Some of the largest architecture firms have effectively become war corporations. At the same time as designing Olympic parks and world-famous buildings, they have constructed military bases, maintained weaponry, and trained personnel for wars in which hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. In some conflicts, the same firms have been contracted from invasion to reconstruction, including facilitating military attacks, rebuilding war-damaged infrastructure, and establishing new governments. Architecture for Warfare tells the story of a form of multidisciplinary corporation that employs architects skilled in designing structures alongside former military personnel with experience handling live-fire weapons. It highlights the tensions and contradictions within these architecture-led firms that claim to make the world a better place. The book combines personal narrative with detailed research to reveal unsettling relations between design, planning, and armed conflict.

• Describes the emergence of architectural war corporations
• Combines firsthand accounts with research supported by the Graham Foundation
• Reveals ethical conflicts in architectural design

Autorentext

Ed Wall is Professor of Cities and Landscapes at the University of Greenwich. He holds a PhD from the Cities Programme of the London School of Economics and Political Science. His research explores public practices and landscape processes through concerns for spatial justice.