The Architecture of Happiness

By: Alain de Botton

Narrated by: Alain de Botton

In his extraordinary new book, Alain de Botton explores the importance of buildings in our lives, pondering our attachment to our homes and considering such questions as: Why do people disagree about taste? Can beautiful surroundings make us good? Not to mention: What makes a window frame attractive?

Rooted in the idea that architecture has the power to influence how we feel and that we are different people in different buildings, he suggests how we might learn to build better, more attractive dwellings, in which we could stand a higher chance of happiness.

©2006 Alain de Botton (P)2006 Penguin Audio

A great "read"...

At first I thought it was one of those self help books on happiness, which is not what I was after.
I'm so glad I took the leap based on a friend's suggestion.
It's a truly fabulous "read" which answered many of my questions on art, photography, painting, beauty and well being in general.
It's also a mine of knowledge.
Merci very much Mister de Botton.

Misleading title

I bought the book because I enjoyed some talks by the author. I expected the book to deconstruct happiness into building blocks and suggest how to use this knowledge to architect a more fulfilling/meaningful/happy life.

Instead it's actually (at least the first chapter that I managed to listen, which is a third of the book) only about how architecture of buildings influences our perception and emotions and how it communicates to us.

While the topic is interesting and well documented, the title is misleading.

It is a waste of time if you are looking for what the title says.

The title should've been "Architecture speaks" or "Architecture and emotions" or at least "Architecture and happiness".