The Architecture of Happiness cover art

The Architecture of Happiness

 Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Architecture of Happiness

By: Alain de Botton
Narrated by: Nicholas Bell
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £17.99

Buy Now for £17.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

One of the great, but often unmentioned, causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kind of walls, chairs, buildings, and streets we’re surrounded by. And yet a concern for architecture and design is too often described as frivolous, even self-indulgent. The Architecture of Happiness starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences who we can be - and argues that it is architecture’s task to stand as an eloquent reminder of our full potential.

Whereas many architects are wary of openly discussing the word beauty, this audiobook has at its centre the large and naïve question: "What is a beautiful building?" It amounts to a tour through the philosophy and psychology of architecture, which aims to change the way we think about our homes, streets, and ourselves.

©2006 Alain de Botton (P)2013 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd Aesthetics Architecture Home Design & Renovation Happiness
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

 On Confidence cover art
How Proust Can Change Your Life cover art
Essays in Love cover art
My Father, Frank Lloyd Wright cover art
Anxiety cover art
A Place of My Own cover art
Why Architecture Matters cover art
How to Think More Effectively cover art
A Simpler Life cover art
How to Overcome Your Childhood cover art
Asian Journals cover art
The Pilgrim's Regress cover art
Modern Man in Search of a Soul cover art
Ishmael cover art
Modern Man cover art
Moral Animal cover art

Critic reviews

"Just as de Botton has taken philosophy out of the academy and back into the realm of common sense and reflection, where it originally belonged, so he has taken discussion about the characteristics of architecture out of the professional journals, where issues of aesthetics are treated in a language that is wilfully abstruse, away from the offices of the developers and town planners, and back into the drawing room. There it behoves us all to think carefully, as de Botton has done with perceptive clarity, as to what exactly are the qualities that make a good building." ( The Observer)
" The Architecture of Happiness is full of splendid ideas, often happily and beautifully expressed." ( The Independent)
"With originality, verve, and wit, de Botton explains how we find reflections of our own values in the edifices we make…. Altogether satisfying." ( San Francisco Chronicle)

What listeners say about The Architecture of Happiness

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anna

Was looking forward to it but…

Too descriptive of examples without adding anything new. Really disappointed as looking forward to it but lasted 2 hrs in and I honestly cant remember anything he said…very forgettable

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!