Invitation to Architecture: Discovering Delight in the World Built Around Us

Expand your knowledge of the world around us. Look up. Look around. There’s architecture everywhere, from the homes in which we live to the buildings where we work, the historical sites we visit on vacation to the shopping malls we frequent on a daily basis. But what exactly is architecture and what differentiates it from mere “buildings”? How does it impact our lives? In this engaging, original work, architects Max Jacobson, one of the authors of the landmark design book A Pattern Language, and Shelley Brock explore these and many other questions as they present a compelling case for the importance of architecture in our day-to-day lives.

A beautiful, coffee table book…an elegant conversation piece…an educational resource for the entire family. One peek inside this glorious book, filled with 150 illustrations, and you’ll agree that architecture is not just for architects! Invitation to Architecture begins with a discussion of the many ways architecture influences our lives from our activities as young children to our everyday interests and interactions as adults. The book delves into the “great” buildings of the world and also explores the whole range of architectural works from indigenous structures to contemporary buildings.

Strength, usefulness, and beauty―these are the three pillars on which Invitation to Architecture is built. There’s an exploration of the role of “durability,” “utility,” and “beauty” in architecture. These three concepts (originally coined by Vitruvius during the Roman empire as Firmitas, Utilitas, and Venustas) remain at the heart of what architecture strives for and they are as relevant today as they were over 2,000 years ago. Strength, usefulness, and beauty…the benefits you will derive from this captivating resource.

Max Jacobson, founding partner in the internationally respected California firm JSWD Architects, has been practicing architecture for almost 40 years. Co-author of A Pattern Language and Patterns of Home (the latter published by The Taunton Press), Max has been a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley and is currently Instructor of Architecture at Diablo Valley College in California.

Shelley Brock is a licensed architect who enjoys exploring the design process with beginning architecture students. She brings a background in art history, literature, and language study to the project of deepening awareness of the built environment and the profound effect it has on our daily lives