Alternately celebrated and condemned, both linked to history and future-oriented, ornament is a significant and often underestimated item of the architectural vocabulary. This book presents the unfolding of the ornament debate since the nineteenth century, from a historico-cultural point of view, and uses it as the basis for a comprehensive presentation and analysis of contemporary ornament theory and practice. A range of examples shows not only the wide spectrum of ornamental forms - from regional traditions and examples from the fine arts, via the wealth of forms in nature, to the moving lighting ornamentation of modern digital façades - but also their communicative aspect and aesthetic appeal.

Alternately celebrated and condemned, both linked to history and future-oriented, ornament is a significant and often underestimated item of the architectural vocabulary. This book presents the unfolding of the ornament debate since the nineteenth century, from a historico-cultural point of view, and uses it as the basis for a comprehensive presentation and analysis of contemporary ornament theory and practice. A range of examples shows not only the wide spectrum of ornamental forms - from regional traditions and examples from the fine arts, via the wealth of forms in nature, to the moving lighting ornamentation of modern digital façades - but also their communicative aspect and aesthetic appeal. Therefore this contribution to the ornament debate in the twenty-first century is a pioneering combination of the history of architecture, art and culture.