History affords a glimpse into the future. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it really isn’t. For example, history can be used to legitimize an architectural agenda in order to project it into an alternative realm. We like to call this mode of writing “operative history”—a kind of history writing that looks to contemporary architecture to make a claim as to what building will and should be. This kind of writing has been a staple in architecture schools for decades and continues to provide designers, educators and scholars with a fulcrum with which to leverage their own thoughts about the built environment.

From the review of Interactive Architecture by Michael Fox and Miles Kemp on A456

Related posts:

1. Teaching and drawing Urban Sensing
2. Howeler + Yoon’s BioPods
3. Gerard Reinmuth on Idealism
4. Joshua Noble on Transformation
5. 555 KUBIK | facade projection