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The Architecture of Disability

A critique of architecture by David Gissen
The Architecture of Disability

Yo, ho, ho! 2022 is almost over, can you believe?!? In my final giveaway for this year, I am excited to offer 5 paperback copies of The Architecture of Disability: Buildings, Cities, and Landscapes beyond Access by David Gissen published by University of Minnesota Press. Details below.

Book cover for The Architecture of Disability: Buildings, Cities, and Landscapes beyond Access by David Gissen. Black title text on all-white background. At center, three simply drawn staircases in orange, yellow, and green, from different perspectives. Credit: University of Minnesota Press.
Book cover for The Architecture of Disability: Buildings, Cities, and Landscapes beyond Access by David Gissen. Black title text on all-white background. At center, three simply drawn staircases in orange, yellow, and green, from different perspectives. Credit: University of Minnesota Press.

About the book

Disability critiques of architecture usually emphasize the need for modification and increased access, but The Architecture of Disability calls for a radical reorientation of this perspective by situating experiences of impairment as a new foundation for the built environment. With its provocative proposal for “the construction of disability,” this book fundamentally reconsiders how we conceive of and experience disability in our world.

Stressing the connection between architectural form and the capacities of the human body, David Gissen demonstrates how disability haunts the history and practice of architecture. Examining various historic sites, landscape designs, and urban spaces, he deconstructs the prevailing functionalist approach to accommodating disabled people in architecture and instead asserts that physical capacity is essential to the conception of all designed space.

By recontextualizing the history of architecture through the discourse of disability,The Architecture of Disabilitypresents a unique challenge to current modes of architectural practice, theory, and education. Envisioning an architectural design that fully integrates disabled persons into its production, it advocates for looking beyond traditional notions of accessibility and shows how certain incapacities can offer us the means to positively reimagine the roots of architecture.
Thermography of David Gissen by Philippe Rahm, 2019. This thermographic portrait of me was made in collaboration with the architect Philippe Rahm. The thermographic image captures the heat outline of my body underneath my clothes and reveals that I wear a full-length prosthesis on my left side. It demonstrates the heat-insulating property of artificial limbs, as my residual limb extends down to midcalf but can barely be seen in the image.
Thermography of David Gissen by Philippe Rahm, 2019. This thermographic portrait of me was made in collaboration with the architect Philippe Rahm. The thermographic image captures the heat outline of my body underneath my clothes and reveals that I wear a full-length prosthesis on my left side. It demonstrates the heat-insulating property of artificial limbs, as my residual limb extends down to midcalf but can barely be seen in the image.

About the author

A disabled designer and historian of architecture, David Gissen is professor of architecture and urban history at Parsons School of Design at the New School.

Details

1) Any disabled person in the US is eligible for this giveaway. You do not need to disclose any details about your disability.

If you already received a book from one of my previous giveaways, please consider letting other people have a chance.

2) The first 5 people will receive a paperback. If you do not receive a reply that means the books have been claimed or you did not include all the required information.

3) Send an email to DisabilityVisibilityProject@gmail.com with ‘David Gissen Giveaway’ in the title of the message. Do not reply to this post!!

4) Include the following information in your message:

  • First and last name
  • Mailing address

Please note: I will send this information along with your email address to the publisher. They are responsible for confirming your details and sending you the book. Please be patient!

Published by:

Alice Wong

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