Examining some of the most important, and most daunting philosophy of the 20th Century, the series Thinkers for Architects looks at the critical dialog on space, architecture, and experience in the built environment provided by leading lights of contemporary philosophy. Here are the two latest volumes in the series available at Avery Library.

Brian Elliott.
Benjamin for architects.
New York, N.Y.: Routledge, 2011
Avery-LC B3209.B584 E45 2011

Walter Benjamin has become a decisive reference point for a whole range of critical disciplines, as he constructed a unique and provocative synthesis of aesthetics, politics and philosophy. Examining Benjamin ‘s contributions to cultural criticism in relation to the works of Max Ernst, Adolf Loos, Le Corbusier and Sigfried Giedion, this book also situates Benjamin ‘s work within more recent developments in architecture and urbanism. This is a concise, coherent account of the relevance of Walter Benjamin ‘s writings to architects, locating Benjamin ‘s critical work within the context of contemporary architecture and urbanism.

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Coyne.
Derrida for architects.
New York, N.Y.: Routledge, 2011
Avery-LC B2430.D484 C69 2011

Looking afresh at the implications of Jacques Derrida "s thinking for architecture, this book simplifies his ideas in a clear, concise way. Derrida s treatment of key philosophical texts has been labelled as "deconstruction," a term that resonates with architecture. Although his main focus is language, his thinking has been applied by architectural theorists widely. As well as a review of Derrida ‘s interaction with architecture, this book is also a careful consideration of the implications of his thinking, particularly on the way architecture is practiced.

-text from publisher website