Guide To Study

< Back to Guide to Study Overview

Building in Harmony with Place

• Places of the Soul: Architecture and Environmental Design as Healing Art—Christopher Day (1990)—Welsh organic architect shares his process of design, which is a conversation with place, users and builders, and how it results in the stirring of imagination among all who experience the resulting buildings. Presents a wealth of design principles and placemaking patterns that can be applied anywhere to create environments that support personal growth, enhance the quality of a place, and revive our power to sense and live fully. Discusses the sociological consequences of sterile depersonalized environments–crime, social disintegration, the craving for desire gratification because of the absence of aesthetic nourishment from our buildings, etc. 192 pp., pb.

• Design With Nature—Ian McHarg (1969)—

• Native American Architecture—Peter Nabokov and Robert Easton (1989)—a profusely illustrated survey of the full range of Native American buildings from the Arctic to northern Mexico. It emphasizes how the cosmology, history, social organization, customs, religious life, desire to live in harmony with all aspects of their environment, climate, food gathering patterns, materials and different technological skills of each tribe shaped their building and settlement styles. "To understand the factors that form Indian architecture, one must look for what environment and culture made possible, not inevitable." Depending on intended use, the form of each building may be most strongly influenced by any one of these social, spiritual or technological factors.430 pp., pb.

• Houses in the Landscape: A Regional Study of Vernacular Building Styles in England and Wales—John & Jane Penoyre (1978)—documents how much the traditional styles of country houses are at one with the land. Explains how the direct response to local climate, geology, materials, traditions and technology produced regionally unique domestic architecture. An example that can guide us to re-sensitize ourselves to regional character. 175 pp., pb.

• Architecture without Architects: A Short Introduction to Non-Pedigreed Architecture—Bernard Rudofsky (1965, 1987)—photographic essay on worldwide examples of settlements created, not by architects, but by the spontaneous, continual collective activity of entire communities, which possess a common heritage and create out of a community of experience. The results are exquisitely beautiful buildings totally in harmony with their natural and cultural environments and with each other. Presented as a source of inspiration and wisdom to tutor us on creating places of peace, wholeness and unity. 162 pp., pb.

• Shelter—Lloyd Kahn (1973, 1990)—a comprehensive global survey of the infinite variety of simple, sensible, sophisticated dwelling structures which humans have devised, from caves to tents, tipis, yurts, adobes, timber cottages and barns, domes, etc. A classic on vernacular, hand-built architecture, with over 1,000 photographs. 176 pp., pb.