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9781616899462

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"""""[A] compelling, chilling read which attacks the comforting notion of home, forcing the reader to find their bearings and prepare the ground for a different, concrete future."" - London School of Economics Review of Books, "" """"[A] whirlwind tour of the outrageous physical distortions, urban warp zones, and typological mutants wreaked upon the global landscape by the international finance industry."" - Architect's Newspaper, "" """"[A]ny knowledge architects can gain about the workings of architecture within capitalism -- about the ""numbers"" -- can't be all that bad. As such, this book is a very good place to start."" - A Daily Dose of Architecture Books, "" """"In this utterly original book, Matthew Soules addresses the phenomenon of 'the financialization of everything' that has been described in recent years by scholars such as Saskia Sassen, and depicts its profoundly disturbing effects on the world of architecture."" - George Baird, Emeritus Professor of Architecture, University of Toronto, "" """"It is hard to figure out what is most dazzling about Matthew Soules's Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin: the dissection of the complex but very material nature of finance capital; the adroit linking of real estate calculations to the physical shape of housing; the exposure of how, in architecture, base (the money equations) and superstructure (architectural aspiration) are dialectically intertwined; the weaving of cultural and economic theory with concrete facts; or the simultaneous breadth and depth of examples. I think, ultimately, it's his reminder that--like the goldfish asking, 'What water?'--architecture's inability to comprehend its submersion in finance capital dooms both our urban life and our architectural reputation."" - Peggy Deamer, editor of Architecture and Capitalism: 1845 to the Present, "" """"It's useful to understand just why and how architecture mutated to create these products of architectural Darwinism. At this, Soules excels....Over eight chapters, the extent to which our capitalist society determines architectural form is clearly and concisely laid bare."" - Canadian Architect, "" """"Occasionally we read a book that really matters. This is one of them."" - The Ormsby Review (Canada), "" """"Soules compellingly explains the workings of financial capitalism and its consequences through global case studies."" - BOMB Magazine, "" """"Soules deftly weaves together social, political, economic, and cultural theory with a variety of concrete physical examples to explore the role that architecture serves in sustaining finance capitalism. The result is a compelling and well-articulated indictment of architecture's role not just in relation to finance capitalism but its role as finance capitalism....Icebergs, Zombies and the Ultra Thin is ultimately a very worthwhile read for anyone who is interested in better understanding the physical ways in which capitalism shapes our cities in the 21st century."" - Spacing (Canada), "" """"Soules' book lives up to its bizzaro title as he takes us on a global tour of the weird ways in which financial forces are mutating our built environments, from mountainside suburbs in Las Vegas to houses wrapped by golf courses."" - The Tyee, "" """"Soules's excellent book makes sense of the capitalist forces we all feel but cannot always name. Agency requires awareness; Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin arms architects and the general public with an essential understanding of how capitalism makes property. Required reading for those who think tomorrow can be different from today."" - Jack Self, co-editor of Real Estates: Life Without Debt, "" """"The probing, surprising book provides vivid illustrations of the changes that occur when a city's housing becomes a prime destination for investment by the rich....Icebergs, Zombies and the Ultra-Thin explains how the behavior of the world's so-called high-net-worth-individuals, or HNWIs, exacerbates urban inequality -- and is literally changing the layout and architecture of big or desirable cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Miami and Melbourne."" - Vancouver Sun, """

It is hard to figure out what is most dazzling about Matthew Soules's Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin: the dissection of the complex but very material nature of finance capital; the adroit linking of real estate calculations to the physical shape of housing; the exposure of how, in architecture, base (the money equations) and superstructure (architectural aspiration) are dialectically intertwined; the weaving of cultural and economic theory with concrete facts; or the simultaneous breadth and depth of examples. I think, ultimately, it's his reminder that-like the goldfish asking, 'What water?'-architecture's inability to comprehend its submersion in finance capital dooms both our urban life and our architectural reputation. - Peggy Deamer, editor of Architecture and Capitalism: 1845 to the Present, Soules's excellent book makes sense of the capitalist forces we all feel but cannot always name. Agency requires awareness; Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin arms architects and the general public with an essential understanding of how capitalism makes property. Required reading for those who think tomorrow can be different from today. - Jack Self, co-editor of Real Estates: Life Without Debt,

[A] whirlwind tour of the outrageous physical distortions, urban warp zones, and typological mutants wreaked upon the global landscape by the international finance industry. - Architect's Newspaper, In this utterly original book, ?Matthew?Soules addresses the phenomenon of 'the financialization of everything'?that has been described in recent years by scholars such as Saskia Sassen, and depicts its profoundly?disturbing effects on the world of architecture. - George Baird, Emeritus Professor of Architecture, University of Toronto, It is hard to figure out what is most dazzling about Matthew Soules's Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin: the dissection of the complex but very material nature of finance capital; the adroit linking of real estate calculations to the physical shape of housing; the exposure of how, in architecture, base (the money equations) and superstructure (architectural aspiration) are dialectically intertwined; the weaving of cultural and economic theory with concrete facts; or the simultaneous breadth and depth of examples. I think, ultimately, it's his reminder that-like the goldfish asking, 'What water?'-architecture's inability to comprehend its submersion in finance capital dooms both our urban life and our architectural reputation. - Peggy Deamer, editor of Architecture and Capitalism: 1845 to the Present, Soules's excellent book makes sense of the capitalist forces we all feel but cannot always name. Agency requires awareness; Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin arms architects and the general public with an essential understanding of how capitalism makes property. Required reading for those who think tomorrow can be different from today. - Jack Self, co-editor of Real Estates: Life Without Debt,

The probing, surprising book provides vivid illustrations of the changes that occur when a city's housing becomes a prime destination for investment by the rich....Icebergs, Zombies and the Ultra-Thin explains how the behavior of the world's so-called high-net-worth-individuals, or HNWIs, exacerbates urban inequality - and is literally changing the layout and architecture of big or desirable cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Miami and Melbourne. - Vancouver Sun, In this utterly original book, Matthew Soules addresses the phenomenon of 'the financialization of everything' that has been described in recent years by scholars such as Saskia Sassen, and depicts its profoundly disturbing effects on the world of architecture. - George Baird, Emeritus Professor of Architecture, University of Toronto, [A] whirlwind tour of the outrageous physical distortions, urban warp zones, and typological mutants wreaked upon the global landscape by the international finance industry. - Architect's Newspaper, It is hard to figure out what is most dazzling about Matthew Soules's Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin: the dissection of the complex but very material nature of finance capital; the adroit linking of real estate calculations to the physical shape of housing; the exposure of how, in architecture, base (the money equations) and superstructure (architectural aspiration) are dialectically intertwined; the weaving of cultural and economic theory with concrete facts; or the simultaneous breadth and depth of examples. I think, ultimately, it's his reminder that-like the goldfish asking, 'What water?'-architecture's inability to comprehend its submersion in finance capital dooms both our urban life and our architectural reputation. - Peggy Deamer, editor of Architecture and Capitalism: 1845 to the Present, Soules's excellent book makes sense of the capitalist forces we all feel but cannot always name. Agency requires awareness; Icebergs, Zombies, and the Ultra Thin arms architects and the general public with an essential understanding of how capitalism makes property. Required reading for those who think tomorrow can be different from today. - Jack Self, co-editor of Real Estates: Life Without Debt,

Author Information

Matthew Soules is an associate professor of architecture at the University of British Columbia and a graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD). Soules has been visiting faculty at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, a visiting associate professor at the GSD, and a guest critic at institutions throughout Canada and the United States. He is the founder and director of Matthew Soules Architecture.

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