Modern architecture has become extremely complex and its study has been made more difficult by changes in fashion and a proliferation of design modes. In this book, Geoffrey Baker develops a methodology for design analysis that reveals the underlying organisation of buildings.

Part One explains the nature and role of architecture in a wide-ranging discussion extending from geometry to symbolism. Part Two demonstrates the analytical methodology by reference to cities and works by modern masters such as Aalto, Meier and Stirling.

In this second revised edition, Dr Baker has added a chapter outlining the relationship between some current perceptions of science, art and philosophy, and how these impinge on architecture. The discussion compares Futurism, Constructivism, Suprematism, High Tech, Deconstruction and the attitude of the avant-garde, with the phenomenology of Bachelard and Heiddeger.