Like any good architect, North Carolina State professor Tom Barrie knows how to build houses. But perhaps more importantly, he knows why we build them.
In his new book “House and Home: Cultural Contexts, Ontological Roles” (Routledge/2017), Barrie delves deep into history of architecture and the human psyche to explain why people crave inhabitable spaces.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Barrie about the current lack of affordable housing in the Triangle, his research into housing for local artists and the ethical importance of providing those in need with a warm place to eat and sleep. They also discuss the “missing middle,” a term that refers to the lack of diverse housing options created by the federal government’s recent hands-off approach to the market. Barrie will be talking about his book at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh on Sunday, Feb. 4 and at Malaprop's Bookstore in Asheville Tuesday, Feb. 6.