Since the Second World War, rapid developments in the economy, family structure, technology, employment, and lifestyle have transformed the home. Avi Friedman and David Krawitz guide the reader through the trends and changes, many of them ill-conceived and wasteful, that have influenced residential design and construction over the last fifty years.
Offering pragmatic suggestions for many problems, including the damages caused by suburban sprawl, the limits of standard single-family dwellings, and the widening gap between rich and poor, Peeking Through the Keyhole unravels the effects of technology and consumerism on the way we perceive and use domestic space.
Review quotes
This book offers solutions for making flexible homes that meet our evolving needs, and livable neighbourhoods that will regenerate our cities - changes on both sides of the keyhole. The Globe and Mail
A smooth-as-silk tour through the residential transformations that most North Americans have undergone since the middle of the twentieth century. University of Toronto Quarterly
Praise for The Grow Home by Avi Friedman
The architectural equivalent of the Japanese compact car, without options like power steering or a tape deck. The New York Times
Avi Friedman is associate professor and director, Affordable Homes Program, McGill University. He is the recipient of the United Nations World Habitat Award, the Creative Achievement Award (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture), and the Prix J.-Armand Bombardier.
David Krawitz is administrative coordinator, School of Architecture, McGill University.
