Architectural Floor Plans

A floor plan is imbued with the same attributes that elevate building to an art form: proportion, balance, coherence, structure, matter, and dynamism--it becomes a work of art in and of itself.

This book is an inquiry into the artistic qualities intrinsic to plan drawings. With all plans shown simmered down to their basic form, devoid of any superfluous lines or colors, the essence of a floor plan is left to speak by itself. Each building's core is exposed in white against a blue background to convey its spatial essence--its reason of being--in barest minimum.

With more than 3,500 plans ranging from humankind's first dwellings to today's rich crop of buildings, this compendium acts as a universal narrative of architecture's handwriting. Displayed chronologically, its contents can be digested by the reader in multiple dimensions--be it architectural, artistic, or technological.

Plan drafting, a continuous part of all architects' daily practice, is both a communication tool and a necessary skill. Plan reading, likewise, is the first step to making the acquaintance of a building and the decoding of its spirit and its creator's intent. With floor plans at the core of building identity, architecture students and teachers will find an invaluable source and tool for research and theory. Architects will revisit and dissect plans of familiar buildings, a sure well of inspirations and ideas--but they'll also discover projects they've never seen before.