Philosopher Yves Michaud examines every angle from which a structure may be designed and approached in our era.

Engineers, historians, designers, urbanists, specialists of every stripe approach architectural "concepts" in separate, sometimes competing ways. But architects, however, are naturally inclined to favor their era and their approach. What concepts dominate our practical and theoretical understandings of architecture—to put it concretely, the structures we live in, see every day, or make pilgrimages as tourists to visit? Yves Michaud takes us to basics: an essential move, for we no longer know how to comprehensively see what's all around us. He develops a list of the categories we use to perceive, design, and build architecture.