Underground

Architecture

by David Macaulay

David Macaulay takes us on a visual journey through a city's various support systems by exposing a typical section of the underground network and explaining how it works. We see a network of walls, columns, cables, pipes and tunnels required to satisfy the basic needs of a city's inhabitants.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction, Engineering, Art, Picture Books, Childrens, History

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

David Macaulay, born in 1946, was eleven when his parents moved from England to Bloomfield, New Jersey. He found himself having to adjust from an idyllic English childhood to life in a fast paced American city. During this time he began to draw seriously, and after graduating from high school he enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). After spending his fifth year at RISD in Rome on the European Honors Program, he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture and vowed never to practice. After working as an interior designer, a junior high school teacher, and a teacher at RISD, Macaulay began to experiment with creating books. He published his first book, Cathedral, in 1973. Following in this tradition, Macaulay created other books—including City, Castle, Pyramid, Mill, Underground, Unbuilding, and Mosque—that have provided the explanations of the how and the why in a way that is both accessible and entertaining. From the pyramids of Egypt to the skyscrapers of New York City, the human race’s great architectural and engineering accomplishments have been demystified through Macaulay's elaborate show-and-tells. Five of these titles have been made into popular PBS television programs.

Reviews

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really neat book, filled with illustrations showing the design and construction of the underground infrastructure of a city block. It has some great perspective drawings looking up at streets and building foundations from below, as if from the bottom of a swimming pool.

This book is probably intended for kids but the way it lets you look at things from a brand new angle makes me feel like a kid, complete with fully functioning sense of wonder.

And that's definitely worth the price of admission.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

David McCauley isn’t trying this approach for the first time. If you have read “Castle” or “Cathedral” or “Pyramid,” you know the drill.

This one captured my interest because I am fascinated by what must be put underground to support an urban environment for humans. There are the nitty gritty details such as:
"Bedrock is the best material on which to build. However, when bedrock is too far below the surface, foundations must be constructed that will either reach it or will enable the building to stand without reaching it. A foundation is the structure built to transfer the weight of a building to the material below."

The illustrations are Macaulay’s “bedrock.” One can’t ask for much more in the way of details or perspective.

He has taken his readers through various “constructions” and done so with style and insights. Macaulay is one of those parent/child reads that can lead to some very interesting discussions.

I am pondering some of what Macaulay puts forward as I think about the future of vertical farming.

[Karl Gruenewald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning collection of hand-drawn perspectives and diagrammatic representations of the complicated world of pipes, wires, and piles that lurk beneath the surface of our cities. A bit denser than some of Macauley's other work, this book may be a challenge for younger readers to wrap their heads around, but is absolutely fascinating and guaranteed to rivet those with an interest in the built environment. If nothing else, flip through it for the gorgeous illustrations.

Even as a professional working in the construction industry, I find myself wanting to come back to this book often, and each time I do I find myself thinking about the world in new ways when I'm walking down the street.

[Laxman Selvam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The detailed sketches are inspiring and are at times daunting. To learn the existence of the very base that holds a city shapes your eyes to look at a manhole with a curious mind the next time.
The sketches are what makes your turn the page. Descriptions could have been more elaborate and extensive.
A quick short read.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book that absolutely needed to be written. The accompanying figures were phenomenal and integral to the understanding of the material. I felt like I should have been taking notes in a composition notebook. Learning about this subject was something I enjoyed immensely. I have always tried hard to better understand the world and it's niche books like this that open my eyes to things I had never previously thought of. Recently I read a book called The Light Ages that posited that art and science and further the communication between the two is something that was incredibly intertwined back in the medieval period. In the sense that instructions for preparing your garden for certain seasons were delivered in the form of prose. Now I would not say that this book was outwardly prosaic or anything like that, but the drawings used to represent the topics instilled in me a great sense of poetry. I also now understand why I wasn't allowed to dig deep holes in our backyard as a kid. There is so much stuff down there! Fantastic!

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new respect for Manholes

I have often wondered why there are so many manhole covers, seemingly right where I need to drive, creating irritating and rough road conditions. However, I never dreamed of the complexity that goes on beneath our very feet. This book opened my eyes to a whole new world. (I still hate manhole covers!)

[Lee]

Cities are flipping insane, man.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about man-made, underground structures, such as the foundations of buildings, water supply system and subway tunnels. The book is quite informative: the texts describe the structures clearly; large drawings support the text nicely; the drawings are properly labeled and are cross sectioned and three dimensional. Also the author puts people in the sketches so that we can tell the sizes of the structures.

[St-Michel · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favourite of the Macauly ink books, perhaps because it's present day material. I don't know. What's beneath our streets just isn't as fascinating to a kid as a castle. Storm drain or portcullis...you decide.

[Frank Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating peek under the surface

clearly explained, painstakingly and beautifully illustrated. David Macaulay has a lot of respect for the people who plan, build and maintain our infrastructure and it shows on every page.

