Exploring the ambiguities of how we define the word 'culture' in our global society, this book identifies its imprint on architectural ideas. It examines the historical role of the cultural in architectural production and expression, looking at meaning and communication, tracing the formations of cultural identities.

Prologue: Cultivating Architecture Nicholas Temple Part 1: Architecture as Agent of Recovery, a Testimony to Values Introduction Jane Lomholt 1. Greek Theatre as an Embodiment of Cultural Meaning Dagmar Weston 2. The Restoration of the Hut of Romulus Chris Siwicki 3. Il Corridoio Vasariano: A Resplendent Passage to Medici and Vasari's Grandeur Liana Cheney 4. Language Beyond Metaphor: The Structural Symbolism of Borromini's Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza Noé Badillo 5. Villa Albani, Repository of Multiple Narratives Jane Lomholt 6. The Space of Fiction: On the Cultural Relevance of Architecture Louise Pelletier 7. Using Old Stuff and Thinking in a New Way: Material Culture, Conservation and Fashion in Architecture Cristina González-Longo Part 2: Architecture as Substance and Sustenance: Cultural Desires and Needs Introduction Paul Emmons 8. De Beata Architectura, Places for Thinking Marco Frascari 9. Sverre Fehn: Materials and Culture Chris Hay 10. A Persuasive Topology: Alvar Aalto and the Ambience of History Harry Charrington 11. Freiraum: Ideas of Freedom and Nature in the Work of Mies van der Rohe Jan Frohburg 12. Architectural Poetics in Alvaro Siza's Church of Santa Maria Alexandra Stara 13. "The Play of Plans: Le Corbusier's Serious Game of Dominos Paul Emmons 14. Something out of the "Ordinary" Gerald Adler Part 3: A Time of Aspirations: Cultural Understanding of the Roles of Architecture 15. The Relevance of Beauty in Architecture Alberto Pérez-Gómez 16. Architectural Creation Between 'Culture' and 'Civilization' Nikolaos-Ion Terzoglou 17. Architectural Identity Demystified: Visual Voices from the Arab World Ashraf Salama 18. The Fiction of the Digital in the Mediated City Jason Crow 19. The Memory of Ruins and the Ruins of Memory Mark Cannata 20. The Conceptual Bearings of the Intercultural Role of Architecture Nader El-Bizri 21. Architecture as the Psyche of a Culture John Hendrix Epilogue: The Necessity of Architecture John Hendrix