Architectura: Elements of Architectural Style Book

(back cover)
Influenced by history, shaped by ingenuity, and defined by creativity, architecture is the world's most universal art. It is the point where design, engineering, and culture intersect--not only to produce effective buildings, but to create the icons that define the world's cultures, from the temple and the house to the skyscraper and the stadium.

By examining in detail the individual elements such as foundations, walls, roofs, staircases, and windows that make up public and private buildings, Architectura: Elements of Architectural Style presents a unique overview of the history of architecture and building. It describes the purpose, design, and practical applications of these component parts, and clearly illustrates the varied expressions of each part. In addition, the book highlights the technical accomplishments of builders, architects, and engineers, as well as the distinctive aesthetics of particular periods and movements.

Written by an international team of architectural historians and architects Covers styles and periods of building from around the world Explores the origins and functions of architectural details such as floors, doors, cellars, arches, gates, and gutters Features the world's most famous buildings, including many UNESCO World Heritage sites, as well as less well-known structures Includes more than 500 full-color photographs of interior and exterior views and details of buildings Contains more than 60 original and highly detailed illustrations

(front flap)
Architectura takes an innovative approach to the history of architecture, examining the components and forms that make up buildings and the ways in which architects, engineers, and builders have responded to human needs and technical challenges. It considers the roof, the window, or the wall as universal phenomena that have developed over thousands of years, and shows the importance of building materials, techniques, and functional requirements on these and other aspects of buildings. Thus, the book takes the reader to the very heart of how and why architectural structures develop in the ways they do.

The detailed introduction examines the role of architecture in the lives of individuals and societies, and provides an overview of the evolution of architectural forms. Each of the eleven chapters that follow covers a key architectural element, starting with materials and techniques, and ranging from foundations, walls, doors, and roofs to ceilings, windows, and building ornamentation, as expressed in different cultures and historical periods. Throughout the book, there are special entries on the world's most important and influential buildings and architects, while the comprehensive reference section includes a glossary of architectural terms and styles as well as a full index.

Architectura contains more than 500 full-color photographs of buildings and architectural features discussed in the text. These views include interiors and exteriors--ranging from entire buildings to minute details--and show the creativity and ingenuity of architects and builders throughout the ages. More than 60 original illustrations, including cutaways, cross-sections, and technical drawings, provide a visual reference to the range of forms of key building features.

(back flap)
An authoritative and enlightening study, Architectura has been written by an international team of architectural historians and architects.
GENERAL EDITOR AND CONTRIBUTOR Professor Miles Lewis, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia CONTRIBUTORS Dr. Oya Demirbilck, University of New South Wales, Australia Associate Professor Nur Demirbilck, Queensland University of Technology, Australia Adjunct Assistant Professor Lisa Richardson Elkins, University of Illinois, United States Assistant Professor J. Philip Gruen, Washington State University, United States Associate Professor Rumiko Handa, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, United States Professor Robert Harbison, London Metropolitan University, United Kingdom Sue Harris, Writer and restoration practitioner, Australia Chris How, Civil engineer and writer, Australia Douglas Lloyd Jenkins, Director of Hawkes Bay Museum and Art Gallery, New Zealand Associate Professor June Komisar, Ryerson University, Ontario, Canada

Bill Millard, Writer and researcher on design and architecture, Australia Ron Powell, Architect and landscape/conservation architect, Australia Craig Reynolds, University of Louisville, Kentucky, United States Professor Elizabeth H. Riorden, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Roger Sandall, Archaeologist and anthropologist, Australia Jeffrey John Turnbull, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Publishers Weekly

This lavishly produced introduction to architectural history and theory leaps nimbly from the mud dwellings of Mohenjo-Daro, Pakistan, to Gaudí's iconoclasm, from Bentham's panopticon to Gehry's titanium curves, revealing how architecture has been exquisitely sensitive and responsive to the evolution of commerce, climate, human needs for spirituality, comfort and security, and technological and military innovations. Organized to parallel the structures of building, the book begins "from the ground up" (foundations, cellars, catacombs) to "putting up walls," "across the rooftops" and the "art of ornamentation" in a sweep of global and historical techniques. Readers will enjoy fresh analysis of familiar structures (from the pyramids to the Great Wall) and delight in the ragbag of fun trivia (the spire of the Empire State Building was intended as "a mooring mast for zeppelins") and the enduring mysteries of ancient architecture (e.g., how builders excavated the largest block of stone in the world, now the unfinished obelisk of Aswan. Photographs showcase the world's architectural treasures (e.g., Lincoln Cathedral, the Mezquita, Chartres) and profiles celebrate such master builders as Hassan Fathy, Kenzo Tange and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. But the paeans to earthly materials-tinder, slate and brick-are this book's unexpectedly moving highlight. (Nov.)