Reading Architecture – An Illustrated Architectural Guide 3rd Edition

Published by YEM Yayın, Reading Architecture – An Illustrated Architectural Guide thoroughly examines Western architecture from Classical Greek times to the present day.

Authored by Owen Hopkins and translated into Turkish by Derya Nüket Özer, the book is a unique visual guide that breaks down all elements constituting a building, from plasters to roofs, column types to decorative moldings, into their components.

 Reading Architecture – An Illustrated Architectural Guide;

• Shows building types that evolved throughout architectural history with detailed photographs and explanatory drawings.
• Covers all major building types and styles, from cathedrals to skyscrapers, and from the Classical to the Contemporary period.
• Provides an in-depth look at structures, structural systems, materials, and building details.
• Includes a comprehensive glossary of architectural terms, referencing other sections where each term is exemplified.

The book, in which almost all elements are presented with explanatory photographs or drawings, aims from the outset to overcome the problems inherent in traditional alphabetically arranged architectural dictionaries. Therefore, it prioritizes actual structures through photographs and notes, while dissecting architecture down to its fundamental ideas and components.

Owen Hopkins summarizes the content of the book, which consists of four sections with numerous cross-references, as follows:

“The first section; as indicated in the introduction, focuses on ten building types that have recurred in various forms throughout architectural history. Although examples of each type vary according to time and place, they embody certain characteristics that are integral to that type. Other building groupings in this section were made according to forms or morphologies that are considered to have withstood time and influenced many building types. Thus, this section is intended to be a 'first point of reference' for the reader, where they can turn when encountering a public building, for example, and find the closest example with similar architectural features.

The second section; Structural Systems; is based on the thesis that all architectural languages are somehow derived from the most fundamental articulation of a building’s structural system. Similarly, it goes beyond specific architectural styles by focusing on various main structural elements – columns and piers, arches, modern concrete and steel structures – that appear in different forms in various architectural languages as key components. Like the first section, this section serves as a 'guide' for other sections, but at the same time, it forms a complete reference in itself by providing the specific elements in minute detail.

The third section; deals with architectural elements – the main components present in all buildings, regardless of style, scale, or form. These include walls and surfaces, windows and doors, roofs, stairs, and elevators.

The fourth section; consists of a standard glossary of terms that reference other sections where each term is exemplified. The glossary only includes elements mentioned in the first three sections, and like the book itself, it is comprehensive but not encyclopedic. By focusing on visible elements and components, the book does not include components of the building structure that often remain invisible. Some extremely archaic terms were also excluded for reasons of space and clarity. Although architecture became globalized in the second half of the 20th century, it is important to note that the book focuses on the Western architectural tradition; some very recent examples are chosen from outside Europe and its sphere of influence. Readers interested in non-Western structures should consult more specialized works.

Christopher Wren, the great architect of London in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, said, 'Architecture aims for eternity.' This observation comes to life in St. Paul’s Cathedral, which continues to exist as a symbol of the city and the nation. While few buildings are built with such grand aims and splendor as St. Paul’s, structures in a place and situation – from the most humble vernacular buildings to the most elaborate ones at the top – rise as indicators of how their builders see themselves. Therefore, the ability to read a building – whether by looking at its image or at the building itself – and to decipher its meaning is essential for understanding how society and the world around us are formed; and this is what this book seeks to facilitate.”