A classic examination of superb design through the centuries. Widely regarded as a classic in the field, Experiencing Architecture explores the history and promise of good design. Generously illustrated with historical examples of designing excellence-ranging from teacups, riding boots, and golf balls to the villas of Palladio and the fish-feeding pavilion of Beijing's Winter Palace-Rasmussen's accessible guide invites us to appreciate architecture not only as a profession, but as an art that shapes everyday experience. In the past, Rasmussen argues, architecture was not just an individual pursuit, but a community undertaking. Dwellings were built with a natural feeling for place, materials and use, resulting in "a remarkably suitable comeliness." While we cannot return to a former age, Rasmussen notes, we can still design spaces that are beautiful and useful by seeking to understand architecture as an art form that must be experienced. An understanding of good design comes not only from one's professional experience of architecture as an abstract, individual pursuit, but also from one's shared, everyday experience of architecture in real time-its particular use of light, color, shape, scale, texture, rhythm and sound. Experiencing Architecture reminds us of what good architectural design has accomplished over time, what it can accomplish still, and why it is worth pursuing. Wide-ranging and approachable, it is for anyone who has ever wondered "what instrument the architect plays on."

Originally published in 1934, London. The Unique City by Steen Eiler Rasmussen tells the fascinating story of one of the world's most influential metropoles. Rasmussen conducted extensive research on the London's history as well as on the manners and mores of its inhabitants. The book is further enriched by the author's many years of personal observation and analysis regarding London's urban and architectural development. London. The Unique City is thus a classic work that remains an instructive guide to the city's history and urban forms. A key idea contained in the book is that a city's future can be decisively influenced by self-reliant and culturally aware citizens who take action on behalf of the city, without depending on the public sector. This idea, which is just as relevant today as it was some eighty years ago, is being revitalized in international urban discourse, as demonstrated by the influential Urban Age conference, which has showcased opportunities for local action on the basis of numerous examples. Steen Eiler Rasmussen (1898-1990) was one of the last great architects to address the broader social context of his work. He presented his observations and analysis in a great number of publications, the the most famous of which is undoubtedly London. The Unique City.