Simon Unwin

Simon Unwin
Born	1952 (age 72–73) Yorkshire, England
Nationality	British
Education	Chelsea School of Art Welsh School of Architecture (PhD)
Occupation(s)	Architect and writer
Organizations	Welsh School of Architecture (Senior Lecturer) University of Dundee (Professor of Architecture, 2004–09)
Website	simonunwin.com

Simon Unwin (born 1952) is a British architect and writer.

Life

He was born in 1952 in Yorkshire, but grew up in Wales. ^[1]

He studied at the Chelsea School of Art in London and the Welsh School of Architecture in Cardiff. From the Welsh School of Architecture, he obtained a PhD, and he went on to become a senior lecturer there. ^[1]

His book, Analysing Architecture, was first published in 1997 and is described as having a "reputation internationally as one of the best introductions to architecture". ^[2] His first three books, including An Architectural Notebook: Wall (2000) and Doorway (2007), have been described as forming a trilogy. ^[3]

From 2004 to 2009, he was Professor of Architecture at the University of Dundee, ^[4] where he is now an emeritus professor. ^{[5] [6]}

He currently resides in Cardiff. ^[4]

Work

Unwin has written several books about architecture:

• An Architecture Notebook: Wall (2000) ISBN   0415228735
• Doorway (2007) ISBN   9780415458818 ^[3]
• Exercises in Architecture: Learning to Think as an Architect (2012) ISBN   9781136486623
• Analysing Architecture (fourth edition 2014) ISBN   9781317810940 ^[2]
• Twenty-Five Buildings Every Architect Should Understand (2015; first published in 2010 as Twenty Buildings Every Architect Should Understand) ISBN   9781317555025
• The Ten Most Influential Buildings in History: Architecture's Archetypes (2016) ISBN   9781317483243
• Children as Place-makers: The Innate Architect in All of Us (2019) ISBN   9781138046009
• Curve: Possibilities and Problems with Deviating from the Straight in Architecture (2019) ISBN   9781138045941
• Metaphor: An Exploration of the Metaphorical Dimensions and Potential of Architecture (2019) ISBN   9781138045439

References

1. Analysing Architecture (third edition, 2009)
2. Villagomez, Erick (22 July 2014). "Book Review: Analysing Architecture (Fourth Edition)". Spacing . Retrieved 2 September 2025.
3. Spens, Michael (19 March 2008). "Doorway". Studio International . Retrieved 2 September 2025.
4. simonunwin.com
5. "Room with a view of nature". The Hindu. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
6. "Materials Architecture Design Environment (MADE)". Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. Retrieved 20 June 2019.