ARCHITECTURE AND COMPUTERS - Softcover

James Steele is associate professor of architecture at USC in Los Angeles. He is the author of numerous books, including Architecture Today. He lives in Southern California.

ARCHITECTURE As computer-assisted design (CAD) software replaces the drafting table in today's architectural firms, it begets yet another debate in the cultural critique of the role technology plays in shaping our world. Steele (Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles) contends that as aging pen-and-pencil architects are succeeded by their younger computer-savvy counterparts, the very nature of the design process is, for good or ill, undergoing a transformation. The introduction, though somewhat unfocused, persuasively situates CAD in the broader contexts of city planning, sociology, philosophy, and advanced physics. Following chapters outline the evolution of the computer from humble beginnings as a tool facilitating routine tasks into preeminence as an indispensable guide for inventing startlingly new, unanticipated forms. Finally, the author muses on the unsettling implications all this has for architecture students and instructors. Vividly illustrating his thesis is an eyeopening selection of buildings and projects, heavy on examples from Los Angeles. In the field of architecture, Steele is among the few who caution against the uncritical embrace of technology for its own sake. A timely purchase for professional and academic collections. David Solt sz, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH
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