James W. P. Campbell

Will Pryce

La biblioteca. Una storia mondiale

From the very beginning of architecture-long before the invention of masonry-buildings were constructed of wood. With its unique qualities of form, color, and structure, wood is the most reliable building material at the core of architecture. This epic history is the first comprehensive survey of the use of wood in architecture throughout the ages.The book is organized both chronologically and geographically. It surveys works from the oldest heritage of wooden buildings (Kyoto's Buddhist temples and Scandinavia's pagan-inspired stave churches) to the latest cutting-edge designs, proving that wood is on the rise as the preferred material in these ecologically conscious times.No region of the world with a native tradition of building with wood is left out. In North America, the book demonstrates the European origins of New England's clapboards and saltboxes, and later shows how such sophisticated California architects as Greene & Greene or Bernard Maybeck could blend age-old traditions of the Far East and Switzerland with a Pacific Coast sense of novelty and whimsy. Spectacular and diverse photographs highlight the architectural masterpieces of wooden architecture throughout the world, illustrating that wood is a building material with a deep history as well as a vibrant future.

The History and Traditions of Architecture's Oldest Building Material

Buildings in Wood

The history of brick and its effect on every nuance of cultural design ranges from 5,000 B.C. to the present day, examining its use in ancient Egypt and Rome, Buddhist shrines, Mughal mosques, and other cultural monuments, accompanied by more than six hundred illustrations, most in color, that document humankind's ingenious engineering projects.

A World History

Brick

This spectacular book is the first single volume to tell the story of the library as a distinct building type, all around the world. Throughout the ages, book collections have served to symbolize their owners culture and learning, and the wealthy and powerful have spent lavishly on buildings to house them. In its highest form the library became a total work of art, combining painting, sculpture, furniture and architecture into seamless, dramatic spaces. The finest libraries are repositories not just of books, but of learning, creativity and contemplation; they embody some of the highest achievements of humankind. This book recounts that history in text and images of truly outstanding quality.

Will Pryce

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