A01=Stefan Al
agriculture
architecture
Author_Stefan Al
build
Category=AMK
Category=AMX
Category=NH
Category=NHB
Category=NHTB
cities
community
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
habitat
habitation
homes
house
housed
housing trends
industrial revolution
residence
shelter
society
sustainable living
urban planning
urban revolution
Product details
- ISBN 9781324065722
- Weight: 466g
- Dimensions: 160 x 236mm
- Publication Date: 14 Apr 2026
- Publisher: WW Norton & Co
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
From tiny pit-houses in the Levant and Mesoamerica thousands of years ago to soaring skyscrapers in Dubai, New York and Shanghai today, Dwelling on Earth takes readers on an absorbing tour of the evolution of human habitation. Stefan Al weaves together archaeology, engineering, social history and environmental science to explain how our homes—the spaces in which we spend half our lives—developed through the ages and how they shaped civilisation. Whisking readers from ancient Pompeii to contemporary Hong Kong, industrial-age Liverpool to post-war Levittown, Al shows how our choices in housing have both reflected and affected ideas about gender roles, privacy and comfort. He explores architectural developments—like doorknockers, corridors and insulation—and details how the quest for housing has had severe consequences for the environment. Finally, he examines the myths and reality of future housing, including 3D-printed homes and space architecture built by robots.
Stefan Al’s Supertall was praised as:
“A thoughtful inquiry into the new generations of skyscrapers…There is a lot of rich history here, well and concisely told (and illustrated with superb line drawings, a refreshing change).” — Paul Goldberger, The New York Times Book Review
“The sheer volume of calculation required to build and keep [supertalls] aloft and functioning is astounding. Al...explains these esoteric technical challenges in lucid fashion...[T]he story of what’s come about in the age of the supertall is gripping.” — Anthony Paletta, The Wall Street Journal
Stefan Al, a New York-licensed architect who holds a PhD in urban planning from the University of California, Berkeley, is the author of Supertall and The Strip, among other works. Originally from the Netherlands, he has lived and worked on four continents and now lives with his family in a 100–year–old house in New Jersey.
