Uncommon Structures, Unconventional Builders - Hardcover

Dine, Alan Van

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1579121616 ISBN 13: 9781579121617

Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc, 2001

Synopsis

Here are the amazing, enlightening, fully illustrated stories of the most remarkable constructions of human history. Seventeen vividly written, lively, and detailed chronicles of our most ambitious and legendary building projects, how they were launched with vision and high hopes, and the many twists and turns they took as they came into being. Wide-ranging in scope, encompassing a myriad of cultures, time periods and building materials - and even venturing into the animal kingdom, in the case of the uniquely constructed birds' nests - this book is full of human ingenuity and vision as well as adventures in engineering and architecture. Sir Christopher Wren; Ireland's Curious Towers; Tower of Babel; Designs for the Haunted House; Lost City of the Incas; Birds' Nests; Petra; High Gothic; Great Wall of China; Heorot - Home of Beowulf; Igloos; Cabins & Cottages; Neolithic Houses; Shakespeare's Globe; Vaux-le-Vicomte, Fouquet's Folly; Jericho; Colossus of Rhodes; Fully illustrated with full colour and black-and-white photography, historic drawings and plans, fine art and line drawings. A celebration of architectural vision and achievement, of lateral thinking to overcome technical problems.

About this title

From the Back Cover

They are the most remarkable constructions in human history - from the tower of Babel to China's Great Wall to Machu Picchu - but how and why did they come to be?

From Anasazi cliff dwelling to Gothic cathedrals, Neolithic huts to French chateaux, seventeen of the world's most ambitious and legendary building projects are chronicled in this lively, entertaining book. What unique vision brought each of these structures into being? And what twists and turns did the architects, designers, artisans, and builders encounter on the way to realizing their dreams?

As the author points out in his preface, the planning and raising of a building projects are chronicled in this lively, entertaining book. What unique vision brought each of these structures into being? And what twists and turns did the architects, designers, artisans, and builders encounter on the way to realizing their dreams?

As the author points out in his preface, the planning and raising of a building is so all-consuming a project that it is likely to involve liberal amounts of ambition, hope, fear, greed, pride, and reverence. Though the structure itself may stand for centuries, the story of a building is often buried and forgotten - and eventually, the building is, too. No one knows for sure what the Tower of Babel looked like, or the Colossus of Rhodes, or the city of Jericho. Other structures, such as Ireland's Round Towers or the rock city of Petra, have outlived all memory of how or why they were built, or who built them. There are igloos and nomads' tents and early American cottages being built today based on age-old traditions, by generations who have lost track of how these basic forms of shelter first came to be.

Wide-ranging in scope, encompassing a myriad of cultures, time periods, and building materials, this lush volume offers a surprise on every page, as it celebrates human (and, in one case, avian) ingenuity, perseverance, and the persistence of the creative spirit.

Edition details

• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Inc
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1579121616
• ISBN 13: 9781579121617
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 206