Floor plans comprise all the attributes that elevate building from a trade to an art form: proportion, balance, coherence, structure, matter, and dynamism. Each one is a work of art in and of itself.
This fascinating compendium is an inquiry into and celebration of the artistic qualities intrinsic to plan drawings. With each one distilled down to its basics, devoid of any superfluous lines or colors, every building’s core is exposed in blue against a white background. Thus simplified, they convey each structure’s spatial essence—its reason for being—in its purest form.
With more than 3500 plans, ranging from humankind’s first dwellings to today’s incredibly varied constructions, the collection becomes a narrative of architectural handwriting across millennia. Displayed chronologically, it can be digested by the reader in different dimensions—architectural or geographical, temporal or technological.
Plan drafting is a key element in the daily practice of all architects—both an expressive medium and an essential artisanal skill. Plan reading, likewise, is the first step in making the acquaintance of a building, decoding its spatial intelligence and the intent of its creators.
Because floor plans are at the very core of any structure’s identity, any students or teachers of architecture will find this remarkable repository an invaluable resource and tool for research and theory. They’re likely to relish dissecting plans of familiar buildings—wellsprings of inspiration and ideas—but also delight in discovering projects they’ve probably never encountered before.
