AN UNPRECEDENTED ARCHITECTURAL MONOGRAPH: MASSX


An architectural monograph is inherently an after-thought. Short texts often accompany carefully selected and polished images. These texts between the images are there to convince the reader that there is a way of thinking underlying all the images. Convincing, unlike informing rarely involves transparency. In other words, these texts are seldom meant to let the reader inside the architect’s mind.



Neil M. Denari Architecture’s MASSX differs significantly from the characterization as mentioned above of an architectural monograph. The book, published in the last quarter of 2018, consists of 777 pages and weighs about 8 pounds. This alone should tell enough about the sheer amount of creative work presented in the book. There is, of course, more to the book than its mere size. Every piece of writing in the book has a personal touch. Project texts are full of anecdotes about how NDMA go the commission, what were the particular challenges of the projects or what Denari liked about the client. Moreover, each project text is enriched by so many great references from literature, cinema, and art. The labeling system for the references allows the reader to be able to track the development of ideas between different projects that are years apart.

My favorite part of the book is the article titled “A short/personal history of the single surface problem/ 1989-1996”. This relatively long article allows the reader to witness the ‘digital revolution’ in design and architecture through a personal account. There have been many retrospective exhibitions and writing in the last decade about the digital revolution, but I have not come across a piece that describes the anxiety caused by what had started to appear on the horizon in as effective as this one. This anxiety ramps up in Denari’s world as he moves from New York to Los Angeles. Moving from a dense urban environment to LA sprawls forces him to look for a new language. Combined with the readings such as Manuel Castells’ Informational City, these changes kickstart Denari’s single surface project. Early explorations with sketches and drawings full of arrows eventually lead to projects like Details Design Studio.


MASSX is full of anecdotes intertwined with architectural history, theory and practice. This is precisely what makes it an unprecedented source of inspirations for young designers. I hope to see more monographs of this nature in the future from other great architects.