The Edifice Complex: How the Rich and Powerful Shape the World

by Deyan Sudjic

Book Overview

Deyan Sudjic's The Edifice Complex: The Architecture of Power is a fascinating exploration of the language of architecture as an insight into the psychology of power, from tyrants to billionaires. Why... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594200688
• ISBN13: 9781594200687
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Penguin Press
• Length: 405 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.6" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Art, architecture and power hold sway over all of us, whether or not we realize it ...

The reins of power can be fleeting or be erased with the passage of time, but the architecture of the world has made bold statements on the lives of those who once ruled and wooed the world. News events and crises can sometimes be quickly forgotten in a week or so, but imagery of palaces, museums, coliseums, theme parks, libraries, castles, pyramids and other landmarks are indelibly planted in our minds and visual memories. Is there anyone whom, when mentioning New York or Paris, cannot help but visualize the World Trade Center or the Eiffel Tower? Art, architecture and power hold sway over all of us, whether or not we realize it. Architecture is a statement of power, raw power. It is a lasting legacy of those who don't want to drift into obscurity . . . ever. An Edifice Complex can loosely be defined as a politician or leader who wants to leave behind a structure, sometimes preferably a behemoth, as a part of his or her "legacy." Deyan Sudjic, prolific architectural author, prefers to think of architecture not as an art form, but rather as a "naked expression of power." In his fascinating newest release (which incidentally reads like a novel), THE EDIFICE COMPLEX: How the Rich and Powerful-and Their Architects-Shape the World, Sudjic postulates this theory citing the architectural legacies of the likes of Hitler to Hussein, with a little help from their friends, the actual architects. It is no secret that Adolph Hitler would have loved to be an architect, but few realize that Saddam Hussein may well have had a similar desire to be a master builder and architect. Hussein modeled "himself on Nebuchadnezzar and on Stalin." His lavish State Mosque and statement of power had room for some 30,000 worshipers, the largest Islamic mosque the Islamic world had ever seen. Sudjic casually writes about many leaders and wealthy people, some well known, others obscure, who hoped to make their mark throughout eternity with their structures. According to him, "It {architecture} cannot make us live forever, but architecture can be used to confront our fear of death, and to offer the hope of some kind of permanence." I thought this book would be as dry as a bone, but the author had a way with words and numerous stories that actually made it quite interesting. The book drew me in quite quickly when he related the story of how Emil Hácha fainted from the sheer force and intimidation of Hitler and the architecture of the German Reich. Obviously this book would have a narrow readership, particularly those with an interest in architecture, but the eclectic reader certainly wouldn't be disappointed.

Staying Power

This is a profound book on the nasty ways power expresses itself in the built environment. Although these chapters seem culled from Sudjic's articles, and will therefore have the edge of a journalist, and that profession's need for the current, this book speaks in a larger way throughout recent history as to the efforts made by the powerful to subdue the world and the people forced to build within it. It's an unsettling and eye-opening book on the grotesquely powerful, and the grotesquely ambitious architects who serve them. The message of the book reverberates beyond the specific examples Sudjic cites, and makes you wonder about the horrors perpetrated upon innocent people throughout the world throughout history, all in the name of some ruler's petty self- aggrandizement. Highly recommended.

The Power in Stone: 21st century architectural version of "The Prince".... awesome!

It took me some time to figure out what the Edifice Complex meant. I first thought, being an "English Patient" in the realms of English-speaking world, edifice complex meant something like "Sports Complex". Later I found out that it was a derivitive of Oedipus Complex, that there is a psychology in a poweful man, an urge to make a mark, a desire to control, and an ambition to build. To build big and high. I found this book particulary interesting because it focuses on the side of clients, their hidden chambers of obsessions, disguised in the form of political beliefs, orchestrated and realized by the hands of architects. Plenty of different types of influential clients and their episodes are portrayed. Some stories are old (or well known)and some stories are new. To the old stories, like that of Hitler/Mitterrand/Hussein, Sudjic gave a different bent, to the new and lesser knowns, like that of Mao/Rockerfeller/Agnelli/ US Presidents, Sudjic wrote electrifying lines. Another remarkable aspect of the book is the political skills of many past and current star architects. Johnson/ Pei/ Piano/ Koolhaas/ Gehry (and many more mentioned in the book) are illustrated as true Machiavellian architects of this century that have tongue and pen to realize the dreams of their Princes. In the conclusion, Sudjic sums up by showing what kind of prevailing architectural garments are out there for different political strategists. The author also kindly guides us to the further readings that pertain to the subject matter of the book. One thing that made my head skew: Why are Blair and Libeskind beaten when, in contrast, following French President and English Architect mentioned in the book are promoted? Does it explain Sudjic's political stance and his allies? Just a thought...

It makes you look at buildings differently

Mr. Sudjic is an architecture critic. In this book he talks about the buildings that the wealthy and the powerful have put up to honor themselves. He writes mostly of well known things: the designs Albert Speer did for Hitler, Saddam Hussein's Mother of All Battles Mosque (to celebrate Iraq's victory in the First Gulf war - Yes, that's right, victory), the designs of the Presidental libraries in the US, Donald Trump's various constructions. Beyond understanding more about these buildings, it makes you take a different view of what's going on around you. For instance their is a new sub-division of McMansions being built in the town where I live. They are ugly, stupid, tacky buildings, no originality at all. They are not identical, in fact all are different; but they all look just alike. And you think of Bill Gates $30 million house in Seattle. And the tower at Stanford University sometimes called 'Hoover's Last Erection.'

A joy!

This book is not only informative but highly entertaining at the same time. One would consider this a high quality journalistic piece rather than cerebral thesis. As the title said appropriately, Deyan discussed the significance of architecture in humanity. Some architects and urban planners would design buildings and city plan to facilitate civilisationn whilst some would twist these disciplines to endorse their idealogies, expressing their yearning for immortality. Naturally, a few meglomaniacs such as Chairman Mao, Stalin, Saddam Hussein, Hitler, Miterrand, Mussolini and many others are featured in length. There were also discussions about the "superarchitects", of why they become so, of why they have become their own worst enemies, of why some have let egos get the better of them (namely David Childs from SOM versus Daniel Libeskind regarding the construction of Freedom Tower on Ground Zero). I truly say that after reading the book, I'm more informed of the architecture around me. Suffice to say that it's ideal to read the book now where the featured projects are still fresh and up-to-date. In another five years or beyond, it might become less convincing to the younger generation despite that the essence of architecture shall remain the same. As one should know, architecture takes a long time to evolve. If you refer to Palladio design, it's still a fresh as it was concocted few hundred years ago. A book written with conviction and passion by an enthusiastic but knowledgeable author who shares with eager and enthusiastic reader like myself. Highly recommended and look forward to a sequel if there's such a thing. The only improvement I can comment is probably including pictures of those mentioned buildings as reference. In doing so, the book become more interactive and even more effective. What a joy!