Design for Construction: Tectonic Imagination in Contemporary Architecture

Book info: Design for Construction: Tectonic Imagination in Contemporary Architecture (Kindle, 368 pages) – Routledge, 2025. Language: English.

Arguing that a gulf exists between design and construction, between conceptual thinking and the constructed building, this book explores projects and practices that span the gap by thinking through materials and processes with what Höweler calls a tectonic imagination.

Design for Construction is organized into 10 chapters covering topics such as means and methods, part-to-whole relationships, material research, digital design workflows, risk mitigation, construction sequencing, digital fabrication, ethical material sourcing, and circular construction practices. Höweler provides a careful analysis of over 200 buildings projects by practices including Amateur Architecture Studio, Barkow Leibinger, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Ensamble, GLUCK+, Herzog & de Meuron, Johnston Marklee, MASS Design, NADAAA, Neri&Hu, OMA, and SANAA.

Re-engagement of design and building is a means of reclaiming agency for architects as the discipline grapples with difficult questions of climate change, material scarcity, social impact, and how designers can play a more meaningful role in shaping the built environment at this moment with an eye toward the future. This book will be crucial reading for both architects and students of architecture.