Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Bringing together interior design and architectural theory, this exciting text looks at the common practices of building alteration, reconsidering established ideas and methods, to initiate the creation of a theory of the interior or interventional design.

Fred Scott examines in-depth case studies of interventional design from architectural history across the world - examples discussed are taken from the States, Europe and Japan. Scott expands and builds on the ideas of Viollet-le-Duc, structuralism and othernbsp;thoughts to layout criteria for an art of intervention and change.nbsp;The booknbsp;draws on the philosophy of conservation, preservation and restoration, as well asnbsp;exploring related social and political issues.

For those in professions of architecture and interiors, town planners, and students in architecture and art schools, On Altering Architecture forms a body of thought that can be aligned and compared with architectural theory.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• List of figures (p. vii)
• Acknowledgements (p. xiii)
• Preface (p. xv)
• Chapter 1 Unchanging architecture and the case for alteration (p. 1)
• Chapter 2 The literate and the vernacular (p. 20)
• Chapter 3 Restoration, preservation and alteration (p. 44)
• Chapter 4 Parody and other views (p. 62)
• Chapter 5 Parallels to alteration (p. 75)
• Chapter 6 Degrees of alteration (p. 92)
• Chapter 7 Stripping back (p. 107)
• Chapter 8 The process of intervention (p. 116)
• Chapter 9 Prohibitions and difficulties (p. 143)
• Chapter 10 Some resolutions (p. 167)
• Chapter 11 The wider context (p. 184)
• Chapter 12 Unfinished (p. 210)
• Index (p. 216)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Throughout the history of architecture, buildings have been changed to accommodate contemporary needs. Scott (Rhode Island School of Design) here attempts to create a work that traces the historical development and theory behind these reconfigurations. He explores the alternative to the normal expectation of the sequence of demolition and creation of a new building that had been the mainstay in the architectural profession for years. Scott takes readers through (mostly European) history, identifying a number of significant structures and their interior changes over time, while sharing the prevailing attitude of a particular era. This work should not be confused with "preservation" books, since it favors a building's evolution necessary to support its existence, if not its creation. All of the photographs and line drawings are presented in black and white. The volume reads somewhat like an academic tome, loaded with quotes, footnotes, and notes of support. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers. R. P. Meden Marymount University