On Architecture

This Substack is by David Perrine. I write about architecture, aesthetics, design theory, and philosophy. I share new posts weekly.

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Content Overview

“Architecture is a fiction. Buildings, of course, are very real. Architecture, however, is everything that is about buildings, or about building. It is the way we think about buildings, talk about buildings, write about buildings, draw and compose buildings, and organize buildings. Until it becomes embodied in a building, it is therefore always a notional idea. When the proposition that is architecture becomes embodied in buildings, it disappears. It is very difficult to find architecture in a building, because you have to see it in ephemeral qualities such as proportions, the sequence of spaces or that most difficult phenomenon of all, space. Architecture, in other words, becomes completely abstract when it is built. It is then up to the critic or interpreter to tease architecture back out of the building. This is where writing takes over.” - Aaron Betsky, The Alpha and the Omega

This Substack interrogates topics within architecture, aesthetics, practice, history, and theory. The contents' form will vary from reading lists, notes, annotated bibliographies, book reflections, articles, and essays.

Purpose

“I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” - Joan Didion

Reading is an activity of exposure while writing is a tool of integration and transformation. I use writing to develop, mutate, select, recombine, and refine what is exposed through reading.¹ Thus, I write primarily for myself. I hope this process is insightful, entertaining, or even useful to my readers.

Content Types

Listed below are the types of content I post. All of these content types are a part of my process for writing essays. I prefer writing essays, but they require significant time and energy investments. I post these other content types as they are quick, allowing me to post more regularly.

1. Reading List

   1. Reading lists are curated lists of books, articles, and other resources. These are intended to share what I have read, am currently reading, or plan to read. These will be posted rarely, but they will be suitable for readers looking for more resources on architecture and aesthetics.

2. Reading note

   1. These are intended to document interesting or useful information within a book, article, or essay. They will lack personal flavor as I will avoid invoking too much personal analysis. Reflection and analysis will be reserved for other content types.

3. Annotated bibliography

   1. Annotated bibliographies vary from reading lists because they specialize in more specific subjects. I write annotated bibliographies to organize and synthesize related information across various publications.

4. Book reflections

   1. Book reflections will be more personal, in-depth reflections of a single publication. They will be part summary, part reflection, and part analysis. They will consider related texts and counterpoints.

5. Article

   1. Articles are the precursors to essays. They begin to formulate ideas concisely and precisely. They will pose questions and provide brief overviews of topics, pulling from multiple sources. They will offer a 3-5 minute tailored reading experience.

6. Essay

   1. Essays investigate topics, present arguments, and provoke thought. They will be orders of magnitude more thorough than articles. Essays will be aimed at specific questions and will rely on various sources. These will be the most in-depth pieces of content on this Substack and will be posted infrequently.

The title of each post will specify its content type.

Notes on Tools

As mentioned, writing is about the integration and transformation of data. Given its importance, one should consider how this process ought to be carried out. Below, I list and describe a collection of tools I regularly use in my writing process. 

I use Obsidian to write notes and Mnemosyne to retain information. Obsidian allows one to take notes and locally organize them on a PC or Mac. The software allows for hyperlinking between various note pages, which is useful. Mnemosyne is a spaced-repetition-based flashcard software. I have found it invaluable for retaining information. This is useful as it keeps ideas at the forefront of my thoughts, allowing me to form connections as I read new content.