The book was published by Dom Wydawniczy REBIS. “On Architecture” by Witold Rybczyński enables us to look at architecture in a unique way. Instead of focusing on the features of individual buildings, the author carries out an analysis that allows us to learn about the mechanisms that have guided the world of architecture for centuries. Why did buildings look the way they did? What impact have technological, economic and social changes had on architecture? This is what we will find out in this new publication.
Witold Rybczyński is an architect and professor emeritus of urban planning at the University of Pennsylvania. His latest book ‘On Architecture’ is a story that begins in the Stone Age and ends in modern times. The author provides an accessible account of the stories behind the creation of mankind’s most important architectural masterpieces and explains how changing tastes and aesthetics influenced architectural ideas and ideals.
Numerous examples help in understanding the principles by which architecture has been changing for centuries. From temples such as the Hagia Sophia and St Paul’s Cathedral in London, to residential buildings including the Katsura Imperial Villa and the Alhambra, public buildings including the Crystal Palace and Rudolf Petersdorff’s department store in Breslau, national icons such as the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Opera House, to skyscrapers including the Seagram Building and the CCTV building in Beijing.
The buildings described look very different and serve or have served different functions. They also differ in the date of construction. However, they do have a few common denominators. These are the human need for order, meaning and the search for beauty.
In the book ‘On Architecture’, we learn how the human need to celebrate, revere and commemorate has influenced the creation of buildings. Buildings erected in antiquity are already an excellent example. The author has selected a few buildings from each historical period and described the circumstances under which they were built, indicating the reasons why they were commissioned.
Many of the examples I have cited here are well-known buildings that have influenced subsequent generations. Most of them are not museum-quality: people still pray in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, look at paintings in the Louvre and use the resources of the New York Public Library. Because buildings have such a long life, those we use every day, admire, care for and restore remain living reminders and become time-tested examples of architecture. This is why ancient architectural styles or fragments of ancient buildings that have survived to our time need to be cared for and are constantly being revitalised,” explains Rybczynski.
Most of the buildings described by the author still exist. Anyone can see the buildings and convince themselves of the validity of the author’s theses. Witold Rybczyński explicitly admits that he focused on outstanding works of architecture. He is aware that there are many corners of the world with valuable buildings, such as the pillar churches in Norway or wooden synagogues in Poland, but he consciously points to examples of architecture that have impressed him the most.
Architecture, like a winding river, often unexpectedly meanders and turns back, and I have followed it,’ Witold Rybczyński concludes.
The book ‘O architekturze’ can be ordered on the website of Dom Wydawniczy REBIS by clicking HERE.
photographs: press materials
source: Dom Wydawniczy REBIS
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