Awards
2000 Booklist Editors' Choice
2000 New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice
2000 Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
Synopses & Reviews
Why this shape and not that? Why steel instead of concrete or stone? Why put it here and not over there? These are the kinds of questions that David Macaulay asks himself when he observes an architectural wonder. These questions take him back to the basic process of design from which all structures begin, from the realization of a need for the structure to the struggles of the engineers and designers to map out and create the final construction.
As only he can, David Macaulay engages readersand#8217; imaginations and gets them thinking about structures they see and use every day and#8212; bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, domes, and dams. In Building Big he focuses on the connections between the planning and design problems and the solutions that are finally reached. Whether a structure is imposing or inspiring, he shows us that common sense and logic play just as important a part in architecture as imagination and technology do. As always, Macaulay inspires readers of all ages to look at their world in a new way.
Review
"Sheer awe is likely to be readers' response to this nuts-and-bolts companion to the recent PBS series of the same name....Building Big is an intoxicating, synergistic blend of good writing and better art." School Library Journal, starred review
Review
"David Macaulay is the patron saint of everyone who's been mesmerized by a construction site." Holly Morris, U.S. News and World Report
Review
"If ever a book were destined to inspire a future generation of engineers and designers, it would be this volume." Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award
Synopsis
Why this shape and not that? Why steel instead of concrete or stone? Why put it here and not over there? These are the kinds of questions that David Macaulay asks himself when he observes an architectural wonder. These questions take him back to the basic process of design from which all structures begin, from the realization of a need for the structure to the struggles of the engineers and designers to map out and create the final construction. As only he can, David Macaulay engages readers imaginations and gets them thinking about structures they see and use every day bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, domes, and dams. In Building Big he focuses on the connections between the planning and design problems and the solutions that are finally reached. Whether a structure is imposing or inspiring, he shows us that common sense and logic play just as important a part in architecture as imagination and technology do. As always, Macaulay inspires readers of all ages to look at their world in a new way.
About the Author
David Macaulay is an award-winning author and illustrator whose books have sold millions of copies in the United States alone, and his work has been translated into a dozen languages. Macaulay has garnered numerous awards including the Caldecott Medal and Honor Awards, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Christopher Award, an American Institute of Architects Medal, and the Washington Post-Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award. In 2006, he was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, given "to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations." Superb design, magnificent illustrations, and clearly presented information distinguish all of his books. David Macaulay lives with his family in Vermont.
Table of Contents
Bridges. Ponte Fabrico -- Iron Bridge -- Britannia Bridge -- Garabit Viaduct -- Firth of Forth -- Golden Gate Bridge -- Ponte de Normandie -- Tunnels. Two ancient tunnels -- Hoosac Tunnel -- Thames Tunnel -- Holland Tunnel -- The Channel Tunnel -- The Big Dig -- Dams. Itâa Dam -- Hoover Dam -- Aswan High Dam -- Itaipu Dam -- Domes. Pantheon -- Hagia Sophia -- Sehzade Mosque -- St. Peter's Basilica -- Les Invalides -- St. Paul's Cathedral -- United States Capitol -- Astrodome -- Skyscraper. Reliance Building -- Woolworth Building -- Chrysler Building -- Empire State Building -- John Hancock Building -- World Trade Center -- Sears Tower -- Citigroup Center -- Petronas Towers -- Commerzbank Frankfurt.