Architectural history · Early coursework

Travelogs

A journey through architectural history, drawn by hand: twenty buildings, from the Dome of the Rock to the Guggenheim.

CourseArchitectural history

MediumPencil sketches, plans and sections

Buildings20, across four continents

Span7th to 20th century

Select any page to read it

The project

Two travelogs from my early history classes, each a journey to ten buildings: sketched, planned and sectioned by hand, with notes on what makes each one work.

From Jerusalem to Bijapur

01 — Travelog I · 7th to 17th century

I set out to make connections across time, space, regions and cultures, from Byzantine domes to Gol Gumbaz in India.

Travelog page on Dome of the Rock: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 01Dome of the RockJerusalem

Travelog page on Hagia Sophia: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 02Hagia SophiaIstanbul, Turkey

Travelog page on Palatine Chapel: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 03Palatine ChapelAachen, Germany

Travelog page on St. Michael’s Church: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 04St. Michael’s ChurchHildesheim, Germany

Travelog page on Alhambra: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 05AlhambraGranada, Spain

Travelog page on Complex of Sultan Hassan: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 06Complex of Sultan HassanCairo, Egypt

Travelog page on Cathedral of Florence: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 07Cathedral of FlorenceFlorence, Italy

Travelog page on Süleymaniye Mosque: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 08Süleymaniye MosqueIstanbul, Turkey

Travelog page on Bibi Khanum Mosque: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 09Bibi Khanum MosqueSamarkand, Uzbekistan

Travelog page on Gol Gumbaz: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 10Gol GumbazBijapur, India

From London to New York

02 — Travelog II · 18th to 20th century

It began with one question, what is architecture?, and ten buildings from a London church to Frank Lloyd Wright’s spiral.

Travelog page on St Mary Woolnoth: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 11St Mary WoolnothLondon, England

Travelog page on The London Law Courts: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 12The London Law CourtsLondon, England

Travelog page on Hawa Mahal: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 13Hawa MahalJaipur, India

Travelog page on Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 14Bibliothèque Sainte-GenevièveParis, France

Travelog page on Isaac Bell House: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 15Isaac Bell HouseNewport, Rhode Island

Travelog page on Gamble House: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 16Gamble HousePasadena, California

Travelog page on Casa Batlló: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 17Casa BatllóBarcelona, Spain

Travelog page on Moller House: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 18Moller HouseVienna, Austria

Travelog page on Notre-Dame du Haut: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 19Notre-Dame du HautRonchamp, France

Travelog page on Guggenheim Museum: hand-drawn sketches, plan and section with handwritten notes — 20Guggenheim MuseumNew York

What I learned

Architecture is shaped by time, place, culture, belief, war, ideas and technology, and it shapes them in return.

So I always look for a new angle to view the world from.

Next project Common Waters →

Back to all work