Our World in Ten Buildings
How Architecture Defines Who We Are and How We Live
Published on 21. May 2026
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-6680-5655-4 (ISBN)
Description
From "tomorrow's greatest designer" (The Atlantic), a personal and deeply researched look at how the choices we build into our environment reflect and determine the way we think, connect, and live.
We've been led to believe that purposefully designed spaces are something reserved only for those that can afford them. But in reality, all the spaces we inhabit-to work, to learn, to heal, and to live-have been planned and built to influence our lives. They sway our emotions, nudge our behaviors, protect us from disease, and do more, or less, to support shared prosperity and our sense of the common good.
Our World in Ten Buildings unpacks this hidden but ever more important element of our lived experience. As author and architectural designer Michael Murphy takes us through ten milestone projects in his career he lays bare the physical, political, and intellectual labor at work shaping the world we live in.
With rare insight, access, and passion, Murphy braids the history of architecture with his own iconic projects to show the power of urban design and how it revolutionizes our homes, minds, workplaces, safety, and health care. Profound, and accessible, Our World in Ten Buildings will change the way you look at and think about your surroundings.
We've been led to believe that purposefully designed spaces are something reserved only for those that can afford them. But in reality, all the spaces we inhabit-to work, to learn, to heal, and to live-have been planned and built to influence our lives. They sway our emotions, nudge our behaviors, protect us from disease, and do more, or less, to support shared prosperity and our sense of the common good.
Our World in Ten Buildings unpacks this hidden but ever more important element of our lived experience. As author and architectural designer Michael Murphy takes us through ten milestone projects in his career he lays bare the physical, political, and intellectual labor at work shaping the world we live in.
With rare insight, access, and passion, Murphy braids the history of architecture with his own iconic projects to show the power of urban design and how it revolutionizes our homes, minds, workplaces, safety, and health care. Profound, and accessible, Our World in Ten Buildings will change the way you look at and think about your surroundings.
Reviews / Votes
"Murphy opens a door to understanding architecture and some of the most basic qualities and unshakable principles of life itself."-Ai Weiwei
"Murphy peels back the layers of architecture to reveal how human choices-often invisible, always consequential-shape the places we inhabit and pass through daily."
-Dan Barber, author of The Third Plate
"With clarity and grace, Murphy shows how architecture is not just where life happens-it's how life is held."
-Susan Magsamen, co-author of Your Brain on Art
"A powerful case for why a deep respect for humanity is a prerequisite for all great architecture and design. Truly inspirational."
-Tim Brown, author of Change by Design
"Murphy sees the world like a warrior architect poet and when you're done with his words, maybe you will, too."
-Wright Thompson, author of The Barn
"If you care about the built environment, human flourishing, or the connection between the two, you will benefit from reading Our World in Ten Buildings."
-Andrew Marantz, author of Antisocial
"An illuminating, optimistic take on how architecture might be harnessed to better the world."
-Kirkus
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
3 b&w images throughout; 16-pg 4-C insert
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
438 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6680-5655-4 (9781668056554)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2026
Atria/One Signal Publishers
€14.83
Available for download
Person
Michael P. Murphy is an architect, educator, and writer, and is the founder and president of AMMA, a design and development collaborative focused on the ways in which space shapes our minds, bodies, and communities. In 2007, he founded the architectural non-profit firm, MASS Design Group, and was CEO until 2022, leading the design of their projects including the Butaro Hospital and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice to name a few. He is currently the Thomas Ventulett Chair of Architecture at The Georgia Institute of Technology. Originally from Poughkeepsie, New York, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife and children.