MICHAEL BRAWNE

An introduction to architectural thought, this text is a thorough and accessible discussion in search of the principles of the design process. Documenting the non-verbal processes and decisions that architects and designers make is a difficult task, but one that is important when trying to understand the development of architectural design through the ages. Michael Brawne uses his experience as a practicing architect, academic and educator to provide an overview of the subject. By looking at the practices and buildings of architects past and present he incorporates history and philosophy in the search for a theory of design. * Provides a well-rounded look at the development of architectural thought. * Written at a level that is accessible for professionals and students. * Illustrates how the design process has developed from antiquity to the present day.

The New National Gallery, Berlin, Kimbell Art Museum and Museum fur Kunsthandwerk in Frankfurt are striking examples of modern museum design, built in three different decades. The Berlin Gallery was Mies van der Rohe's last great building -- a 'temple' to art in glass and steel. Louis Kahn's Kimbell Art Museum is a building of severity and restraint, its architectural effects arising from rhythmical spaces and a refined treatment of materials. Richard Meier's Museum fur Kunsthandwerk is a subtle and intricate building of shifted grids and superimposed planes -- an interesting precursor to his Getty Center. By presenting these works together, one can examine the similarities and differences in approach taken by three renowned architects in designing buildings with successful interior museum spaces and exteriors that present a public message to the world.