[erforscherin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a little treasure! If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the infrastructure under your feet, this is a very accessible introduction, covering a little of everything, from water pipes to building foundations.

The illustrations are absolutely the star of the show, though: beautifully intricate, and incredibly rendered. There is one spread in particular that absolutely floored me: two tiny people as if on the bottom of the ocean, looking up through clear water at the jutting spikes of building foundations and lacework of pipes, and far above, the undercarriages of cars driving on invisible streets. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it all week.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny to read a book for children and wish that it were even clearer as a 30 year old, but there ya go. Awesome illustrations, really made me appreciate the complexity of the subterranean world of building foundations, subways, gas, water, steam, telephone, and electric lines throughout the city. Would love to know what a kid would get out of this.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never in my life have I been able to visualize with such detail what is below my feet at any given moment. Thanks to this book, I was able to get an idea of everything that goes into the lifestyle we all take for granted. Older book, but still worth the time to read and digest the images.

[Hajar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I know I would observe a city from underground? well, David Macaulay made it possible with his flawless illustrations.
this book gives an overview on building foundations, the different utility pipes and deep subway tunnels.
great book! enjoyed it very much!

[Austin Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique and fascinating picture book describing the infrastructure under a city street. The author's pen-and-ink perspective drawings from within the earth's surface are incredible. Well worth the trip to your library's children's section.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Castle by the same author, but still very well done.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple to read, with lots of pictures, this book is an eye-opener. So many civilizing services require so much work to create and are so hidden from everyday life.

[Donyae Coles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this for the illustrations and was not disappointed. There's something familiar and yet still very strange about them.

Also I learned about what goes on in the underground.

[benny b · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lifts the veil on the fascinating inner life of the city block, though I would've liked more explanations / depth into why things are done the way they are done.

[Tanish Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and pretty cool illustrations!

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of incredible complexity, organization, and planning, simply told.

[Tomáš · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Kitap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another reviewer commented that this book is not as interesting as Macaulay's other work on cathedrals, pyramids, etc., because the subject matter in this book is too contemporary. My thoughts are almost diametrically opposed. I think castles, pyramids, etc., while definitely fascinating, are interesting insofar as they are irrelevant to 21st century existence. As for the mundane marvels detailed in this book, though, we would be lost without them, and Macaulay reminds us of that uncomfortable fact. For example, where does the water come from when we turn on the tap, and where does our waste go when we flush the toilet? What is going wrong when the street in front of our house backs up with rain water? And when Mom gets to work on the subway, just where is she traveling? All these unbeautiful, taken-for-granted, and all-too-essential aspects of modern urban existence are hidden out of view deliberately, yet this doesn't mean they are any less wonders of the built environment than the more ostentatious engineering achievements of humankind. This book literally shows the reader why.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having no engineering or architecture background, the information can be hard to take in, but the way it was written was simple and engaging enough for me to understand. I like how it was presented. Various systems such as water and sewage system, electrical system, telephone system, train system, etc. were divided. It focuses on one system or topic at a time. The explanation immediately followed by the illustration really helped too. The illustrations definitely help in visualizing what were just discussed.

I love the illustration style, it was not boring. Although there were still times when it felt too complicated, especially when it started from building foundations where it was relatively easy, and then went to the systems that were more complex. Still, it was written in a way easy to understand and just makes sense.

Overall, it was a cool, easy and informative read about the systems underground that help our cities function.

[Kayla Satterly]

The book Underground has drawings and illustrations that describe the subways, sewers, building foundations, telephone and power systems, columns, cables, pipes, tunnels, and the other underground elements of a large city. The author explains how the different underground systems of the city work. He explains that all of these things are necessary for a city to have. I think this would be very useful in the classroom because you can show students what is underneath them and all the different things that go on that make their city and homes work.

[Ben Eggleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful combination of text and drawing. The topic is everything below buildings and city streets - foundations, sewer lines, water lines, subways, natural-gas lines, etc. The author explains how these things are planned, laid out, and built, and uses drawings to show what he is talking about. The drawings are only sketches, but they show exactly what the text talks about, including exactly the right details, with perfect perspective. This is a very enjoyable way to learn about things we don't often see, but rely on every day.

[Anton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I went back and tracked it down at a local flea market. Shows the inner workings (albeit a bit dated) of a city, how the sewers systems work, how we get electricity, how we build buildings... The illustrations are wonderful and draw you in. A must for any budding architect, or anyone who loves cities in general.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book has some amazing drawings of what a city would look like if you viewed them from beneath the street. i was actually able to explain to my project manager what a slurry wall was because of this book.

[P. Es · Rating 5 out of 5]

utterly changed my life. lambasted my adolescence along w/skinny puppy and Gustav Dore'. Esoterics of the human-ecosystem.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not enjoy this as much as Castle and Cathederal.