Architecture Is Elementary - Visual Thinking Through Architectural Concepts

by Nathan B. Winters

"Architecture is Elementary is a self-instruction book that concisely and coherently discusses the principles of architectural design. The concepts open the reader to a broad world of visual thinking. Stimulating lessons challenge the lay person and trigger creative responses from even the most sophisticated designers. Dr. Nathan B. Winters' masterful ink drawins are works of art which clarify the concepts of the book. "Nathan B. Winters has taken on the task of encouraging us to look at and think about architecture. As he points out, much of our life is spent inand around buildings, yet in so may ways we are really not aware of them. Through a well arranged text, series of lessons and a wonderful selection of drawings he leads us into and through architecture of the present and of the past. If all of us had been exposed to this sort of approach in our early education, America's cities and towns would now be more pleasant places to live in." --David Gebhard Professor and Author Department of Art History University of California, Santa Barbara

Genres: Architecture

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 2000

Reviews

[Lori G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is somewhat like a textbook for a middle school art and/or architecture teacher. However, as a non-teaching adult I really enjoyed all the explanation. The pen and ink building drawings are great and Nathan Winters definitely makes me understand the need for visual literacy.

I will now be looking closer at buildings to detect balance, rhythm, and order. Also, the consideration of permanent and durable vs impermanent and disposable may enter my thoughts or just what is represented by enormous buildings when a more human scale could have been used.

This may be a book of basic design principles but I enjoyed it all the same.