Architecture: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) [Paperback]

Andrew Ballantyne (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0192801791 | ISBN-13: 978-0192801791 | Publication Date: December 19, 2002

This highly original and sophisticated look at architecture helps us to understand the cultural significance of the buildings that surround us. It avoids the traditional style-spotting approach and instead gives us an idea of what it is about buildings that moves us, and what it is that makes them important artistically and culturally. The book begins by looking at how architecture acquires meaning through tradition, and concludes with the exoticism of the recent avant-garde period. Illustrations of particular buildings help to anchor the general points with specific examples, from ancient Egypt to the present day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`a densely fascinating guide' Steven Poole, The Guardian Review

`an excellent introduction to architecture ... one to recommend to students, friends and family, which is quite an achievement!' Robert Tavernor, University of Bath

`There is really no better book out there. Ballantyne is a beautiful stylist, and the book combines intellegence with a completely beguiling wruterly style.' Sunday Herald (Glasgow)

`will justify the ambition of every young and aspiring architect - but will also stimulate anyone at all curious about buildings ... Clear and jargon-less it shows how all buildings - good, bad and indifferent - are the truest indicators of the state of a society and of its culture.' Joseph Rykwert, University of Pennsylvania

About the Author

Andrew Ballantyne qualified and practised as an architect, and then moved into academic work. He has held research and teaching posts at the universities of Sheffield, Bath, and Newcastle, where he is now Professor of Architecture. He has written on architectural history and theory, and his previous books are Architecture, Landscape and Liberty and What is Architecture?.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192801791
• ISBN-13: 978-0192801791
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rotten to the foundations., October 30, 2005

By 

Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Architecture: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

There is nothing wrong with introducing architecture from a sociological and cultural perspective, rather than the conventional approach of timelines, styles and schools. It's just that Ballantyne is not very good at it. Thus we have rambling, incoherent musings on what it means to be 'at home'. "Architecture is gesture made with buildings", the author assures us. Maybe so, but I would have appreciated a description of what those gestures were and how they evolved over time. Who built what, when, how and why? Instead we get constant reminders that it is all a matter of interpretation and perspective. An introduction to this subject should be a concrete foundation on which to build further knowledge. Ballantyne amuses himself with conceptual sandcastles and smiles knowingly as they get washed away by each new wave of speculation. Presenting architecture in a broad cultural context is a commendable aim, but to do it you need to have a firm grasp of that context. Informing the reader that philosophy is an 'idea' that was developed in Athens and 'Tragedy is farce in close-up' simply will not do. This is undergraduate essay stuff.

Let it be said that the 25 annotated illustrations are excellent. Each is of a famous building, accompanied by informative text. More of that kind of thing and less of the foggy narrative in which they are embedded, and this could have been a much better book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Western architecture as fashion, May 10, 2003

By 

misterbeets "misterbeets" (Safe Harbor, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Architecture: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

"Style" comes from the Greek word for column, as the author explains in the book. Which is just one of many fascinating facts contained inside this look at the the most expensive of fashion statements. It especially focuses on Western European architecture from about the Rennaissance on, when architecture as a profession began, although Classical and Gothic are covered because they are, after all, the models for all that followed. But it's no textbook chronology of well-known buildings.

Instead it's an essay on society and its buildings, by someone knowledgeable enough to be able to toss in a new fact about all the familiar names. (Although his claim that the extra glass in the Reitveldt Schroder house required an industrial boiler that cost as much the house itself is a little hard to believe.)

The writing is witty, full of good stories, and avoids the cliches often found in these books. Even manages references to recent movies, like Fight Club (the character's excessive brand consciousness) and Amelie (showcases the venerable Art Nouveau subway stations).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to the subject, January 4, 2006

By 

A. Bondarenko "A B" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Architecture: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

This is a good starting point for anyone with even a passing appreciation for architecture. In this fast read, Andrew Ballantyne tackles the subject in an interesting way. He addresses the social and psychological effects that architecture has on different "cultures", whether that culture is an entire ethnic group or three people with common beliefs. There is some technical and structural discussion, of course, but it is not the focus of this book.

There is an emphasis on classical architecture and its various reinterpretations throughout Western history, including the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods. Ballantyne also spends a some time discussing modern theory and belief, and through that the nonconformist architecture of the 20th century.

There are 25 images with information boxes, and I found that these were great at reinforcing the different sample "canons" that Ballantyne referred to throughout the text.

This is a good start if you're interested in the social and cultural aspects and interpretations of architecture, but possibly not so much in the technical aspects. This book serves as a great foundation for the subject of architectural studies, which is exactly its intended purpose.