Introducing (Short Essays on Influential Thinkers and Designers in Architecture)

Introducing―a collection of eighteen short essays developed by designer and educator David Erdman―suggests that short-form writing might serve as a possible vehicle for architectural discourse to flourish in the 21st century. Speculating that concise pieces of information attributed to the blogging and tweeting generation of architects is the contemporary format for the delivery of critical discourse, Erdman uses his essays to illustrate how an iterative approach to short-form writing might be a poignant and effective way for architecture to open necessary critical dialogues and expand its audiences. This book further suggests that discourse is no longer (and will not be in the near future) delivered in extended, holistic polemical packages. Instead, Erdman posits that precise, undiluted snippets of discourse, which can be formed into broader strains of thinking by the user, or audience, simulate an “open source” information platform that is adept to the contemporary subject and architectural discipline, would be more suitable.