Abundance Not Capital

What if architecture were not an instrument of capital? How to imagine and build a non-extractivist and non-exploitative architecture.

Capital’s voracious appetite forces architecture into a regime of “never enough.” The current realities of building involve extraction and exploitation, which, in turn, cause climate breakdown, environmental ruin, alienated labor conditions, and the destruction of local construction knowledge. But what if we could do architecture differently? What does non-extractivist architecture look like?

In this book, Angelika Fitz and Elke Krasny introduce the concept of abundance to call for a paradigm shift in architecture. Using as its example the exceptional work of architect Anupama Kundoo, this book shows that non-extractivist and non-exploitative architecture is undeniably possible. Kundoo, born in Pune, India, weaves together innovative technological experimentation and traditional crafts. With careful consideration of local resources, building skills, climate, and environment, she makes buildings that embody spatial beauty and graceful materiality.

Abundance Not Capital is a manifesto for creating a future-forward, alternative architecture.

Contributors: Shumi Bose, Jordan Carver, Peggy Deamer, Madhavi Desai, Angelika Fitz, Rupali Gupte, Ranjit Hoskote, Elke Krasny, Charlotte Malterre-Barthes, Shannon Mattern, and Laurie Parsons.

Copublished with Architekturzentrum Wien.Introduction
Angelika Fitz and Elke Krasny
Abundance, not Capital
On the work of Anupama Kundoo
Angelika Fitz and Elke Krasny
Essays
All essays are newly commissioned; all titles are working titles.
1. Peggy Deamer: Architecture and Capital
2. Laurie Parson: Building Carbon Colonialism
3. Jordan Carver: Conditions of Labor in the Building Industry
4. Charlotte Malterre-Barthes (t.b.c.): Against Extraction
5. Manu Goswami: From Colonial Economies to National Space
6. Ranjit Hoskote: Modernist Utopias: Urbanism in India
7. Madhavi Desai: Women Architects in India
8. Nancy Adajania: Affective Relations with the More-than-Human
9. Shumi Bose: Making Homes
10. Shannon Matter: Practicing Maintenance in Architecture
11. Rupali Gupte: Imaginaries and Realities of Care
12. Elke Krasny: Liberating Abundance: Soothing Spaces for Dreaming, Resting, and Healing
Appendix
Illustrated list of selected works
About Anupama Kundoo
About the authors and editors
Bibliography
Index
Imprint“This book does what every book aspires to: cause the reader to re-think critically about the world around us. The authors of this outstanding publication call the work of Anupama Kundoo ‘lively’ architecture, reminding us that truly great architecture takes into account all living things, touches the human soul, and is attuned, in the broadest sense, to the context in which it is located. Architect Anupama Kundoo challenges ideas of abundance to include the most profound human values and grants a message of both reality and hope for all those involved in architecture and the built environment. This approach is so relevant and necessary for today's world.”
—Martha Thorne, urbanist and architectural consultant

“In this remarkable, wide-ranging book, Angelika Fitz and Elke Krasny show, thrillingly, how Anupama Kundoo challenges an extractive model of architecture by marrying climate-healing design, local materials, aesthetic originality and sheer beauty. Reading this inspiring volume about reparative architecture and the building of generous spaces will fire your imagination while it suffuses you with hope.”
—Anne Karpf, Professor, London Metropolitan University, and author of How Women Can Save the Planet

"Anupama Kundoo's architecture is a testament to the harmonious blend of traditional craftsmanship and an innovative approach to sustainability. She strives to preserve and promote artisanal traditions, establishing a unique approach to architecture. Her work is emblematic of the craft-based direction laid out by pioneers such as Laurie Baker in the latter half of the 20th century, working with vernacular traditions to evolve new responses to contemporary issues facing the subcontinent. This new book brilliantly examines and explains the theoretical underpinnings of her work, as well as showcasing its achievements."
—Norman Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners and President, Norman Foster FoundationAngelika Fitz is Director of Architekturzentrum Wien (Vienna’s Architecture Center). Elke Krasny is Professor for Art and Education at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. They are coeditors of Critical Care and Yasmeen Lari, both published by the MIT Press.