Description

From “tomorrow’s greatest designer” (The Atlantic), a personal and deeply researched look at how the choices we build into our environment reflect and determine the way we think, connect, and live.

We’ve been led to believe that purposefully designed spaces are something reserved only for those that can afford them. But in reality, all the spaces we inhabit-to work, to learn, to heal, and to live-have been planned and built to influence our lives. They sway our emotions, nudge our behaviors, protect us from disease, and do more, or less, to support shared prosperity and our sense of the common good.

Our World in Ten Buildings unpacks this hidden but ever more important element of our lived experience. As author and architectural designer Michael Murphy takes us through ten milestone projects in his career he lays bare the physical, political, and intellectual labor at work shaping the world we live in.

With rare insight, access, and passion, Murphy braids the history of architecture with his own iconic projects to show the power of urban design and how it revolutionizes our homes, minds, workplaces, safety, and health care. Profound, and accessible, Our World in Ten Buildings will change the way you look at and think about your surroundings.

Publisher Review

"Murphy opens a door to understanding architecture and some of the most basic qualities and unshakable principles of life itself." -Ai Weiwei "Murphy peels back the layers of architecture to reveal how human choices-often invisible, always consequential-shape the places we inhabit and pass through daily." -Dan Barber, author of The Third Plate "With clarity and grace, Murphy shows how architecture is not just where life happens-it's how life is held." -Susan Magsamen, co-author of Your Brain on Art "A powerful case for why a deep respect for humanity is a prerequisite for all great architecture and design. Truly inspirational." -Tim Brown, author of Change by Design "Murphy sees the world like a warrior architect poet and when you're done with his words, maybe you will, too." -Wright Thompson, author of The Barn "If you care about the built environment, human flourishing, or the connection between the two, you will benefit from reading Our World in Ten Buildings." -Andrew Marantz, author of Antisocial "An illuminating, optimistic take on how architecture might be harnessed to better the world." -Kirkus