Architecture: The story of practice

by Dana Cuff

[1991] Cuff uses participant observation, interviews, and semantic ethnography to examine architectural practice as it occurs in the everyday world of work. According to her study, it transpires both inside and outside the office and involves numerous individuals who perform the various tasks required to build buildings. Plus, it is more than that.

This book examines how buildings may be collectively conceived; it considers architecture as social construction. Why Study the Culture of Practice? * Beliefs and Practice * Design Problems in Practice * The Making of an Architect * The Architect's Milieu * Excellent The Origins of Good Building * Conclusion

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Dana Cuff is Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA, where she is also Director and Founder of cityLAB. She is a leader of the Urban Humanities Initiative, a UCLA program sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Reviews

[Thomas Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant reading of architectural practice.

How Cuff is not recognized as the Flexner of architecture is beyond me.

Perhaps it’s because practice and the academy is so conservative… perhaps it’s because neither reads… perhaps it’s because Cuff shies away from the full consequences of her analysis.

This is not Cuff’s fault… this was an extremely brave phd already. I recommend it for anybody interested in architectural practice!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was supposed to read this book for a class in school, but it didn't make it out of the shrink-wrap until post-graduation. It does a pretty good job discribing the differences between school and practice, and I'd recommend it to anyone either in architecture school, working, or considering either.

[Maek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of my doctoral work. It can be read by any architect. Although it is based in practice almost 50 years ago and it is in a narrow cultural space (California), it is relevant today. The main relevance is that too little has changed in the issues and conflates that we face now. Yes, we have climate change and all kinds of technology that was not there.
Nevertheless, I recommend it to anyone because it is an eye opener about what we might be trying to do as practising architects and the practical problems that do not seem to get resolved.
My rating is limited to 4 stars because this book is based on a doctoral research and is not given enough breadth of context. And it is a long time ago, so there are limitations now. Still, this is worth reading in light of it being an entire generation or two old.

[Richard Rouhe · Rating 3 out of 5]

as an architect practicing now, 2015, it was fun to read about Cuff's research into practice in the 1980s/90s.