Every time you wheel a shopping cart through one of Walmartrsquo;s more than 10;000 stores worldwide; or swipe your credit card or purchase something online; you enter a mind-boggling logistical regime. Even if yoursquo;ve never shopped at Walmart; its logistics have probably affected your life. The Rule of Logistics makes sense of its spatial and architectural ramifications by analyzing the stores; distribution centers; databases; and inventory practices of the worldrsquo;s largest corporation.The Rule of Logistics tells the story of Walmartrsquo;s buildings in the context of the corporationrsquo;s entire operation; itself characterized by an obsession with logistics. Beginning with the companyrsquo;s founding in 1962; Jesse LeCavalier reveals how logisticsmdash;as a branch of knowledge; an area of work; and a collection of processesmdash;takes shape and changes our built environment. Weaving together archival material with original drawings; LeCavalier shows how a diverse array of ideas; people; and thingsmdash;military theory and chewing gum; Howard Dean and satellite networks; Hudson River School painters and real estate software; to name a fewmdash;are all connected through Walmartrsquo;s logistical operations and in turn are transforming how its buildings are conceptualized; located; built; and inhabited.A major new contribution to architectural history and theory; The Rule of Logistics helps us understand how retailing today is changing our bodies; brains; buildings; and cities and predicts what future forms architecture might take when shaped by systems that exceed its current capacities.
2016-10-11 2016-10-11File Name: B01KVTR8WM
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