but because the building is a mechanism of representation in its own right. The building is after all, a "construction," in all senses of the word.

Colomina, Beatriz: 14

Ghirardo, Diane, Editor. Out of Site: A Social Criticism of Architecture. Seattle: Bay Press, 1991.

This book features a collection of essays about the state of architectural practice in current society, edited by Dianne Ghirardo. Each essay looks at issues of practice from a different point of view.

Essays of interest included those by Kenneth Frampton in which he reflected on the state of contemporary practice and Margaret Crawford who feels architects have forgotten their moral and social responsibilities. Such differing reflections on the state of the profession were common in this interesting book. It opened my eyes to the difficulties professionals must face once in practice.

".only 20 percent of the total built output in developed societies is subject to the advice of the profession, so that the greater part of the man-made environment escapes our creative intervention"

Frampton, Kenneth. "Reflections on the Autonomy of Architecture: A Critique of Contemporary Production." Out of Site: 17.

As individuals, most American architects sincerely assert that they are deeply concerned about issues of social and economic justice. Yet, over the past twenty years, as a profession they have steadily moved away from engagement with any social issues, even those that fall within their realm of professional competence, such as homelessness, the growing crisis in affordable and appropriate housing, the loss of environmental quality, and the challenge posed by traffic-choked, increasingly unmanageable urban areas.

Crawford, Margaret. "Can Architects be Socially Responsible?" Out of Site: 27

Millenson, Susan Feinberg. Sir John Soane's Museum. Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Research Press, 1987.

This book features an in-depth look at the development, design and construction of Sir John Soane's Museum. The author traces back his inspiration to build the museum as well as summarizes his career before and during the development of the building. Photos and drawings, some by Soane himself, complement the material, better giving the reader an understanding of the shape of the museum.

For someone who has never visited the museum, this book was a helpful introduction. It is no substitute for the real thing, but a close second.

Saunders, William S. Editor. Reflections on Architectural Practices in the Nineties. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1996.

This book featured a collection of essays addressing architectural practice in the nineties. Explored were issues of lack of social responsibility and marketing amongst others. Of particular interest were the essays by Roger Ferris, the introduction to the book, in which he addresses the forgotten role of the architect to serve his society, Andrew Saint, reflecting on the contrast in attitudes propelled in architectural schools and the reality of the profession and finally Elizabeth Padjen who looked at the changing practice in terms of the architects role in the construction site, looking at the more technical issues.

".the profession (by definition) claims to serve society. This implies a moral obligation, and confers a disengaged status, which encourages the emancipation of the professional from untoward influences of the marketplace."

Ferris, Roger "Introduction" Reflections on Architectural Practices in the Nineties: 9

..the reality is that most people do not think about architects or architecture very much, if at all.

Saint, Andrew, "Architecture as Image: Can We Rein in this New Beast?" Reflections on Architectural Practices in the Nineties: 12

Alas, many who emerge from school find a marketplace that is not at all what they expected it to be. Their status is low, their chances of designing something satisfying are slim, and their earnings stand scant prospect of being commensurate with the length of their training.

Saint, Andrew, "Architecture as Image: Can We Rein in this New Beast?" Reflections on Architectural Practices in the Nineties: 17

Once upon a time, long ago (which is to say, until sometime in the 1970s), the practice of design was a subtractive process, in which the architect was in charge of the whole ball of wax, peeling off pieces to give to consultants and contractors. Now it is additive, and the architect's role is only one of many small bits assembled along the way by any number of construction coordinators.

Padjen, Elizabeth, "The Shaping of Architectural Practice" Reflections on Architectural Practices in the Nineties: 27

Periodicals

Drummond, Derek. "Architecture centre's forbidding look reflects the state of the discipline" The Montreal Gazette May 6, 1989: I16.

This article was featured the opening weekend of the CCA in May of 1989. Professor Drummond, the former Director of the School of Architecture at McGill University carefully analysed the exterior appearance of the building and accurately described the alienating character the building exudes. He did, however, maintain a respect for the craftsmanship and material.

"What has evolved instead, however, is architecture as an acquired taste, a precious artifact that can only be truly interpreted and understood by an elite, educated few. That the building sends this curious, limited, though perhaps subliminal, message to the public about the relationship between the public and architecture is unfortunate."

This article was extremely helpful as Professor Drummond's opinion was in tune with my own views of the CCA. It was encouraging to read a similar critique.

