The Sword and Laser discussion

Hello everyone,
I am a Student of Architecture,i am writing my Architecural dissertation on the "Exploration of Architectural Concepts in modern day science fiction helping architects imagine futuristic cities".I need you guys to suggest me some great science fiction/dystopian novels with something to do with architecture and no alien invasions stuff.Suggest anything,it would be a great help. Lets explore this topic together

Not sure what you're after exactly, but in Chasm City there's a city (in a chasm) of self-repairing and shape-shifting buildings. Although at the time of the novel the city has have been infected by a nanotech virus that causes the buildings to grow uncontrollably and grotesquely.

Tobias wrote: "Not sure what you're after exactly, but in Chasm City there's a city (in a chasm) of self-repairing and shape-shifting buildings. Although at the time of the novel the city has have be..."

well,it does sound very intriguing.These sort of novels are exactly what i am looking ,Shape shifiting and bio architecture are futuristic architectural concept.I will definitely read it.thanks !

The first thing that comes to mind is Niven's Ringworld.

The other thing that came to mind was the manufactured hollow world that is the main setting for Iain M Banks Matter.

There are some fascinating descriptions of alien bio-architecture in China Mieville's Embassytown (which is a personal favorite).

China Mieville's Perdido Street Station too! Really anything by China Mieville will have a Victor Hugo level interaction with architecture. ;D

THANKS !!! I am writing down all the suggestions.Guys,do you any novels which have the idea of portability of homes like pods houses etc,virtual spaces, transforming architecture as well or anything with the futuristic lifestyles of humans or their interaction with the built environment in future.

Reminds me of this Minis Tirith project on IndieGoGo.

Hm, the Arcology has been around a while. The Caves of Steel for classic SF, a dystopic future where humanity lives in giant enclosed cities. With robots!

Next up, Oath of Fealty, a near-earth where an arcology has been built in LA on the ruins of an area burnt out by a riot. The people who live there are starting to subtly diverge from the rest of humanity. This one includes computer-enabled near-telepathy, like texting using your mind.

Anika wrote: "THANKS !!! I am writing down all the suggestions.Guys,do you any novels which have the idea of portability of homes like pods houses etc,virtual spaces, transforming architecture as well or anythin..."

Christopher Priest's Inverted World might be of interest. It is about a city that travels on train tracks.

Is space eligible? The Expanse (a series, five books long right now) includes extended descriptions of how Belters live versus people from planets. Belters have substantially better movement in Zero G, and also are taller and thinner, from the lack of gravity in their environments. Belters generally take a drug to keep their bones dense enough, in that series.

Inverted World sounds good! Guys, I am looking for novels that might help me as an architect think up of solution of present problems of us humans,our lifestyle and our enviornment.The novels you suggest doesn't necessarily have to be set in the context of Earth.You can suggest novels where whatever beings/ humans have a futuristic lifestyle and architecture from which we can draw inspiration for our future in order to imagine how we can live For example from the homes we will in to the urban space where we interact.you can also suggest novels where we see relationship between technology and architecture as well.

City of Stairs had a couple of brief passages on the intersection between architecture and climate change which I really liked.

Asimov's Robot series mentioned above have a couple polar opposite living situations and how they affect people. The Caves of Steel with its arcology, The Naked Sun with people living separately, to the point where they don't like human contact at all.

Automated homes are big, too. The short story There Will Come Soft Rains is a classic, but they show up in so many books it's hard to narrow it down. Ed Naha's The Suicide Plague had a house AI that was its own distinct character.

Hannu Rajaniemi's The Quantum Thief might also be of interest. I don't remember much, but I remember there was some interesting descriptions of Moving Cities on Mars. There is a self replicating machine plague that infests the surface of Mars and so cities were built on moving platforms to avoid infestation. .

Farewell Horizonal.

http://www.amazon.com/Farewell-Horizo...

Been a long time since I read it, but I seem to recall its about how the homeless on an arcology are forced to live outside, clinging to the walls. Really fascinating to me as a youngster.

There were all kind of futuristic ideas including architecture in Holy Fire. They grew an apartment complex out of fungus at one point.

There's a series that starts with Suited that has an interesting way structures are built.