This is a book that students of architecture will want to keep in thestudio and in their backpacks. It is also a book they may want to keep out of viewof their professors, for it expresses in clear and simple language things that tendto be murky and abstruse in the classroom. These 101 concise lessons in design, drawing, the creative process, and presentation--from the basics of "How toDraw a Line" to the complexities of color theory--provide a much-needed primerin architectural literacy, making concrete what too often is left nebulous oropen-ended in the architecture curriculum. Each lesson utilizes a two-page format, with a brief explanation and an illustration that can range from diagrammatic towhimsical. The lesson on "How to Draw a Line" is illustrated by examplesof good and bad lines; a lesson on the dangers of awkward floor level changes showsthe television actor Dick Van Dyke in the midst of a pratfall; a discussion of theproportional differences between traditional and modern buildings features a drawingof a building split neatly in half between the two. Written by an architect andinstructor who remembers well the fog of his own student days, 101 Things I Learnedin Architecture School provides valuable guideposts for navigating the design studioand other classes in the architecture curriculum. Architecture graduates--from youngdesigners to experienced practitioners--will turn to the book as well, forinspiration and a guide back to basics when solving a complex designproblem.

This book is on these lists:

• January 2012 Indie Next List
• December 2011 Indie Next List
• November 2011 Indie Next List