"Economical & Elegant"

in PLAT 8.0: Simplicity

This issue of PLAT journal compiles a series of essays on the theme of Simplicity as it relates to architecture.

The contribution "Economical & Elegant" by Lauren Dean and Daniel Lazo uses the case of contemporary Chilean architecture to explore how limited resources lead to elegant buildings through simplified design and construction processes. [Download full text]

Editors: Jack Murphy and Tiffany Xu

Publisher: Rice University (October 2019)

Paperback: 320 pages

ISSN: 2162-4305

The Social Roles of Buildings:

An Account of Materiality and Meaning in Urban Outcomes

In this collection of cases within a case, Lauren Dean explores how a building type is born in a process of 19th century urbanization, how spatial enclosures of buildings affect everyday practices in residential patios, and how maintenance of residential facades and interiors under conditions of commercial reuse plays a role in a process of contemporary neighborhood transformation. In addition, she theorizes how buildings are redefined and how they come to mean through use and visual interaction. Following buildings called "cités" through history and context in Santiago, Chile, she finds the making of a building type wrapped up in the making of a society.

The e-book is available open access through the National Library of Sweden.

Author: Lauren Dean

Distributor: Stockholm University (January 2017)

Series: Stockholm Studies in Sociology (#65)

Paperback: 195 pages

ISBN: 978-91-7649-602-2

Faces of Graffiti

Swedish photographer Caroline Jensen travels between Stockholm and New York to capture portraits of graffiti writers and reflect on the role graffiti plays in their lives. The book showcases artists from the 1960s to today accompanied by images of their urban art. 

Author: Caroline Jensen 

Publisher: Dokument Press (September 2021)

Hardcover:  80 pages

ISBN: 978-91-88369-66-6

Language Editor: Lauren Dean

Workshop 2: Alberto Veiga with interview by Pedro Ignacio Alonso

A record of the lectures, interviews, and student designs from the 2017 international architecture workshop held at the School of Architecture at San Sebastián University in Santiago, Chile. 

Editors: Rayna Razmilic and Ernesto Silva

Publisher: Universidad San Sebastián (June 2019)

Series: The EA USS Workshop Series (#2)

Paperback: 122 pages

ISBN: 978-956-7439-77-5

Translator: Lauren Dean (original Spanish)

Workshop 1: Juan Herreros with interview by Enrique Walker

A record of the lectures, interviews, and student designs from the 2016 international architecture workshop held at the School of Architecture at San Sebastián University in Santiago, Chile. 

Editors: Rayna Razmilic and Ernesto Silva

Publisher: Universidad San Sebastián (June 2018)

Series: The EA USS Workshop Series (#1)

Paperback: 126 pages

ISBN: 978-956-7439-69-0

Translator: Lauren Dean (original Spanish)

Room For Therapy

Swedish photographer and psychotherapist Caroline Jensen spans four continents and ten years in this photography book showcasing the interiors of therapy rooms. In collaboration with interior designer Ingrid Unsöld, the book reflects on the ways that design influences what happens in therapy.

Authors: Caroline Jensen and Ingrid Unsöld

Publisher: Dokument Press (May 2018)

Hardcover: 96 pages

ISBN: 978-91-88369-12-3

Language Editor: Lauren Dean

Albert Tidy Arquitectos

A retrospective of professional works by the Chilean architectural office Albert Tidy Arquitectos, the book covers selected projects between 2006 and 2016 with photos, plans, competition designs, and descriptions.

Author: Albert Tidy Arquitectos

Publisher: Constructo (May 2017)

Hardcover: 296 pages

ISBN: 978-956-8801-14-4

Translation Editor: Lauren Dean