In ‘Thinking Space’, architect and educator Leon van Schaik explores how books, and book collecting, have framed his lifelong research into spatial intelligence – the ways in which our past experiences in physical space shape our mental space, which in turn informs how we act in the world. Journeying through the history of the author’s own library, the book reveals some of his most prized texts, the often deeply personal relationships they represent, and their influence on him as conceptual touchstones. In this extended reflection, Van Schaik essentially offers a celebration of the art, poetry, and philosophy of inhabitation – and its power to change our understanding of the world.
