"The window is one of the most essential components of architecture, yet it rarely receives the detailed examination that it deserves. This new study explores the development of the window, showing how it transformed human experience by increasing access to light and air, and simultaneously changed our perception of architectural space. Christopher Masters celebrates the multiple roles of the window in architecture through thematic chapters that allow for spectacular visual comparisons, juxtaposing images from different cultures and historical periods. He provides engaging commentaries on over 80 exceptional buildings of all types, both ancient and modern, ranging from the Pantheon in Rome, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto to Walter Gropius's Bauhaus in Dessau, Eero Saarinen's TWA Terminal in New York, Jean Nouvel's Louvre Abu Dhabi and Dorte Mandrup's Icefjord Centre in Greenland. Featuring more than 100 superb photographs, this is an intriguing and accessible survey of a formerly neglected subject in architectural history" --