Eric Parry

Eric Parry is an architect who draws. This book is about the interaction and relationship of those two practices – of drawing as design tool, and as a way of engaging with the world in which buildings exist and which they play a part in shaping The text comprises a dialogue between Parry and Owen Hopkins, Senior Curator at Sir John Soane’s Museum, London, which is the venue for an exhibition of Parry’s drawings in spring 2019. The dialogue is arranged across ten episodes relating to themes and ideas that emerged over a series of conversations during the creation of the exhibition. At once self-contained and part of a broader whole, these episodes meditate on the meaning, medium and culture of architectural drawing. An essay by David Leatherbarrow, Professor of Architecture and Chairman of the Graduate Group in Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, offers a counterpoint, providing both a detailed analysis of Parry’s drawing practice and context for the preceding dialogue.

Imagine what it would be like to step off the treadmill of day to day life, to have a one-year vacation travelling around France. Well, that's what Eric and his wife, Jenny, have done. This book will take you on their inspiring journey. Follow in the footsteps of these empty nesters who weren't afraid to take time away from their demanding professional careers to allow themselves to explore new horizons. The time was right to do something entirely different. Having already been engaged, many years earlier, at the top of the Eiffel Tower, they were drawn to France for its romance and culture. Spending a year in France with each other 24/7 was not as scary as they first thought. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It was a year filled with unexpected pleasant surprises, pure happiness and, at times, moments of anguish and despair, yet their love for each other continued to flourish and grow stronger.

Demonstrates how a building's setting should inform and inspire rather than constrain architectural design Context-Architecture and the Genius of Place is a highly engaging, informative discussion of context in architectural theory and practice. Eric Parry, one of the UK's most highly regarded architects — whose work has been widely lauded for its innovative response to its setting — addresses the contemporary definition of context and its importance for sustainable everyday living and urban design. Looking beyond the formal agenda to explore the fundamentals that give new social and cultural perspective to this vital point of departure for designers, this book turns the urban statistician's telescopic focus on global trends inside out for a better understanding of the cultural and physical conditions that make archetypes like the Parisian Café, the London High Street, the Baltic City Square, and the Mumbai Market part of the architect's lexicon. From pavement to landscape, readers will examine how context must be taken into account at every stage in the design process. This book draws on the author's extensive experience within complex urban settings to show how the existing fabric and social conditions can provide an essential starting point for new design, offering a framework for thinking about design responses and their relationship to cultural origins of place. Discover the importance of orientationDevelop a sequential understanding of urban spaceHear the dialogue between parts within a wholeDifferentiate the uses of formal and informal Whereas existing urban settings, particularly historic city centers, are generally regarded as limiting to architectural creativity, this book presents context as grounds for inspiration rather than constraint. When used correctly, these techniques create the feeling that a new building has always been there, simply because it "fits". Context explains the methods behind brilliant architecture, helping designers create buildings that not only belong, but can provide a catalyst to urban life.