Think Like an Architect

Hal Box

Published by University of Texas Press 2007

Think Like an Architect

Hal Box

In the series Roger Fullington Series in Architecture

https://doi.org/10.7560/716353

Overview
Contents

About this book

The design of cities and buildings affects the quality of our lives. Making the built environment useful, safe, comfortable, efficient, and as beautiful as possible is a universal quest. We dream about how we might live, work, and play. From these dreams come some 95 percent of all private and public buildings; professional architects design only about 5 percent of the built environment. While much of what non-architects build is beautiful and useful, the ugliness and inconveniences that blight many urban areas demonstrate that an understanding of good architectural design is vital for creating livable buildings and public spaces. To help promote this understanding among non-architects, as well as among those considering architecture as a profession, award-winning architect and professor Hal Box explains the process of making architecture from concept to completed building, using real-life examples to illustrate the principles involved in designing buildings that enhance the quality of life for those who live with them.

To cause what we build to become architecture, we have three choices: hire an architect, become an architect, or learn to think like an architect. Box believes that everyone should be involved in making architecture and has organized this book as a series of letters to friends and students about the process of creating architecture. He describes what architecture should be and do; how to look at and appreciate good buildings; and how to understand the design process, work with an architect, or become an architect. He also provides an overview of architectural history, with lists of books to read and buildings to see. For those involved in building projects, Box offers practical guidance about what goes into constructing a building, from the first view of the site to the finished building. For students thinking of becoming architects, he describes an architect's typical training and career path. And for the wide public audience interested in architecture and the built environment, Box addresses how architecture relates to the city, where the art of architecture is headed, and why good architecture matters.

Author / Editor information

Hal Box, FAIA, Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, writes from fifty years' experience in teaching and practicing architecture. His work includes schools, churches, office and commercial buildings, dormitories, and residences, as well as urban design projects. His sixteen years as Dean of the UT School of Architecture (1976-1992) led the school to become one of the top ten architecture schools in the United States. He and his wife live in Austin, Texas, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
PREFACE Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
PART ONE. THE PLACE
CHAPTER ONE. ASPIRATIONS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
CHAPTER TWO. DREAMINGAND SEEING Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
CHAPTER THREE. FINDING THE BEST BUILDINGS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
CHAPTER FOUR. EXPLORING IDEAS IN ARCHITECTURE Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	29
CHAPTER FIVE. HAS ARCHITECTURE LEFT THE BUILDING? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	49
PART TWO. THE GROUND FLOOR
CHAPTER SIX. MAKING ARCHITECTURE WITH AN ARCHITECT Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	57
CHAPTER SEVEN. BECOMING AN ARCHITECT Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	69
CHAPTER EIGHT. THINKING LIKE AN ARCHITECT: THE DESIGN PROCESS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
CHAPTER NINE. VISUALIZING WITH DRAWINGS AND MODELS, PENCILS AND COMPUTERS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
CHAPTER TEN. THE CRITIQUE Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	105
CHAPTER ELEVEN. BUILDING ARCHITECTURE: AN EXAMPLE Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	109
CHAPTER TWELVE. ADDING MEANING Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	123
CHAPTER THIRTEEN. MAKING DESIGN DECISIONS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	133
CHAPTER FOURTEEN. STYLE, TASTE, AND DESIGN THEORY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
PART THREE. THE UPPER LEVELS
CHAPTER FIFTEEN. MAKING CONNECTIONS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
CHAPTER SIXTEEN. FINDING POSSIBILITIES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	177
READING LIST Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	187
SEEING LIST Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	193
PHOTO CREDITS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	199
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	201

Language: English
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 224

eBook

Published: January 1, 2010
ISBN: 9780292792715