A Global History of Architecture - Hardcover

Ching, Francis D.; Jarzombek, Mark M.; Prakash, Vikramaditya

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471268925 ISBN 13: 9780471268925

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2006

Synopsis

From ancient Chinese civilization to the postmodern world


Organized along a global timeline, A Global History of Architecture presents an innovative approach to the study of architectural history. Spanning from 3,500 B.C.E. to the present, this unique guide is written by an all-star team of architectural experts in their fields who emphasize the connections, contrasts, and influences of architectural movements throughout history. The architectural history of the world comes to life through a unified framework for interpreting and understanding architecture, supplemented by rich drawings from the renowned Frank Ching as well as brilliant photographs.

Architecture and art history enthusiasts will find A Global History of Architecture perpetually at their fingertips.

About this title

About the Author

FRANCIS D.K. CHING is Professor of Architecture at the University of Washington. He is the author of numerous architecture and design books, including Architecture: Form, Space, and Order; Architectural Graphics; Interior Design Illustrated; and Building Construction Illustrated, all from Wiley.

MARK M. JARZOMBEK is Director of History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art, Professor of the History of Architecture at MIT, and author of several books with university presses.

VIKRAMADITYA PRAKASH is Chair and Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Washington and the author of several academic publications.

From the Back Cover

From ancient Chinese civilization to the postmodern world

Organized along a global timeline, A Global History of Architecture presents an innovative approach to the study of architectural history. Spanning from 3,500 B.C.E. to the present, this unique guide is written by an all-star team of architectural experts in their fields who emphasize the connections, contrasts, and influences of architectural movements throughout history. The architectural history of the world comes to life through a unified framework for interpreting and understanding architecture, supplemented by rich drawings from the renowned Frank Ching as well as brilliant photographs.

Architecture and art history enthusiasts will find A Global History of Architecture perpetually at their fingertips.

Reviews

Unabashedly huge in its proportions, this book differs from the standard architecture survey in that it doesn't approach the topic from a Western perspective, but rather, as the title indicates, through a global lens. This bodes well for its success as a textbook, but will also please the casual reader. Chronologically organized, the work spans the globe within each time period, occasionally taking time to discuss certain styles and major historical periods, but devoting most of its space to specific architectural works. This chronological organization keeps the book from feeling divided geographically, and maintains a diverse view without manic overextension-a look at the palace at New Delhi is followed by Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, which is followed by the Hollyhock House in Los Angeles. Throughout, the authors make connections that have rarely been explored ("An important influence on European architecture in the west came from the direction of Armenia"). The book disseminates textbook amounts of need-to-know information, but it does so clearly-more like a down-to-earth conversation than a grad-school dissertation. A practicing architect and two academics, respectively, Ching, Jarzombek and Prakash aren't afraid to get into the meaning and emotion behind the architecture, addressing its passionate, intangible aspects, as in their discussion of irony's place in postmodern design. That personal and phenomenological angle, along with the book's giant scope, makes it a strong addition to the field, an example of successfully going macro without getting muddled. 1000 b & w photos, 50 color photos, 1500 b & w illustrations.
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Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0471268925
• ISBN 13: 9780471268925
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 800