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The Thinking Hand

Existential and Embodied Wisdom in Architecture
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( 779 ratings, 32 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Thinking Hand by Juhani Pallasmaa explores a multi-sensory approach to architecture, expanding on ideas first presented in The Eyes of the Skin. The book delves into the role of embodiment in human experience and the creative process, portraying the hand as a metaphor for the independent and autonomous activity of the senses. Pallasmaa argues that many essential skills are internalised bodily reactions rather than purely intellectual knowledge, challenging prevailing educational philosophies that prioritise conceptual understanding over tacit, embodied wisdom.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$8399
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in architecture, design, philosophy, and the sensory aspects of creativity, appealing especially to those who value a holistic, embodied approach to understanding and making art.

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In this book Pallasmaa progresses his case for a multi-sensory approach to architecture, espoused in The Eyes of the Skin , by taking a wider view of the role of embodiment in human existential reactions, experiences and expressions as well as the processes of making and thinking.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In this book, Pallasmaa progresses his case for a multi-sensory approach to architecture, espoused in The Eyes of the Skin, by taking a wider view of the role of embodiment in human existential reactions, experiences, and expressions as well as the processes of making and thinking.

The Thinking Hand is a metaphor for the characteristic independence and autonomous activity of all our senses as they constantly scan the physical world. Many of our most crucial skills are internalised as automatic reactions that we are not consciously aware of. Even in the case of learning skills, the sequence of movements in a task is internalised and embodied rather than understood and remembered intellectually.

Prevailing educational philosophies continue to emphasise conceptual, intellectual, and verbal knowledge over this tacit and non-conceptual wisdom of our embodied processes, which is so essential to our experience and understanding of the physical and the built.

Series: Architectural Design Primer

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  • The Embodied Image
    The Embodied Image: Imagination and Imagery in Architecture by Juhani Pallasmaa explores how artistic and architectural effects are evoked, mediated, and experienced through poeticised images. These images are lived experiences that occur in β€˜the flesh of the world’, becoming a part of us, while we simultaneously project aspects of ourselves onto a conceived space, object, or event. Artistic images possess...
    Paperback
    $7899
    Available
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  • The Thinking Hand
    In this book, Pallasmaa progresses his case for a multi-sensory approach to architecture, espoused in The Eyes of the Skin, by taking a wider view of the role of embodiment in human existential reactions, experiences, and expressions as well as the processes of making and thinking. The Thinking Hand is a metaphor for the characteristic independence and autonomous activity of...
    Paperback
    $8399
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as "a superb piece of writing" and "a primer not just for architecture, but for life," The Thinking Hand receives acclaim for its philosophical depth and emotional resonance. Reviews highlight its clarity and the beautiful illustrations complementing the essays, noting it is "as clear as a building made of glass."

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780470779293

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 20 March 2009

Country: United States

Imprint: John Wiley & Sons Inc

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 170.0mm

Height: 218.0mm

Weight: 272g

Pages: 160

About the Author

Juhani Pallasmaa is one of Finland’s most distinguished architects and architectural thinkers. His previous positions include: Rector of the Institute of Industrial Arts, Helsinki; Director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki; and Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Helsinki University of Technology. He has also held visiting professorships in several universities internationally. Pallasmaa is the author/editor of 24 books, including The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses (Academy, 1995 and John Wiley & Sons, 2005), The Architecture of Image: Existential Space in Cinema (Helsinki, 2001) and Encounters (Helsinki, 2005).

Also by Juhani Pallasmaa

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  • The Eyes of the Skin
    The Eyes of the Skin Explore the relationship between architecture and the sensory experience with the fourth edition of this groundbreaking work First published in 1996, The Eyes of the Skin is a classic of architectural theory. It asks the far-reaching question why, when there are five senses, is one single senseβ€”sightβ€”so predominant in architectural culture and design? With the...
    Hardback
    $6199
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  • Rootedness
    Rootedness Discover the insights and lessons of architect Juhani Pallasmaa. In Rootedness: Reflections for Young Architects, Juhani Pallasmaa delivers an insightful and expansive collection of his most compelling ideas into architecture’s position among arts and culture. Pallasmaa speaks to architecture students and young professionals, discussing each topic with sincerity and openness, suggesting what can be learned from areas of culture...
    Hardback
    $6199
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  • The Embodied Image
    The Embodied Image: Imagination and Imagery in Architecture by Juhani Pallasmaa explores how artistic and architectural effects are evoked, mediated, and experienced through poeticised images. These images are lived experiences that occur in β€˜the flesh of the world’, becoming a part of us, while we simultaneously project aspects of ourselves onto a conceived space, object, or event. Artistic images possess...
    Paperback
    $7899
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Inseminations
    A collection of the writing of the highly influential architect, Juhani Pallasmaa, presented in short, easily accessible, and condensed ideas ideal for students. Juhani Pallasmaa is one of Finland’s most distinguished architects and architectural thinkers, publishing around 60 books and several hundred essays and shorter pieces over his career. His influential works have inspired undergraduate and postgraduate students of architecture...
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  • Eight Meditations on Architecture
    Brings together timeless reflections on architecture's deepest foundations Eight Meditations on Architecture offers a rare and illuminating dialogue between two of Europe's most reflective architectural voicesβ€”Juhani Pallasmaa and Alberto Campo Baeza. Through a series of eight essays, the book examines eternal architectural themesβ€”Beauty, Light, Time, Memory, Universality, Wisdom, Sacred, and Essentialityβ€”revealing how enduring values shape the practice of building and...
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