"How can architects solve the pressing issues of our time? Think Like an Architect, by Randy Deutsch, provides us all - practitioners, educators, students - a way forward into the future with optimism and hope. As an educator speculating about the future of practice and how to educate the next generation of creative professionals, I am always inspired by Randy’s books. The beauty of his writing is that he takes complex ideas and breaks them down into comprehensible concepts and actionable steps. With his latest book, he gets to the absolute core of the architectural process - critical thinking - by demystifying the craft and thereby elucidating the value of good design. In doing so, he is helping to make our beloved profession more comprehensible, more effective, more accessible, and more welcoming.”
– Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter, Dean, Woodbury University School of Architecture

 

“All forms of innovation require critical thinking, whether the end game is a building or a business model, a design process, or a production strategy. Think Like an Architect offers a compendium of tactics and techniques used by architects trained to use critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration as a means to solve complex three-dimensional and often ‘wicked’ problems. Once acquired by the reader, these skills can be easily transposed into a whole array of creative and professional contexts - with truly transformative results.”

– Dr. Harriet Harriss, Dean, Pratt Institute, School of Architecture

 

“Firmness, commodity, and delight are only half the story. The other half—how to get there and how to create solutions for all sorts of wicked challenges—is the focus of this much-needed treatise. Randy Deutsch advances a compelling framework for engaging and solving problems. Once internalized, this framework becomes a powerful tool, one that truly captures the unique thought processes of the finest architects. This should be required reading for all architecture students and will serve as a necessary refresher for seasoned professionals.” 

– Andrew Pressman FAIA, Author of 7 books including Professional Practice 101: Business Strategies and Case Studies in Architecture

 

“Randy Deutsch’s Think Like an Architect is as timely as it gets—a reminder that the difficult mental tasks of critical, creative, and collaborative thinking are key foundational tools that are vital to successful design, and that their integration is as necessary as it is challenging. Deutsch not only argues for these modes of thinking, he also explains how architects can train their minds to be more agile, attentive, and open through simple exercises and hacks that can be applied every day. An indispensable guide to the complexities of real design thinking for professionals and, especially, for students.”

– Thomas Leslie FAIA, Morrill Professor in Architecture, Iowa State University

 

“In Think Like an Architect, Deutsch presents an approach for emerging architects to navigate today’s complexity. However, his lessons, presented through the lens of architecture, are indeed universal and apply to anyone who tackles ‘wicked’ problems where the solutions are neither easy nor obvious.” 

– Raymond Daddazio, Former President, Thornton Tomasetti

 

“Can Architects be automated? No, not the good ones. Defining what a good architect now and will still be ten years from now depends almost entirely on their thinking; to think clearly with the tools at hand, no matter if it is a hammer or a VR headset. In this book, Deutsch details the broad skills of thinking that serve to create the built environment, but in reality, a divergently-trained, thinking architect can contribute to any occupation. That’s the magic of this book, it brings the specifics of design thinking to the center stage, no matter what the next act of your career will be.” 

– David Zach, Futurist, 2011-2013 Public Director, AIA Board of Directors

 

“This is a book that makes readers think…about ‘thinking’. Randy Deutsch, a professor of architecture and a practicing architect, poses an intriguing proposition in his book, Think Like an Architect; that thinking like an architect is not only essential for those in the profession, but also very valuable for others. For Deutsch thinking like an architect means thinking critically, creatively, and collaboratively especially when facing seemingly intractable problems. In this fast-changing world, he argues these ‘thinking skills’ are now more important than traditional architectural skills which he believes will soon be made obsolete by Artificial Intelligence and other advances. The ‘thinking architect’ is challenged to produce design solutions that not only meet existing and foreseeable problems but anticipate future unknowns. Deutsch’s latest book is inspirational for budding architects, thought provoking for the established practitioner, and useful for non-architects who may be intrigued by the idea of thinking, about thinking.”

– Nancy Pollock-Ellwand, PhD, Dean and Professor, University of Arizona College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture

 

“Architecture schools would be wise to require Deutsch’s Think Like an Architect as a common reading for all incoming students to establish a shared foundational understanding for the process of how architects think, and then to serve as a continuous touchstone in the classroom and studio as the learning process unfolds.”

– Richard R. Johnson, Director, Rice University Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management 

 

“Randy Deutsch’s book explores the biggest theme of an architects’ education – the ability to think – particularly about ‘wicked’ problems of which there is no totally right answer, and how architects can develop solutions with thoughtful priorities. This ability when nurtured, practiced, exercised and critically appraised often separates those that survive the on-going, exponential changes to the architectural profession and those that don't. Above all this is a book about creative, mental dexterity – the jewel in the architects' crown.”

– Professor Neil Spiller, Editor of Architectural Design, Emeritus Professor of Architecture and Digital Theory, University of Greenwich, London

 

“Randy Deutsch’s Think Like an Architect offers a contemporary account of Design Theory & Methods for today’s Generation Z.  He advances the notion that the goal of architectural education is to develop resilient, adaptive, and agile multidisciplinary thinkers. With an imaginative design and format, the book includes engaging interactive thought experiments that break up the text. Deutsch points out that architects don’t just problem solve, but also problem define and problem identify. They investigate what problems are worth solving. Often, the problem they have been assigned is not the one – or the most important or urgent one – that truly requires addressing. Today, they frequently include what Horst Rittel called ‘wicked problems’ – those intractable, hard-to-solve problems without an obvious solution, such as rising sea levels, affordable housing for displaced immigrants or preparation for natural disasters. One of the important take-aways from the book is that architectural design education fosters a culture of experimentation, which entails a non-linear, iterative process of design. And more importantly, that creativity is not only about succeeding. It’s about discovery.”

