Making School Beautiful: Restoring the Harmony of Place - Softcover

John Skillen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1600513964 ISBN 13: 9781600513961

Publisher: Classical Academic Press, 2020

Synopsis

In Making School Beautiful, Dr. Skillen draws out principles of campus design from the very liberal arts―rhetoric in particular―that shape our curriculum. His argument is that the rich intellectual, literary, and artistic heritage can inform not only what we teach but where we teach. From the campus layout to thoughtful design of rooms, buildings, and selected art, students and teachers can foster a love of learning, a care for their neighbors, and a desire for God.

The idea itself comes from the great architects of the tradition. From Vitruvius, who wants the architect to be “instructed in geometry, know much history, [and] have followed the philosophers with attention.” From Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti, who is explicit about the parallels between rhetoric and architecture and states that the architect should “take the same approach [to the art of building] as one might toward the study of letters.”

The organization of Skillen’s book follows Alberti’s three aspects of architectural decorum: every room should be fitting for its place in the building as a whole; every decorative element in a room to the room’s role in the building; and the building as a whole to its place in the surrounding townscape and landscape.

Edition details

• Publisher: Classical Academic Press
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1600513964
• ISBN 13: 9781600513961
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1