The roots of architectural invention cover

The roots of architectural invention

by David Leatherbarrow

The Roots of Architectural Invention is a study in the history and theory of architecture. Challenging the contemporary concentration on style, it argues that site, enclosure, and materials are fundamental elements in sound architectural design. Each of the chapters in this study reviews and criticizes current assumptions and then provides an analysis of historical texts, by such theoreticians as L.B. Alberti, G. Semper, A. Loos, and Le Corbusier, insofar as they illuminate current thinking. Considerable discussion is also devoted to significant buildings, both modern and historical, that provide the basis for the author's argument. Outlining topical thinking in architecture, with reference to rhetoric and the art of memory, The Roots of Architectural Invention defines architecture as a form of representation that is caught up in the temporal unfolding of human events.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?