Totalization: Speculative Practice in Architectural Education

Architecture is the quintessential generalist pursuit, requiring practical knowledge of geometry, technology, politics, history, culture, and economics, as well as an understanding how these disparate pieces fit together within the context of architectural practice. In short, an architect's expertise lies in big picture constructs, or totalisation.

Totalization shows Rice Architecture's Totalization Studios at the forefront of teaching students how to leverage the breadth of architectural practice toward in-depth speculative design work. Can a building's exterior be made of plastic? What is the twenty-first-century equivalent of the nineteenth-century steel frame? Can taking parts from a building for use elsewhere extend the building's useful life? Exploring these and other questions in cooperation with four established firms, the work collected here challenges conventions around structures; facades; materials; and the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing aspects of building design and construction.

The Totalization Studios represent one of the most innovative and robust architectural programmes and the book offers welcome insights into its teaching methods through featured projects complemented by essays, conversations with faculty members, and copious illustrations.