4th Edition

Understanding Architecture Its Elements, History, and Meaning

682 Pages 751 Color Illustrations
by Routledge

682 Pages 751 Color Illustrations
by Routledge

682 Pages 751 Color Illustrations
by Routledge

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... Read more

Introduction  Part I: The Elements of Architecture  1. Architecture: The Art of Shaping of Space Chapter  2. “Commoditie”: Building Functions  3. “Firmeness”: Structure, or How Does the Building Stand Up?  4. “Delight”: Seeing Architecture Chapter  5. Architecture and Sound  6. Architecture: Part of the Natural Environment  7. The Architect: From High Priest to Profession  8. Architecture, Memory, and Economy  Part II: The History and Meaning of Architecture  9. The Beginnings of Architecture: From Caves to Cities  10. The Architecture of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt Chapter  11. Greek Architecture  12. Roman Architecture  Essay 1: Indian Architecture  13. Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture  Essay 2: Islamic Architecture  14. Medieval Architecture  15. Renaissance Architecture  Essay 3: Ancient Architecture of the Americas  16. Baroque and Rococo Architecture  Essay 4: Chinese Architecture  17. The Origins of Modernism: Architecture in the Age of Enlightenment, 1720–1790  Essay 5: Japanese Architecture  18. The Roots of Modernism: The Nineteenth Century  Essay 6: African Architecture  19. Versions of Modern Architecture, 1914–1970  20. The Expansion of Modernism: The Late Twentieth Century: 1970–2000  21. Future-Focused: The Twenty-First Century  

Biography

Leland M. Roth is Marion Dean Ross Professor of Architectural History Emeritus at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Roth is the author of American Architecture: A History (2016), Understanding Architecture (2013), McKim, Mead & White, Architects (1983), America Builds (1983), and A Concise History of American Architecture (1979).

Amanda C. Roth Clark is Associate Professor and Dean of the Library & Special Programs at Whitworth University in Spokane. She is the daughter of Leland M. Roth, and the co-author of Understanding Architecture, American Architecture, and SAH Archipedia: Oregon.