This article forms part of the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub providing a structured overview of design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.
Narrative Architecture (Architectural Design Primer)
by Nigel Coates
The first book to take a critical look at the architectural narrative.
Many architects have used the word “narrative” to describe their work since the early 1980s. The enduring appeal of narrative to architects is that it provides a means of interacting with how a city feels and functions. It emphasises the experiential dimension of architecture rather than reducing it to mere style or an overt focus on technology. Narrative Architecture delves into the capacity of narrative to understand buildings from antiquity to the present day, covering architectural history, study, and practice, as well as its future creation.
- The book is one of the first to address this topic specifically, and Nigel Coates, a leading figure in narrative architecture, writes it.
- The book includes architects such as William Kent, Antoni Gaud, Eero Saarinen, Ettore Sottsass Superstudio, Rem Koolhaas, and FAT to overview NATO and Coates’ work and chapters on other contemporary artists.
- Over 120 colour images are included.
Narrative Architecture is a must-read for anyone interested in architectural history and theory, as it highlights narrative’s importance as a design approach that can help architecture stay important in this dynamic, multi-disciplinary, and multi-everything era.
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