ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussesd in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines architecture schools from multiple directions, including the history of architectural education and building form, typologies of schools for architecture, systematic post-occupancy evaluations of schools of architecture, and comparisons across those evaluations. Architecture schools have often sought new buildings by "signature architects" as a way to build a reputation. At the cutting edge of knowledge, and with a history of world-class academics, American universities have become high-profile patrons of contemporary architecture. Historical precedents for using "signature" architects in the design of architecture schools include Walter Gropius at the Bauhaus in Dessau, Mies van der Rohe at IIT in Chicago, and Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West in Scottsdale. Visits to architecture schools around the world and discussions with faculty showed that their designs often shared the same problems. The designs for newer buildings also seemed not to have learned from their predecessors.
