The Short Works of John Habraken: Ways of Seeing / Ways of Doing

This book offers, for the first time, access to a chronological arc of John Habrakens’ writing in a single collection. Few architect/scholars have so consistently and patiently pursued such a humane and culturally vital set of radical questions related to the behaviour of the built environment as N. John Habraken.

From the publication of his first book in 1960 to his current writings, he has quietly helped redraw the map of architectural research, education, practice, design methods and theory. His insights are leading us to a better understanding of how the built field works, contributing to the development of methods enabling professionals to contribute to its coherence and resilience. His writing has always been scrupulously objective. But at the same time his writing does not shy away from proposing a theoretical perspective and methodological alternative way forward beyond the current incoherence and disfunction in the built field’s production and management. The worldwide emphasis on built environment sustainability and resilience make his insights and proposals more important than ever.

Following an introductory essay by the editors, placing Habraken’s work in context, the work is organized in two sections and further organized around a number of specific themes: The Built Field; Role of the Architect; Control; Sharing Forms; Examples of Ways of Doing; Open Building; Tools; and Cultivating the Built Environment. A series of interviews with the author enable him to reflect on his journey of inquiry, research, advocacy and teaching - and the relationship between ways of seeing and ways of doing.