Blank Space’s first edition of Fairy Tales: When Architecture Tells a Story is a light-hearted reminder that communication is at the core of what all architects and designers do. The book is a collection of entries from the company’s first architectural storytelling competition, which was launched to reinstate a dialogue between architects and the public.
Fairy tales might seem like an odd genre of choice for this movement, but communication also lies at their core. According to the founders of Blank Space, Matthew Hoffman and Frencesca Giuliani-Hoffman, fairy tales are “relatable, yet sophisticated and nuanced, just like great architecture.”
For more on the whimsical collection, keep reading after the break.
The first iteration of Blank Space’s Fairy Tale Competition received over 300 entries from 50 different countries. The competition was not prescriptive in any way – there was no assigned typology, scope, location, or budget. Instead, Blank Space asked applicants to challenge themselves creatively and think beyond the boundaries of their profession. Needless to say, this produced some amazing results.
The book seamlessly weaves together stories with different architectural meanings and formats, including coming of age tales, comic book strips, classic love stories, and sci-fi thrillers. The stories cover delightfully disparate topics, including Alice in Wonderland finding herself trapped in a modern dystopian city and colorful bouquets of flowers growing into skyscrapers.
If you're interested in learning more about the competition and the selected stories visit Blank Space's website. The book is currently on sale for just $15 in the United States.
