Customer Reviews

Architecture: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

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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.

"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).

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.

it serves its purpose very well. i skipped the second chapter because it didn't seem to interesting to me. but the other two chapters were good. i learned plenty from it. i got a few very good points from it, but it seems like the same major points were stated over and over again, but that's how i feel about everything educational i read.