Who built the first houses? What's the difference between an arch and an architrave? How does a dome stay up? Who invented concrete? Can you build a house from paper? If you want to know more about the buildings around you, this entertaining illustrated guide is a perfect introduction to architecture around the world. From the mud huts of ancient history to today's towering edifices, you can explore iconic buildings and find out more about the people who created them. You'll also discover the development of different building materials, from mud and straw to paper, steel and reinforced concrete.

Introduction -- The pyramids -- Classical Greece / The Parthenon -- Rome and the birth of town planning -- Arches, vaults and domes -- The Pantheon -- Byzantine architecture / Hagia Sophia -- A world of domes -- Andrea Palladio / La rotonda -- The Japanese house -- Katsura Imperial Villa -- Vernacular architecture -- Homes -- A new age / Crystal Palace -- Art nouveau / Sagrada Familia -- Antoni Gaudi -- When architecture meets other arts -- Le Corbusier -- Fallingwater -- Reinventing the modern house -- German Pavilion -- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe -- Iconic buildings -- Structures -- Higher and higher -- Zaha Hadid -- Contemporary architecture -- Basic elements of architecture -- Being an architect -- Architecture of the future -- Life on Mars.