This book is a lavishly illustrated version of a series of lectures given by architect and professor Jo Coenen in 2001 at the Faculty of Engineering of the Technical University of Delft.

The book is made up of eleven chapters, divided into three sections. In the first section, Coenen follows a short introduction to his vision on architecture with a statement of three central themes: Landscape and borders, architectural ‘ensembles’, and continuity and innovation. A fourth theme in the book is the public nature of buildings.

This book is a lavishly illustrated version of a series of lectures given by architect and professor Jo Coenen in 2001 at the Faculty of Engineering of the Technical University of Delft.

The book is made up of eleven chapters, divided into three sections. In the first section, Coenen follows a short introduction to his vision on architecture with a statement of three central themes: Landscape and borders, architectural ‘ensembles’, and continuity and innovation. A fourth theme in the book is the public nature of buildings.

Coenen pays tribute to some almost forgotten Dutch architects who have provided a good example in the past, particularly in their designs for public buildings. He examines three types of building which are in some sense public: Libraries, museums and theatres. The book ends with a summary which discusses the Ceramique project, the wellknown magnum opus of this idiosyncratic architect, professor, ex- chief government architect, and inspirer.