ARCHITECTURE SINCE 1400

The first global history of architecture to give equal attention to Western and non-Western structures and built landscapes, Architecture since 1400 is unprecedented in its range, approach, and insight. From
Tenochtitlan’s Great Pyramid in Mexico City and the Duomo in Florence to
Levittown’s suburban tract housing and the Bird’s Nest Stadium in
Beijing, its coverage includes the world’s most celebrated structures
and spaces along with many examples of more humble vernacular buildings.
Lavishly illustrated with more than 300 photographs, plans, and
interiors, this book presents key moments and innovations in
architectural modernity around the globe.

Deftly integrating
architectural and social history, Kathleen James-Chakraborty pays
particular attention to the motivations of client and architect in the
design and construction of environments both sacred and secular: palaces
and places of worship as well as such characteristically modern
structures as the skyscraper, the department store, and the cinema. She
also focuses on the role of patrons and addresses to an unparalleled
degree the impact of women in commissioning, creating, and inhabiting
the built environment, with Gertrude Jekyll, Lina Bo Bardi, and Zaha
Hadid taking their place beside Brunelleschi, Sinan, and Le Corbusier.

Making
clear that visionary architecture has never been the exclusive domain
of the West and recognizing the diversity of those responsible for
commissioning, designing, and constructing buildings, Architecture since 1400 provides a sweeping, cross-cultural history of the built environment over six centuries.