Now in its fifth edition, Buildings Across Time brilliantly explores
the essential attributes of architecture by uniquely combining both a
detailed survey of western architecture, including Pre-Columbian
America, and an introduction to architecture from the Middle East,
India, Russia, China, and Japan. This latest edition includes over 450
new photos, a new essay on the vision of Pope Pius II, and updates on
building in various parts of the world, such as those that have been
given new purpose and those that have been damaged by ISIS.
Written in a clear and engaging style, the text encourages readers to
examine closely in photographs and line drawings the pragmatic,
innovative, and aesthetic attributes of buildings, and to imagine how
these would have been praised or criticized by contemporary observers.
Architecture is discussed in various contexts - artistic, economic,
environmental, political, social, and technological - so as to determine
the extent to which buildings met the needs of clients, society at
large, and future generations.