THE CRAFTSMAN

I am currently making my way through Sennett's The Craftsman, something I have been meaning to read for quite some time. One of the things I enjoy most about Sennett's writing is that while he writes incredibly lucidly, he doesn't over-explain things, and he manages to entertain the greys of everyday life, rather than regressing to blacks and whites for the sake of an argument. Perhaps, that is to say, what I like about Sennett is his absolute commitment to understanding the realities of living, rather than theorising life. It is just so palpable. 
The Guardian Books have a great review here; and bi-blog 'rhythm' section features a discussion of craft and skill via rhythm here. John Howell has written a more in-depth academic appraisal here.

AMBIGUITY & CONTRADICTION

Sennett, again, as I potter away with design.

WALKING WITH SENNETT

“The impulse is much more to really make the inside and the outside of buildings more interactive, ambiguous…”

— Richard Sennett

"A professor of sociology at the LSE, musician, novelist and unapologetic pipe-smoker, he has for 40-odd years been writing learned, lucid books about society: what's wrong with it, and how to make it better. He concentrates on cities and how we live in them; and so, how we live with other people. His writing is like his ideal city: not too formal, approachable, and a pleasant jumble rather than an austere and imposing procession of made-for-purpose edifices. He is the go-to prof when you want someone who can make a jargon-free case against, say, soullessness in urban planning."

Try as I might, it's hard to describe Richard Sennett much better than the Guardian's Nicholas Lezard did in early 2013.