Architecture: A Performing Art

This is an unconventional but remarkably effective book about the career and work of one architect - John Andrews, who has received world-wide attention. In the forthright, frank manner typical of the man, Andrews tells of the practice of architecture as it really is - from getting a job to the completion of the building. In his introduction, Andrews writes: "I did not start originally to write a book, but to record experiences which could be useful to students. When teaching at the University of Toronto, I became quite concerned that there was no part of the course where I could get students to understand the immense variety of experiences that go into building a building." The book that has emerged from Andrews' experiences is both an attempt to provide that understanding, revealing what a career as an architect truly involves, and at the same time a portrait of the artist as a young architect. Like all competent artists, Andrews began with a mastery of his craft. He became a great artist because he approached each problem with single-minded and passionate intensity, and let the solution emerge naturally and inevitably from the pressure of the facts and the dictates of the imagination. Illustrated with over 200 photographs, plans and two-colour diagrams, it will undoubtedly prove a revelation to many students of architecture.