Understanding Architecture

First published in 1994. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

An introduction to reading architecture and architectural drawings. Each building is presented with a clear architectural plan and images that allow the reader to understand the project's key features.

Introduces the structure, function, history, and meaning of western architecture from prehistory to modern times, with a chronology table, glossary, and index.

This survey of western architecture is divided into two parts. The first deals with the basic properties of architecture, examining a building's structure and aesthetic appeal. The second is a chronological survey of western architectural development from prehistoric times to the present.

The widely acclaimed and beautifully illustrated Understanding Architecture is now revised and expanded in its fourth edition, vividly examining the structure, function, history, and meaning of architecture, from prehistory to the present, in ways that are both accessible and engaging. Significant features of the fourth edition include: Expanded global essays outlining the encounters and interchanges, conflicts and accommodations, between disparate global communities. A brand-new final chapter addressing the twenty-first century during which Western and global architectural developments have increasingly become one broad, interwoven expression. This chapter includes sections on: CAD, Contemporary Architecture of the 21st Century, Starchitects, Contemporary Architectural Prizes, Architecture and Energy Consumption, and Architecture Integrated with Nature. New sections on Frank Lloyd Wright and Late Twentieth-Century Expressionism. Thoroughly revised and expanded illustrations, including over 700 images, more than half of which are in full color, and 120 original line art drawings. Understanding Architecture continues to be the only text in the field to examine architecture as a cultural phenomenon as well as an artistic and technological achievement with its straightforward, two-part structure: The Elements of Architecture and the History and Meaning of Architecture. Comprehensive and clearly written, Understanding Architecture is both a primer for visual environmental literacy and a classic survey of architecture. This is an essential book for anyone interested in our built environment and the layered historical meaning embodied within it.

A comprehensive introduction to architecture and architectural history and exceptional in its approach, this book explores architecture as a current practice in relation to history and in relation to the wider context of cultures, conservation and the environment. This new edition brings in the new emphasis on sustainability, urbanism, urban regeneration and cultural identity, in order to take a holistic approach to the subject of architecture. Highly illustrated, this book enables the reader to make sense of the experience of architecture and the built environment by understanding more about the form, construction, meaning and history of the subject.

To make sense of the world, we’re always trying to place things in context, whether our environment is physical, cultural, or something else altogether. Now that we live among digital, always-networked products, apps, and places, context is more complicated than ever—starting with "where" and "who" we are. This practical, insightful book provides a powerful toolset to help information architects, UX professionals, and web and app designers understand and solve the many challenges of contextual ambiguity in the products and services they create. You’ll discover not only how to design for a given context, but also how design participates in making context. Learn how people perceive context when touching and navigating digital environments See how labels, relationships, and rules work as building blocks for context Find out how to make better sense of cross-channel, multi-device products or services Discover how language creates infrastructure in organizations, software, and the Internet of Things Learn models for figuring out the contextual angles of any user experience

This second edition is fully revised and updated and includes new chapters on sustainability, history and archaeology, designing through drawing and drawing in architectural practice. The book introduces design and graphic techniques aimed to help designers increase their understanding of buildings and places through drawing. For many, the camera has replaced the sketchbook, but here the author argues that freehand drawing as a means of analyzing and understanding buildings develops visual sensitivity and awareness of design. By combining design theory with practical lessons in drawing, Understanding Architecture Through Drawing encourages the use of the sketchbook as a creative and critical tool. The book is highly illustrated and is an essential manual on freehand drawing techniques for students of architecture, landscape architecture, town and country planning and urban design.