To what extent can a fish produce architecture? The objects of this book are the leftovers of historical commercial fisheries, their coastal settlements, and industrial facilities. Its gaze is focused on architecture’s ecological impact and how construction its intertwined with natural resources and the environment. Certain buildings exist because of the presence of nearby fishing grounds, and their existence puts pressure on fish populations. What are the relationships between marine ecology and architecture? Architecture Follows Fish sets out a hypothesis to tackle these dynamic relationships. It takes cod as an example covering the whole North Atlantic region, with the same fish connecting different practices from both sides of the ocean. The research looks through several lenses: marine ecosystems; fishing technology; food processing; politics; consumption habits. The outcome aims to trace a socio-ecological history of architecture, overcoming the nostalgia for industrial heritage and raising awareness of the environmental effects of architecture.

André Tavares is an architect and has been founding director of Dafne Editora, an independent publishing house based in Porto. He was editor-in-chief of the magazine Jornal Arquitectos (2013–15) and, with Diogo Seixas Lopes he was chief cocurator of the 2016 Lisbon Architecture Triennale, The Form of Form. He is the author of The Anatomy of the Architectural Book (Lars Müller Publishers/Canadian Centre for Architecture, 2016), L’Étoile Filante Charles Siclis (B2, 2016) and Álvaro Siza Raw Material (Serralves, 2017). His forthcoming book, Vitruvius Without Text (gta Verlag, 2022) delves into the history of architectural theory. Currently he is a researcher at the Faculty of Architecture of University of Porto, visiting professor at EAVT Marne-la-Vallée/Université Paris-Est, and consultant for architecture exhibitions at Garagem Sul/Centro Cultural de Belém, in Lisbon.