The Journal of Architecture | 2019
Geostories: another architecture for the environment Design Earth
Abstract
architectural drawings and ultimately produced a time when nearly all facets of architectural discourse were interrogated (p. 314). He makes a good case for the means through which drawings became prominent, but frustratingly we get little sense of what this ultimately amounted to: in particular, what the role of drawings in this process of interrogation was and how they shaped its direction and results. It is just one of the reasons why this feels like half a book, and also one that is unable to extend beyond its origin as a PhD thesis, not least in its structure, tone (long lists of names and titles are a frequent feature), and photographs that are of inconsistent quality. Better editing might have helped to shape this book into the vital study it had the potential of being. Nevertheless, there is much important research here that lays the groundwork for future study. This is particularly important in the context of today’s resurgence of the architectural drawing,which inmany instances looks directly at thework of the 1970s and1980s for inspiration. Kauffman’s analysis of the status of architectural representations, the role of exhibitions, the relationships between architects and the organisations and institutions that mounted them, and notions of value and the role of the market at that moment certainly have much to offer the present situation, and throw into sharp relief many of the assumptions that govern the discourse emerging around it. However, the incompleteness of this study and its off-putting tonewill likely limit its impact among those driving drawing’s present revival. There is a great book to be written on the subject, but despite its qualities and ambitions, sadly this is not quite it.