How Buildings Learn

This book proposes that buildings adapt best when constantly refined and reshaped by their occupants.

It argues that architects can mature from being artists of space to becoming artists of time.

The book covers a wide range of architectural examples, from connected farmhouses in New England to I.M.

Pei’s Media Lab, and discusses the evolution of various architectural styles.

Brand emphasizes the importance of flexibility and adaptability in building design, criticizing modernist approaches that prioritize form over function and human needs.

He also highlights the different layers of a building (site, structure, skin, services, and space plan) and how each layer has a different lifespan and requires different maintenance strategies.