Invitation to Architecture: Discovering Delight in the World Built Around Us

Look up. Look around. There’s architecture everywhere, from the homes in which we live to the buildings where we work, the historical sites we visit on vacation and the shopping malls we frequent on a daily basis. But what exactly is architecture and what differentiates it from mere “buildings”? How does it impact our lives? In this engaging, original work, architects Max Jacobson and Shelley Brock explore these and many other questions as they present a compelling case for the importance of architecture in our day-to-day lives. “Durability,” “utility,” and “beauty” are the three pillars on which Invitation to Architecture is built. These three concepts (originally coined by Vitruvius during the Roman empire as Firmitas, Utilitas, and Venustas) remain at the heart of what architecture strives for and are as relevant today as they were over 2,000 years ago.