This article aims to provide an overview of Alexandra Lange’s handbook, titled ‘Writing About Architecture: Mastering the Language of Buildings & Cities’. Although there are numerous ways to depict architecture through visuals and diagrammatic representations, as mentioned in previous articles, writing critically about design acts as a manifesto for the intentions behind architectural projects. Lange, through inherently providing a guide about ‘How to Be an Architecture Critic’ (Lange, 2012, p.7), provides four main approaches that generally represent the nature of writing critically about architecture.
The Four Approaches:
Lange introduces four critical approaches that allow writers to create a more focused narrative within their essays. These include: the Formal Approach, Experiential Approach, Historical Approach and Activist Approach (Lange, 2012, pp.10-11). Characterised as an approach that critics Ada Louise Huxtable and Louis Mumford use, the Formal Approach uses the idea of depicting the literal features of the building by providing a written walk-through (Lange, 2012, p.10). Secondly, the Experiential Approach, conceptualised by critic Herbert Muschamp, offers a more fluid description of the building, forming an ‘emotional connection between architecture and reader’ (Lange, 2012, p.10). Thirdly, the Historical Approach can be displayed in critic Paul Goldberger’s essays, where contextual background is given equal importance to the description of the building (Lange, 2012, p.10). Lastly, the Activist Approach is visible in critic Michael Sorkin’s work, where a socio-economic analysis is provided of the benefits that the architectural project can offer to its users (Lange, 2012, p.11).
An Overview of The Six Chapters:
Within each chapter, Lange examines excerpts from readings of certain critics, where she explores the methods by which the critic questions specific aspects of the building. Chapter One focuses on Mumford’s essay, ‘House of Glass’ (Lange, 2012, p.21) and the monumental nature of skyscrapers (Lange, 2012, p.29), where Lange demonstrates and analyses Mumford’s use of the Formal Approach within the essay, by emphasising the ‘organisational strategy, to walk the reader through the building’ (Lange, 2012, p.36). Chapter Two analyses Muschamp’s experiential essay, ‘The Miracle in Bilbao’ (Lange, 2012, p.45), where Lange goes on to draw a link between The Guggenheim Museum and questions pertaining to what qualities a museum should have. Chapter Three examines Sorkin’s activist essay, ‘Save the Whitney’ (Lange, 2012, p.73), while discussing parts of an architectural scheme that can be preserved (Lange, 2012, p.77).
Chapter Four examines Charles W. Moore’s ‘You Have to Pay for the Public Life’ (Lange, 2012, p.93), where Lange demonstrates Moore’s style of writing. Appearing to be more contextual and relative to the Historical Approach, Moore’s approach is described as a ‘discursive travelogue’ (Lange, 2012, p.105). Chapter Five interprets Fredrick Law Olmsted’s essay on ‘Public Parks and the Enlargement of Towns’ (Lange, 2012, p.121), which appears to be a blend of the Activist and Historical Approach. Lange then goes on to discuss the importance of landscaping within the urban form and context. Lastly, Chapter Six focuses on Jane Jacobs’ essay on ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities’ (Lange, 2012, p.147). Penultimately concluding this handbook by describing Jacobs’ essay creates a certain ironic disposition and impact that critical writing about architecture and the built environment can have on the general public. This is because Jacobs herself is, as described by Lange, ‘among the most influential citizen critics’ (Lange, 2021, p.159).
The general harmony that is present amongst all these pieces of architecture, is that all the approaches are personal to the critic to some extent, which Lange concludes with by saying that there are ‘More Than One Way to Skin A Building’ (Lange, 2012, p.175). Perhaps, it is the fact that the description of the building is written, making the reader’s experience of it more narrated, consequently turning architecture into storytelling.
My Opinion & Drawing Links With The Design Process
This handbook acts as a guide, by breaking down the main aspects present in architectural criticism and categorising them into approaches that can be adapted by future critics and writers. As a current student myself, this handbook has been extremely useful in understanding the written pedagogies of architecture. Practising to criticise architecture, in turn, helps designers, architects and architectural students to write manifestos for their proposals, but also, helps them to refine their design from an experiential and atmospheric point of view. This is because, continuing to refine the experiential narrative of a building will help enhance a further enhanced understanding of the proposal by clients. From a journalistic perspective, architectural criticism offers a sense of sensationalism about proposals, however from a design perspective, critiquing and refining your own work does not necessarily need to be of essay length. Mind-mapping, brainstorming and journaling can be as effective as well.
In conclusion, through Lange’s nuanced insights into the various approaches, she establishes that the importance of architectural writing lies in the personal connection one has towards the building: the importance doesn’t dwell on whether the building is necessarily good or bad. Categorising subjective pieces into four approaches can be fundamental in understanding architectural criticism as a student, or someone learning about the practice of architectural journalism, however, it must be mentioned that writing critically isn’t only confined to aforementioned approaches, which Lange accentuates in her chapters by discussing Moore’s essay in Chapter Four, as he uses, what personally I believe to be, a blend of the Activist and Historical Approach.
References:
- Lange, A. (2012). Writing About Architecture: Mastering The Language of Buildings And Cities. 1st Ed. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cardiff/reader.action?docID=3387573&ppg=3https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cardiff/reader.action?docID=3387573&ppg=1 [Accessed: 10/01/25]
Image URLs:
- https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/culture/book-writing-about-architecture_o
- https://blog.cindrebay.com/how-to-become-an-architectural-journalist-in-india-skills-growth-opportunities-tips-more/
- https://www.mindmapart.com/buildings-and-nature-mind-map-paul-foreman/
