Architectural Excellence: 500 Iconic Buildings

What makes a great building? There are many criteria: it has to be admired as well as being extraordinary; the building has to be unique (at least at the time it was built); it can be influential and groundbreaking in its imagination, use of materials and architecture. But, perhaps, above all, it needs to stand the test of time. This book is a sweeping world tour through 2,000 years of architecture detailing 500 key buildings that will take the reader from the dawn of time to the 21st century - a potted history of man's greatest architectural achievements in a single volume; an excellent quick overview and handy reference guide for world travelers, students and armchair enthusiasts alike. Key fact, figures and dates at your fingertips. It has been decided by architects and engineers, architectural critics, and writers. The list includes buildings both ancient and modern, many great centers of worship, a few administration buildings, a number of public buildings, such as galleries and museums and places of entertainment as well as outstanding residential buildings such as Frank Lloyd Wright's seminal Fallingwater at Bear Run in Pennsylvania.