Well arranged, logical, and aptly illustrated, this classic survey covers every aspect of the design process. It addresses architectural principles as well as their practical application, examining general questions of scale, balance, proportion, and symmetry and presenting detailed treatments of doors, windows, walls, stairways, columns, and other features. Long acknowledged as a valuable resource for students and teachers alike, this volume is unsurpassed in terms of the richness of its material and the consistency of its insights. It was written by Nathaniel Cortlandt Curtis, an influential designer and artist who served as the head of the Tulane School of Architecture. Curtis illustrated his work with nearly 250 line drawings that depict architectural elements from a splendid variety of periods and settings, from ancient Rome's temples and palaces to modern-day hotels and museums of Paris and New York.

Well arranged, logical, and aptly illustrated, this classic survey covers every aspect of the design process. It addresses architectural principles as well as their practical application, examining general questions of scale, balance, proportion, and symmetry and presenting detailed treatments of doors, windows, walls, stairways, columns, and other features. Long acknowledged as a valuable resource for students and teachers alike, this volume is unsurpassed in terms of the richness of its material and the consistency of its insights. It was written by Nathaniel Cortlandt Curtis, an influential designer and artist who served as the head of the Tulane School of Architecture. Curtis illustrated his work with nearly 250 line drawings that depict architectural elements from a splendid variety of periods and settings, from ancient Rome's temples and palaces to modern-day hotels and museums of Paris and New York.

As a beginning design student, you need to learn to think like a designer, to visualize ideas and concepts, as well as objects. In the second edition of Diagramming the Big Idea, Jeffrey Balmer and Michael T. Swisher illustrate how you can create and use diagrams to clarify your understanding of both particular projects and organizing principles and ideas. With accessible, step-by-step exercises that interweave full color diagrams, drawings and virtual models, the authors clearly show you how to compose meaningful and useful diagrams. As you follow the development of the four project groups drawn from the authors’ teaching, you will become familiar with architectural composition concepts such as proportion, site, form, hierarchy and spatial construction. In addition, description and demonstration essays extend concepts to show you more examples of the methods used in the projects. Whether preparing for a desk critique, or any time when a fundamental insight can help to resolve a design problem, this new and expanded edition is your essential studio resource.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Excerpt from Architectural Composition: An Attempt to Order and Phrase Ideas Which Hitherto Have Been Only A conviction in the mind of the author of the possibility of formulating the approved practice of architects in designing the exterior of buildings resulted in the publication in 1898 of a series of articles upon the Principles of Architectural Composition in the Architectural Record, which were afterward reprinted in book form. This was favorably received, and formed the basis of a course of lectures which has been given by the author annually for some years at Columbia University before the students of the School of Architecture. The theories involved have never been impugned, nor indeed can they well be; as they comprise only generalizations of principles which have long been recognized in their individual application. The present work developes these theories in more coherent and logical form, and, it is believed, will serve to simplify the acquisition of the subject of which it treats. In conclusion, the author expresses his thanks to those whose names follow for their kind aid in obtaining illustrations: Messrs. Babb, Cook & Willard; Mr. James B. Baker; Mr. H. W. Desmond; Mr. Wilson Eyre; Messrs. Carrere & Hastings; Mr. George A. Freeman; Messrs. Howe, Hoit & Cutler; Mr. Elliott Lynch; Mr. Benjamin W. Morris; Messrs. Bruce, Price & de Silbour; Mr. George B. Post; Mr. H. W. Poor; Messrs. Andrew J. Robinson Co.; and Mr. E. R. Smith. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.