Angewandte Praxis: On Balance: Architecture and Vertigo
Book Presentation
and Discussion with Davide Deriu & Martin Haller
In his new book, On Balance: Architecture and Vertigo (Lund
Humphries 2023), architectural theorist and historian Davide Deriu reflects on the precarious equilibrium at the heart of
contemporary cities, where the drive to conquer ever greater heights has reconfigured our notion of abyss. Exploring the spatial
thrills as well as anxieties associated with vertigo, the book traces how different subjects experience, represent and transgress
buildings and the spaces in between. This broad-ranging exploration of vertigo reveals architecture to be central to our perception
of balance at multiple sensory, spatial, and social level, and sheds a different light on urban design processes and their
consequences.
The book presentation and discussion with architect Martin Haller (Caramel Architects
Vienna) and the audience will be followed by a drinks reception in the garden of ZFF.
Davide Deriu is a Reader
in Architectural History and Theory at the University of Westminster, London. An experienced educator, writer, editor and
curator, he has been awarded research grants by major institutions including the British Academy, the Canadian Centre for
Architecture and Yale University’s Paul Mellon Centre. His work appears in many international journals and magazines, and
he has recently published the book On Balance: Architecture and Vertigo (Lund Humphries, 2023).
