In 1966, American architect Robert Venturi published Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. Hailed as "a gentle manifesto,” this work profoundly impacted the architectural world and stands as one of the most significant architectural publications of the 20th century. In 2016—exactly 50 years later—three young architects, Kersten Geers, Jelena Pančevac, and Andrea Zanderigo, compiled and collated 28 architectural works designed by Venturi and his associates. The Difficult Whole seeks to engage in dialogue with this legendary architectural text through are interpretation of these built spaces, offering a unique contemporary perspective on Venturi’s practice.
The Difficult Whole derives its title from chapter 10 of Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, titled “The Obligation Toward the Difficult Whole.”Through sharp, clear floor plans, sections, and photographs, the book unfolds Venturi's work in a series, reading its context through the most direct architectural means. The text emphasizes that architectural form emerges from the complex whole of the problems and difficulties it encounters, rather than from the deliberate pursuit of purity and consistency achieved by excluding or resolving them.
The book’s three “authors” are also young-generation architects researchers, and educators.Among them, Kersten Geers is the founder of the prominent Belgian architectural practice OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen (Office KGDVS), the Kenzo Tange Professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and a faculty member at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, Switzerland. Their research, spanning historical and spatial contexts, has exerted significant influence on contemporary architectural design.
The Difficult Whole is also a visually stunning book, possibly one of the most beautiful volumes ever published on Venturi's work. In addition to essays by the three architects and introductions to Venturi's architectural works, it includes unique photographic documentation by renowned architectural photographer Bas Princen and architectural drawings recreated by students involved in the research project. These diverse approaches juxtapose Venturi’s architectural theories with his decades of design practice. Notably, the essay “19 Observations on Venturi's Architecture” employs keywords to explore his work from multiple facets, extending its reach to architects influenced by Venturi, such as Kazunari Sakamoto in Japan and Álvaro Siza in Portugal. The Difficult Whole went out of print shortly after its 2016 release, underscoring Venturi’s enduring influence that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries in the contemporary era.