– T.F. Tierney, Associate Professor Emerita, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

 

"Most architects will tell you that the success of any architectural project hinges upon how well the architect is able to negotiate complexity. From project sites, budgets, and clients, no project is exactly like the last. Consequently, each design problem requires the ability to both rely on hard-earned training and experience, while also knowing when to be flexible, intuitive, and innovative. The best architecture results from striking just the right balance of each. Think Like An Architect provides an excellent primer for how architects approach complex problems with rigor, empathy, and natural curiosity. This book also makes the case that the architect's unique skillset and capacity for complex strategic thinking is both valuable and broadly applicable in a myriad of contexts outside of the realm of traditional bricks and mortar."

– Matthew McGrane AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Associate Principal | Studio Director, Farr Associates, recipient 2018 AIA Dubin Family Young Architect Award

 

“Think Like an Architect reinforces many of the beliefs I have in my own teaching, most important of which is that design is a thought process! This book encourages architects to use our ‘superpower’ of critical, creative, and collaborative thinking to address today’s biggest challenges. Included within are tips for improving ones critical creative thinking skills, as well as a built in reading list for the curious professional. Think Like an Architect is a must read for architecture students, future designers, and even seasoned professionals who want to reexamine the value of critical creative thinking.”

– Mark A. Pearson, AIA, LEED AP, Professor of Architecture, College of DuPage

 

"Think Like an Architect questions the architectural profession’s long-held assumption that design creativity is the ineffable product of one’s innate talent. Instead, Deutsch’s revealing book gives access to critical design thinking through immediately applicable tools and techniques grounded in responses to architecture’s wicked problems. Think Like an Architect is both approachable for beginning designers and illuminating for seasoned architects, reminding us that our most sustainable, resilient, and valuable technology is between our ears."

– Marc Manack, Principal, SILO AR+D; Associate Professor, UNC Charlotte School of Architecture

 

“For those that believe (as I do) that the brain is a trainable muscle, Think Like an Architect provides a set of calisthenic exercises that build new strengths and open up new pathways of thought. It’s refreshing to see design thinking demystified and treated as a series of component parts with associated skills that can be practiced and improved.” 

– Renee Cheng, FAIA, DPACSA, NOMA, Dean of the College of Built Environments, University of Washington

 

“When I read this line, 'Architects tend to work fluidly, iteratively – between the rational and intuitive and aren't excited by the notion of working with action plans and checklists', I thought yes, that's me. But to actually translate that way of working into practical and persuasive architecture needs many soft skills such as empathy, collaboration, unbiased thinking, etc. This book starts off gently and then leads you into the meat of the matter – critical vs deliberate thinking, focussed work/thinking, preferences vs bias, facts vs opinions, and so much more. Don't be fooled by the austere presentation – Think Like an Architect is a clever and funny book. Drawing on inspiration from many different sources – from architecture, writing, art, psychology, yoga, to philosophy. And so from now I will aim to be an 'amiable sceptic' -– and it sounds like sound advice to architecture students as well as seasoned architects.” – Sumita Singha, B Arch (hons), RIBA, Ecologic Architects

 

“This book is so timely. Thinking critically and precisely is the most important skill that architects possess. Far more than any analogue or digital skill or activity, critical and applied thinking is essential to the success and survival of architects. Thinking well, then doing well – Think Like an Architect must be essential reading for staff and students in architecture schools and a reminder to architects everywhere – let us apply critical thinking to everything we do.”

– Alan Jones FRIBA FRSA Hon FRIAS, President of The Royal Institute of British Architects (2019-21); Professor of Architecture (Practice & Education), Queen’s University Belfast, UK

 

"Think Like an Architect is an engaging read and would make an excellent present for that budding architect in your life.”

– Ola Uduku, Professor, Manchester School of Architecture 

 

“We all act with purpose: we conceive, we plan, and we execute constantly. This makes us all designers, which is an empowering thought. Think Like an Architect illuminates the process by which designers think, including those who exist far outside the architectural profession, making Deutsch’s book important reading for anyone committed to the pursuit of better thinking and better results. Our global sustainability challenges require clear, critical, holistic thinking, and the ability to make decisions amidst great complexity and uncertainty. This is a setting in which architects can claim home-field advantage. Think Like an Architect is Deutsch’s masterclass in the process of how architects engage their full brains in solving problems creatively and collaboratively. Such thinking is essential for the deep work that lies ahead.”

– Richard R. Johnson, Director, Rice University Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management 

 

“The tools of architecture, from pencil and paper to virtual reality apps, are only as good as the thinking that the architect brings to the project. With this book, Deutsch explains the fascinating range of mental skills that will make for a good (as in, employable) architect in the decades to come. Anyone involved in architecture, from the client to the construction worker will find long-term value in these pages.” 

– David Zach, Futurist, 2011-2013 Public Director, AIA Board of Directors