Stewart Brand's How Buildings Learn Videos

Picked these up from a discussion over on the Agile Usability group....

Stewart Brand's How Building Learn Videos (1997)

These videos are based on Stewart Brand's book of the same name. (Publisher's Weekly says about the book: From Publishers Weekly
All buildings are forced to adapt over time because of physical deterioration, changing surroundings and the life within--yet very few buildings adapt gracefully, according to Brand. Houses, he notes, respond to families' tastes, ideas, annoyance and growth; and institutional buildings change with expensive reluctance and delay; while commercial structures have to adapt quickly because of intense competitive pressures. Creator of The Whole Earth Catalog and founder of CoEvolution Quarterly (now Whole Earth Review ), Brand splices a conversational text with hundreds of extensively captioned photographs and drawings juxtaposing buildings that age well with those that age poorly. He buttresses his critique with insights gleaned from facilities managers, planners, preservationists, building historians and futurists. This informative, innovative handbook sets forth a strategy for constructing adaptive buildings that incorporates a conservationist approach to design, use of traditional materials, attention to local vernacular styles and budgeting to allow for continuous adjustment and maintenance.)

As you watch the videos, imagine we are talking about usable and adaptive software instead of buildings....

Part 1: Flow



Part 2: The Low Road



Part 3: Built for Change



Part 4: Unreal Estate



Part 5: The Romance of Maintenance



Part 6: Shearing Layers