101 Things I Learned in Architecture School

The book is cute but small, large type, with few words and lots of empty spaces. Even pages include drawings, most of them useless (believe me; you don't need a sketch of a triangle, a rectangle and so, to know that those are "figures"; or a guy sitting on a desk to imagine he is an architect) being there for the sole purpose of pumping the book up to reach a minimal number of pages.
One page contains just this: "Architecture is the thoughtful making of space.", opposite to a sketchy profile portrait of Louis Kahn. Amazing. But for short, the record goes to page 62: "Less is a bore" (A too known already epigram from Arch. Robert Venturi)
Several pages are dedicated to the cool-sounding and totally vague idea of the "parti" [par-TEE] which, freed from verbal garbage, means a sketch of the general concept of a building. (Take note of this buzz word to impress laypersons). Lots of other pseudo philosophical mumbo-jumbo: zeitgeist, holistic, a little Chinese... The usual Kung-Fu gobbledygook wisdom, coming from a book introduced as presenting "in clear and simple language things that tend to be mystified in the classroom".
Simple often is. To the point of being crass: Roll your plans face outward so they will stay put on the table when you unroll them. (Remember: this you learn in Architecture School; a deep discipline, I gather). One page takes 85 words to say this: Make 3D models.
Another can be condensed into: Exert pressure at the beginning and the end of a line. More: "When lettering, slant your horizontals slightly upwards". (Both advises as if everybody is drawing with a pencil these days) ...
Other: When elements or spaces are not explicit but are apparent, they are said to be implied (Wow!. But how I am going to practically use this invaluable breakthrough of information?). More practical info: "Sense of place. Genius loci literally means genius of place. It is used to describe places that are deeply memorable for their architectural and experiential qualities." (Go ahead, use it in your next project). More immediately applicable data on page 35, which just quotes Gertrude Stain: "I like my view but I like to sit with my back turned to it". (Now that I know it, I cannot stop myself from start designing houses). I would say that on an even keel, all quotations here are useless.
I suspect that those individuals giving 5 stars to the book are friends of Frederick, helping him to sell his little (ultimately pathetic) book to fools such as me.
If this is what Mr. Frederick learned in Architecture School, he wasted his time. And mine.

Little book which can be read in a few hours but that left you a lot of food for thought. A great reading for all kind of designers, not only architects.

I've owned this book for two months now, and after skimming through it a few times early on, I've come to where I'm reading it regularly, and with expanded purpose and meaning. Although I'm not an architect, I do work with them, and find architects to be fascinating people. This book brings to life many of the under-pinnings of how architects think and see the world. These foundational aspects of the profession are also quite useful and stimulating to life in general, and therein lies the beauty of this book. #81 is striking to me: "Properly gaining control of the design process tends to feel like one is losing control of the design process." Often, designing our lives requires just such a sense of losing control before the clarity has arrived.

Since we all inhabit designed spaces and visit them daily, this book can offer a tremendous amount of perpsective to enrich that otherwise typically mundane or ignored opportunity of simply noticing how an architect has thought about greeting us. Let "101 Things..." wash over you, and I think you'll find it joyful and meaningful.

Fantastic book for architecture students. Lots of short, simple lessons that make clear all the stuff my instructors never fully explained. What's a "parti?" What is postmodernism? What do positive and negative space have to do with anything? Those and a lot more, plus some well chosen quotes give you a lot to think about and build upon. Highly recommended purchase for beginning students and maybe architects too.

This book has little tid bits that every student should know but its not going to make you a better student or give you to much more insight on architecture. You learn these things when the time comes. Its a cute book but not a whole lot to it.