On Weathering

On Weathering illustrates the complex nature of the architectural project by takinginto account its temporality, linking technical problems of maintenance and decay with a focusedconsideration of their philosophical and ethical implications.In a clear and direct accountsupplemented by many photographs commissioned for this book, Mostafavi and Leatherbarrow examinebuildings and other projects from Alberti to Le Corbusier to show that the continual refinishing ofthe building by natural forces adds to, rather than detracts from, architectural meaning. Theircentral discovery, that weathering makes the "final" state of the construction necessarilyindefinite, challenges the conventional notion of a building's completeness.By recognizing theinherent uncertainty and inevitability of weathering and by viewing the concept of weathering as acontinuation of the building process rather than as a force antagonistic to it, the authors offeralternative readings of historical constructions and potential beginnings for new architecturalprojects.Mohsen Mostafavi is Associate Professor of Architecture and Director of the Master ofArchitecture I Program at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. David Leatherbarrow isChairman of the Department of Architecture and of the Program in Urban Design at the Graduate Schoolof Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania.

Mohsen Mostafavi is Dean of the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.