Contemporary architecture is practiced against the backdrop of continuous rapid change and the consequent multiple systems of disconnections it creates. Architects have the capacity to think on a variety of scales and handle complex data. We are problem solvers with a regard for aesthetics, and as such we have a vital contribution to make to the job of stitching together multiple disconnections.
The essays in this book explore private choices over which we have an influence; the state of our profession, over which we should exercise more influence; and the fundamental issue of for whom we choose to work, which is where our influence should be exercised to its utmost but seldom is.
The Guardian offers an online gallery of images and extracts from the book, together with a review written by Martin Wainwright:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/gallery/2008/nov/19/architecture-leeds
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/nov/19/communities-irena-bauman-uk-architecture
The book can be purchased on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Happy-Architect-Irena-Bauman/dp/1904772781