UNDERCOVER ARCHITECT

Every aspiring architect dreams of building a house from scratch and experiencing every phase up close, from the design to thefinished building. Sometimes this really happens: this book describes an architect’s real life experience, wearing multiple hats, of thecomprehensive process (planning, design, finance, permits, coordination, construction etc.) involved in the design and construction ofa small building in Harlem, New York.Undercover Architect suggests that the way in which architects position themselves in the practice urgently needs to change: thecreation of tangible artifacts requires more, not less practical involvement and greater application of comprehensive competencies inthe field. Besides providing an in-depth account of the evolution of this specific project in Harlem, it is also aimed at helping the nextgeneration of architects eager to make extraordinary designs through a proper understanding of the playing field and engagementwith hands on design-build activities.