How Architecture Tells

How Architecture Tells is stunning, riveting, gorgeous. --Jeffrey J. Fox, New York Times and International Best Selling Author As a developer, I've worked with Rob and his firm for years, and admired their work. But How Architecture Tells goes much further; it explains his focus on the people side of architecture, going beyond the bricks and mortar to show how the ultimate users of the physical space, be it residential, commercial or institutional, can interact with design principles to benefit them. Planning Commissions and elected officials would do well to read this before they opine on a given project. --William A. Witte, Chairman and CEO of Related California, California's Largest Mixed-Income Developer The principles that Rob has employed throughout the course of his career as an architect reflect a profound understanding and embrace of the relationship between people and their environment. These principles - that the built environment is inherently social; that architecture is an opportunity to integrate intuitive understanding, beautiful design, and natural forces; that the combination of these can result in new insights - these principles also apply when we consider what creates strong, thriving communities. For those who lead through design, the principles in How Architecture Tells provide exceptional guidance as we navigate the complexities of what exists and what could become. Staying true to a vision that has a clear and inviting narrative helps build community support, while being responsive to the context in which we operate includes the community from the point of inception. Cities are always in the process of being reborn. New buildings are created and old ones are torn down or repurposed. People flow in and out of neighborhoods and towns. Styles and norms change and one day we embrace the car and the next, walking. There is no guarantee to how our cities will evolve and we all know what it feels like to exist in places that ignore the human experience. But if we keep the principles of Steinberg's How Architecture Tells in mind, every new change can bring with it greater beauty and inspiration, and every change can enhance our connections - to each other, and to the places that hold us. --Alicia John-Baptiste, President and CEO of SPUR -- The SF Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Assoc. Students of architecture should read this book. It is at once a theory and description of architecture intertwined with the deeply personal story of one architect. It shows the imperative that architecture is indeed powerful when it is focused on making human lives better. --John Barton, Director, Stanford University Architecture Design Program