Exactitude: On Precision and Play in Contemporary Architecture

Join us for a book talk for Exactitude: On Precision and Play in Contemporary Architecture (University of Massachusetts Press, 2022). 

Precision is necessary in the field of architecture. New technologies have increased demands for accuracy, particularly when the smallest errors can have outsized consequences. However, the importance of precision, or exactitude, has not received the consideration it merits. While themes of sustainability, performance, and formal innovation have been at the forefront of architectural scholarship for the past twenty years, this book moves beyond these concerns to explore the theoretical and practical demands exactitude makes on architecture as a field. 

The 11 essays collected here investigate the possibilities and shortcomings of exactitude and delve into current debates about the state of contemporary architecture as both a technological craft and artistic creation. Featuring new work by leading theorists, historians, editors, architects, and scholars, this volume brings theory and practice into insightful and productive conversations. In addition to the editors, contributors include Mark Wigley, Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Eric Höweler, Christopher Benfey, Sunil Bald, Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano with Thomas de Monchaux, Alicia Imperiale, Francesca Hughes, Teresa Stoppani, and Cynthia Davidson. 

Featured Contributors:
Pari Riahi, Principal, Pari Riahi Architects; Associate Professor, UMass Amherst  
Mark Wigley, Professor and Dean Emeritus, Columbia GSAPP  
Eric Höweler,  FAIA, LEED AP, Co-Founder/Partner, Höweler + Yoon; Associate Professor, Harvard GSD   
Sunil Bald, Co-Founder/Partner, Studio SUMO; Associate Dean, Yale University  
Ada Tolla, Founder/Partner, LOT-EK, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Columbia GSAPP   
Giuseppe Lignano, Founder/Partner, LOT-EK; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Columbia GSAPP   
Thomas de Monchaux, Co-Conspirator, LOT-EK; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Columbia GSAPP   
Alicia Imperiale, Acting Assistant Dean, Pratt Institute
Cynthia Davidson, Editor, Log; Visiting Professor, Pratt Institute 

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