Fisher, Thomas "Architects as Capitalists" Progressive Architecture December 1991: 7

This article was the editorial in a Progressive Architecture issue from 1991. It attempted to address the shift in architectural practice towards a more capitalist way of operating. The article featured an interesting account of the development of the profession from a guild organization to the eventuality of a business. This article articulately described the current professional situation.

In 1891, to start the first corporate architectural practice – Daniel Burnham & Company of Chicago – […] As Burnham told Louis Sullivan, "My idea is to work up to a big business, to handle big things, (and) deal with big businessmen.” The momentousness of this comment may be hard to grasp today, so accustomed are we to large firms and to thinking of architectural practice as a business. But, a hundred years ago, Burnham's idea represented a major change for the profession, transforming it from a kind of guild to an essentially capitalistic enterprise.

Finally, there is the fact that much of what gets built today is viewed by many owners and developers as a kind of commodity, where things that enhance a building's resale or exchange value – the appeal of its exterior image say – have come to matter more than other inherent architectural qualities.

Poddubiuk, Mark. "Beyond Optimism and Nostalgia Some Notes of the Next Generation." ARQ: Architecture/Quebec August 1988, no. 44: 20-25.

This article addresses the current (1988) state of architectural practice in Quebec. Although somewhat too strongly based on theoretical ideas rather than fact, this article was of interest as it was written by a Montreal architect about the Montreal market. Being written in 1988, this article was slightly dated, however, many of the problems discussed are unfortunately still present.

Despite the elitist labeling that has been traditionally associated with the profession, an unprecedented public interest and accessibility to architecture has emerged in recent years. While the population of the province has barely increased in the last decade, the number of registered architects has nearly doubled. (1980s, Quebec).One is just as likely to find House and Garden in the front row of the magazine rack as People and Time.


Rasminsky, Lola. "Portrait of an Artist as a Young Businessman" The Globe and Mail November 14, 2000.

This article was written by the owner and director of the Avenue Road Arts School (a creative Toronto Arts School featured as one of my precedents) and was featured in the The Globe and Mail last November. The article discusses the importance of creative learning to enhance the thinking process. The author draws an interesting comparison between the cuts being made to art education and the increase in demand for programs that educate about art.

The Avenue Road Arts School was selected as a precedent because of the role it plays for its community Lola Rasminsky embodies this notion. Ms. Rasminsky makes an effort to reach out to her community in ways beyond her school, teaching us that everyone can help make a difference.

So what does the ability to connect with others have to do with learning the arts? Everything. An artist's expression has to come from a deep and real place if it is to be authentic and convincing. Creating a work of art entails connecting with one's true voice, and communicating clearly and dynamically.


Schwartzer, Mitchell. "The Spectacle of Ordinary Building" Harvard Design Magazine Fall 2000

This article included an interesting commentary on the effect of consumption on architecture today. The author describes buildings as a specialized type of commodity. This article was featured in an issue of the Harvard Design Magazine dedicated to Residential development and the Suburbs. It was, therefore, focused mainly on residential architecture. Although there were a few helpful points, the majority of the article was unfortunately not relevant to my research.

Today the weight of relentless consumption lies heavy on ordinary architecture, from single-family houses to big-box stores to office parks. Buildings are a special type of commodity. Like other products, they are bought and sold, advertised and merchandised, within the consumer marketplace.

Ordinary buildings are increasingly tied to a ruthless competitive system of consumption. For one thing, their design is driven by market research and financially rationalized construction processes; as a result, buildings are cheaper, larger, more comfortable and convenient.

Steiner, Dietmar. "Architecture as Spectacle." Lotus International 1991, no. 70: 70-77.

This article chronicles the evolution of the architect as a Star. The author traces back this attitude to the Biennale competition in Venice where the shift in design went from the building to the designer.

This problem is important when looking at issues of architectural practice today. Too many young architects aspire to a level of fame for reasons only to satisfy their egos. These notions work to propel architecture to a type of show business where buildings become spectacles. Steiner has identified a potential devastating problem to the state of the profession.

The subject stayed the same, only the directors changed. Here what mattered was no longer what happened in the individual sectors, but only who was responsible for them. This was an extremely important shift of attention.

But even international awards like the "Pritzker," the "Reynolds," or more recently the "Mies van der Rohe" prize created by the European Community, serve exclusively to preserve the internal workings of a society that feels itself to be a closed circle.

In short one cannot live in a house that nobody wants to do but admire, one cannot buy anything in a building that people only want to visit, and one cannot exhibit works of art in a building of which only the outer covering is "sacred." Architecture cannot be set free from its practical function.