The Look of Architecture

by Witold Rybczynski

Book Overview

What is style in architecture? "Style is like a feather in a woman's hat, nothing more," said Le Corbusier, expressing most modern architects' low regard for the subject. But Witold Rybczynski disagrees, and in The Look of Architecture, he makes a compelling case for the importance of style to the mother of the arts.
This is a book brimming with sharp observations--that form does not follow function; that the best architecture is not timeless...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195134435
• ISBN13: 9780195134438
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.1" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

The Fickle Nature of Architecture

Sir Henry Wotton said, "The end is to build well. Well building hath three conditions: commoditie, firmness and delight." Commodity- to shelter human activity firmness- to durably challenge gravity and the elements delight- to be an object of beauty Building should last and feel as though they will. A banal church is a greater failure than a banal factory. The end must direct the operation. Rybczynski packs this book with a lot of information in a delightful way, making it an easy and enjoyable book.

The Fickle Nature of Architecture

Sir Henry Wotton said, "The end is to build well. Well building hath three conditions: commoditie, firmness and delight." Commodity- to shelter human activity firmness- to durably challenge gravity and the elements delight- to be an object of beauty Building should last and feel as though they will. A banal church is a greater failure than a banal factory. The end must direct the operation. Rybczynski packs this book with a lot of information in a delightful way, making it an easy and enjoyable book.

A wonderful journey

While I finished the reading, the only thought in my mind is to read more references related to the writer's vivid-narrated lectures, as well as more books signed a name as "Witold Rybczynski".

Fabulous Book

Any book by Rybczynski is a delight to read and contains a wealth of information and fresh ideas. "The Look of Architecture" is no exception, and while it is not as groundbreaking as "Home," it is a carefully written analysis of Architecture that is chock-full of examples to illustrate what he's getting at (a few more pictures would be nice, though).

Suprising

I was amazed by how involved I got in this book. For a book about buildings, I was grossly interested. Rybczynski knows his stuff when it comes to books.