Better Together reframes architectural production by treating 33 documents — contracts, mock-ups, correspondence, photography, and 1:1 models — as primary artefacts worthy of critical scrutiny, not mere administrative byproducts.
About This Book
Architecture is made through far more than drawings. Better Together takes this premise seriously, gathering 33 artefacts from the design and construction process and examining each through a short story format that illuminates the document's context, authorship, and consequence. The selection spans working drawings, journalism, contracts, mock-ups, and photography — material that rarely receives sustained critical attention. Originating as an exhibition at Monash University's MADA Gallery, the book functions as a cross-section of contemporary Australian architectural practice while simultaneously proposing a new framework for how architectural production is structured, recorded, and understood. Essential reading for practitioners, researchers, and anyone interested in the mechanics behind built work.
Key Features
- 106 pages of short-form critical texts contextualising architectural artefacts from contemporary Australian practice
- Edited by Guillermo Fernández-Abascal, Kate Finning, Urtzi Grau, and Anna Tonkin
- Featured practitioners include Edition Office, panovscott, Parlour, Sibling Architecture, Studio Bright, Trias, Vokes and Peters, and others
- Contributions by Giovanna Borasi, Stéphanie Bru (Bruther), Sarah Hearne, Adam Jasper, Emma Letizia Jones, Erika Nakagawa, and Jesús Vassallo
- Published by Uro Publications
What You'll Discover
- How contracts, correspondence, and mock-ups function as design instruments, not just administrative necessities
- The multilayered relationship between photography and architecture as explored through specific archival and commissioned examples
- The conventions and theatrics of gallery display as a medium for communicating architectural intent
- The value of large-scale models and 1:1 mock-ups in contemporary construction and design development
About the Author
The volume is edited by Guillermo Fernández-Abascal, Kate Finning, Urtzi Grau, and Anna Tonkin. It originated as an exhibition at Monash University's MADA Gallery, bringing together practitioners and critics to examine the documents that shape contemporary architectural production.
Specifications
- Format: Softcover
- Pages: 106
- Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781922601155
- Publisher: Uro Publications
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects and designers curious about the non-drawing documents that shape practice, academics researching architectural theory and production, and students seeking critical frameworks for contemporary Australian architecture.