Our World in Ten Buildings, Michael Murphy
Our World in Ten Buildings, Michael Murphy
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Our World in Ten Buildings
How Architecture Defines Who We Are and How We Live

Author: Michael Murphy

Narrator: Michael Murphy

Unabridged: 7 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/21/2026


Synopsis

From “tomorrow’s greatest designer” (The Atlantic), a personal and deeply researched look at how the choices we build into our environment reflect and determine the way we think, connect, and live.

We've been led to believe that purposefully designed spaces are something reserved only for those that can afford them. But in reality, all the spaces we inhabit—to work, to learn, to heal, and to live—have been planned and built to influence our lives. They sway our emotions, nudge our behaviors, protect us from disease, and do more, or less, to support shared prosperity and our sense of the common good.

Our World in Ten Buildings unpacks this hidden but ever more important element of our lived experience. As author and architectural designer Michael Murphy takes us through ten milestone projects in his career he lays bare the physical, political, and intellectual labor at work shaping the world we live in.

With rare insight, access, and passion, Murphy braids the history of architecture with his own iconic projects to show the power of urban design and how it revolutionizes our homes, minds, workplaces, safety, and health care. Profound, and accessible, Our World in Ten Buildings will change the way you look at and think about your surroundings.

About Michael Murphy

Michael P. Murphy is an architect, educator, and writer, and is the founder and president of AMMA, a design and development collaborative focused on the ways in which space shapes our minds, bodies, and communities. In 2007, he founded the architectural non-profit firm, MASS Design Group, and was CEO until 2022, leading the design of their projects including the Butaro Hospital and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice to name a few. He is currently the Thomas Ventulett Chair of Architecture at The Georgia Institute of Technology. Originally from Poughkeepsie, New York, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife and children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Andrea on May 11, 2026

If you are expecting a run through of architecture from ancient times to the present, this book will surprise you. Murphy, a renowned architect, focuses on ten buildings that shaped how he sees building and the possibilities for building design to increase our quality of life in a variety of ways. F......more

Goodreads review by Charles on March 22, 2026

Review of an advance copy won through a Goodreads Giveaway. I’m not an architect or city planner but have always been interested in both topics, particularly as my job sends me around the globe temporarily and for months at a time. I did appreciate learning a few new nuggets on both topics, but found......more

Goodreads review by Brittney on January 04, 2026

Our World in Ten Buildings by Michael Murphy This book completely surprised me in the best way. I went in expecting an architecture focused nonfiction and walked away with something that felt deeply human, reflective, and quietly powerful. Michael Murphy doesn’t just talk about buildings he talks abou......more

Goodreads review by Gene on April 19, 2026

As a developer focused on culture, as a huge fan of architecture and architects, and as the author of Civil Sights — a book devoted to history — this book spoke directly to me, and if we share similar interests, I believe it will speak to you too. What makes Our World in Ten Buildings special is not......more

Goodreads review by Christine on March 11, 2026

This was an amazing read that will have me looking at buildings in a new way! Our World in Ten Buildings by Michael Murphy was a fascinating combination of memoir and architecture. It’s well-written, informative, and a passionate look at why architecture is significant in our lives, family, culture,......more