Understanding Architecture

Leland M. Roth is Marion Dean Ross Professor of Architectural History Emeritus at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Roth is the author of American Architecture: A History (2016), Understanding Architecture (2013), McKim, Mead & White, Architects (1983), America Builds (1983), and A Concise History of American Architecture (1979). Amanda C. Roth Clark is Associate Professor and Dean of the Library & Special Programs at Whitworth University in Spokane. She is the daughter of Leland M. Roth, and the co-author of Understanding Architecture, American Architecture, and SAH Archipedia: Oregon.

Introduction Part I: The Elements of Architecture 1. Architecture: The Art of Shaping of Space Chapter 2. “Commoditie”: Building Functions 3. “Firmeness”: Structure, or How Does the Building Stand Up? 4. “Delight”: Seeing Architecture Chapter 5. Architecture and Sound 6. Architecture: Part of the Natural Environment 7. The Architect: From High Priest to Profession 8. Architecture, Memory, and Economy Part II: The History and Meaning of Architecture 9. The Beginnings of Architecture: From Caves to Cities 10. The Architecture of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt Chapter 11. Greek Architecture 12. Roman Architecture Essay 1: Indian Architecture 13. Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture Essay 2: Islamic Architecture 14. Medieval Architecture 15. Renaissance Architecture Essay 3: Ancient Architecture of the Americas 16. Baroque and Rococo Architecture Essay 4: Chinese Architecture 17. The Origins of Modernism: Architecture in the Age of Enlightenment, 1720–1790 Essay 5: Japanese Architecture 18. The Roots of Modernism: The Nineteenth Century Essay 6: African Architecture 19. Versions of Modern Architecture, 1914–1970 20. The Expansion of Modernism: The Late Twentieth Century: 1970–2000 21. Future-Focused: The Twenty-First Century