Origins of Architectural Pleasure

I first heard about this book in my thesis year of architecture school when I attended a public lecture given by Grant Hildebrant at my University. I had been searching for a style of my own that made sense, would be timeless, and would be appreciated by people with wide ranging tastes. In this day and age we as designers and architects have so many options. The walls of convention have been completely obliterated by a rebellion against tradition and all the opportunities available with the continual growth of technology. This is a great freedom, however, it can also make it very difficult to find a true universally appealing style. What is so amazing about Grant Hildebrant's theories is that they can be applied to any structure of any style and can help us to understand why so many buildings, although stylistically very different, seem to appeal to everyone equally. As its name suggests, The Origins of Architectural Pleasure distills great architecture down to simple, fundamental principles that appeal to our deepest instincts. This then provides the framework on which any style can be applied to achieve consistently beautiful buildings of timeless, lasting, universal appeal. In fact, Grant is very humble about his theories and takes very little credit for them aside from organizing and putting in print what he believes we all already know deep down. That being said, the book is not the least bit preachy and is really a discussion of a few very simple principles that will change the way you look at the built environment. Whether you are a seasoned architect or are completely new to the world of architecture, the concepts are simple but make a big impression. Of all the books I've read on architecture, and there have been a lot, this is the one book that impacted the way I design the most. I would recommend it to anyone looking to enrich their view of architecture... In fact, I have recommended it to many of my colleagues, and friends. I even went out and bought extra copies so I wouldn't have to risk losing my own! I would absolutely love to move out west and study under Mr. Hildebrant, he really opened my eyes to see what was right in front of me.

I wish the other reviewer had actually had something to say about the quality of the book itself, which is a wonderful revelation about the deep reactions we all have (whether we recognize them or not) to architecture. Highly recommended.

The book was in awesome condition. If used books always come in this condition, I don't think I'll ever buy a new book again.Thanks.