" When designing a house, you can’t just start drawing floor plans because you have to understand all the things that go into the design of the house. You have to understand things like scale, proportion and texture. You have to experience all of those elements individually and then put them together. If I would have understood this in high school it would have been helpful. The Architecture Handbook is a great way to teach students all of the concepts related to designing homes.”

– Ralph Johnson, design principal, Perkins+Will

"It was great to be part of the process of creating The Architecture Handbook because, as a student, I had ideas for changing our high school architecture curriculum. I felt that architectural drafting classes could be enriched to help students express their creativity and learn about the profession of architecture. Testing all of the hands-on activities for this textbook was exciting!”

– Ricardo Escutia, student, Cooper Union School of Architecture; Chicago Public Schools graduate

"As an architect and teacher, I enjoy sharing my passion for architecture with my students. The Architecture Handbook, with all its hands on-activities, is a departure from teaching just drafting in my introductory architectural drafting class, to really teaching architecture from the beginning of the process. My students really enjoyed learning about buildings through the readings and activities in the textbook."

– Jaime Rodriguez, teacher, Chicago Discovery Academy, Chicago Public Schools

"Students engaged in the project-based learning model for The Architecture Handbook will never have to ask, “Why do I have to learn this?” The content is both rigorous and relevant. As they delve into the curriculum’s integrated projects, they will be able to make connections with their core academic subjects; and teachers will have the opportunity to collaborate across curricular areas. This is one of the most exciting learning models I have ever seen."

– Martha Eldredge Heck, Executive Director, NSERVE, a career and technical education consortium in suburban Chicago high schools

The Architecture Handbook does a wonderful job of explaining architectural concepts by demystifying how architects think, what they do, and why it matters. The book introduces several well-known architects who have shaped our world and explores the important ideas behind their buildings, bringing them to life in colorful, easy to understand diagrams. Along the way, the students use these masterpieces to not only learn drafting but also how to draw inspiration from and think critically about the community where they live. The depth of information and the ease in which it's presented makes this an incredible introduction to the architectural profession.

– Travis Soberg, AIA, LEED AP; Senior Associate, Goettsch Partners