
Words and Buildings
A Vocabulary of Modern Architecture
Adrian Forty(Author)
Thames & Hudson Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 1. March 2004
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-0-500-28470-4 (ISBN)
Description
Available again, a wholly original study of the complex relationship between architecture and language that has changed and enriched the way we think and talk about architecture.The words we use when we talk and write about architecture describe more than just bricks and mortar - they direct the ways we think of and live with buildings. This groundbreaking book is the first thorough examination of the complex relationship between architecture and language as intricate social practices. Six rigorously argued chapters investigate the language of modernism, language and drawing, 'masculine and feminine' architecture, language metaphors, science in architecture, and the social properties of architecture. There follows a vocabulary of key words such as 'Character', 'Form', 'History' and 'Space', locating each word's modern meaning within an historical and theoretical framework, and setting out clearly its development and relevance for architects, historians, philosophers, critics and the users of the buildings themselves. 'Architects should be made to read Words and Buildings' - Architecture Today 'Unusually clear and accessible ... Students of all kinds will love this book' - The Architectural Review 'A forceful, clear and sophisticated exposition of the role of conceptual thought in architectural discourse' - The Architects' Journal
Reviews / Votes
'Essential reading ... will change and enrich the way we think and talk about buildings' - Sunday Telegraph 'Architects should be made to read 'Words and Buildings'' - Architecture Today 'Unusually clear and accessible ... Students of all kinds will love this book' - The Architectural Review 'A forceful, clear and sophisticated exposition' - Robert Harbison, The Architects' JournalMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
216 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 245 mm
Width: 195 mm
Weight
1320 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-500-28470-4 (9780500284704)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Adrian Forty is a Professor of Architectural History at The Bartlett, the Faculty of the Built Environment at University College London, now retired. He is also the former Programme Director of the masters programme in Architectural History. In 2003, he was awarded the Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education. Forty is the author of many highly regarded books on architecture and design, including Objects of Desire, also published by Thames & Hudson.
Content
Introduction Part One: The Language of Modernism (six chapters) Part Two: A Modernist Lexicon (explores 19 keywords pertaining to modernism)