The Architectural Condition

The Architectural Condition is a frank analysis of the architectural profession. Its aim is to initiate a debate and to offer some potential routes architects may wish to explore both within the architectural guilds and beyond.

This book is about the particular world of architecture: its guilds, associations and educational institutions, its coherent global presence and remarkable vulnerabilities. The aim is to initiate a debate within the field; to analyse some of the most damaging flaws that plague the profession and to propose ways in which these shortcomings may be addressed for the benefit of both society and practitioners.

Asaf Gottesman was born in Israel, but has lived most of his life in Europe. He graduated in 1983 from Columbia University in New York with majors in Art History and Comparative Literature. Prior to being an architect, he was a soldier, an antiques dealer, commodities trader and property developer. In 1992 he earned in London his Diploma from the Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture together with RIBA Part II from the Royal Institute of British Architects, and that same year established his own architectural practice in Israel. For eight years, A. Gottesman Architecture primarily designed contemporary private homes. The practice quickly grew and in 2003 expanded its activities to Europe where, with Ami Szmelcman, Gottesman Szmelcman Architecture SARL was established in Paris. The firm focuses on projects requiring innovative, multi- disciplinary solutions. It has developed particular skills in the domains of hospitality, urban planning, mixed-use residential developments, and in one-off iconic schemes that tend to crystallise key issues and generate extra-ordinary values. The practice specialises in concept development, partnering with highly qualified local practices and consultants to deliver multi-tiered products that go beyond the conventional architectural package. The firm currently has projects in the US, Central and Western Europe, as well as in Israel. Alongside the publication of this book, Asaf Gottesman has co-founded with Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) an advanced academic programme that endeavours to explore the role of the architect as a critical maker – as both designer and artist. The Paris Atelier programme is located at Columbia’s European Global Center in Paris. It is a five-year research initiative that will hopefully expand the role of the architect within contemporary art and culture.