The First House: Myth, Paradigm, and the Task of Architecture

Dripps, R. D.

ISBN 10: 0262541017 / ISBN 13: 9780262541015

Published by Mit Pr, 1999

About this Item

Gently read. May have name of previous ownership, or ex-library edition. Binding tight; spine straight and smooth, with no creasing; covers clean and crisp. Minimal signs of handling or shelving. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item! Ships USPS Media Mail.

Seller Inventory # OTV.0262541017.VG

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The First House: Myth, Paradigm, and the Task of Architecture
• Publisher: Mit Pr
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262541017
• ISBN 13: 9780262541015
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: very_good

About this title

Synopsis

In the first century B.C., Vitruvius Pollio narrated a myth of the origins of dwelling. In a forest clearing, previously isolated and savage people gathered about the embers of a dying fire; from this gathering emerged political institutions, human language, and the construction of permanent shelters. R. D. Dripps finds in this story the foundation of an extensive theory of architecture still able to offer guideposts for architectural practice. Against any tendency toward theoretical disengagement or self-referentiality, Dripps argues that architecture must continue to address important political, cultural, and ecological issues. Ultimately, the role of architecture is to provide the structures that enable us to interpret the world and make it habitable.

Throughout, Dripps's intensive meditations on Vitruvius are supplemented by extensive notes that establish points of contact with a wide array of modern writers on myth, language, political theory, and the arts.

About the Author

R. D. Dripps is the T. David Fitzgibbon Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia.