The book "Lectures for Architecture Students" by Herman Hertzberger is being published

The popular book by the world-renowned Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger, used as a textbook in numerous architecture schools, has finally been translated into Czech. In it, the author presents a variety of topics and proposals, complementing them with his practical experiences and evaluations of the use of the described buildings over time. The opinions and ideas on which his work is based are explained by Hertzberger himself. From his perspective, everyone – the more they see, experience, and absorb – automatically has at their disposal an ever-growing "library" of potential guides, which they can consult at any time to choose a path to achieve their goals. Over 750 illustrations offer a glimpse into Herman Hertzberger's "library," allowing readers to form an opinion about one of the most famous living Dutch architects. By organizing texts and designs into several themes, the author has managed to translate his extensive practical experience into a fascinating theory. However, Hertzberger does not provide the reader with any specific recipe for designing buildings but presents fundamental sources of inspiration for anyone interested in the design process.

Dutch author Herman Hertzberger (*1932 in Amsterdam) is among the most significant global architects and was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 2012. He is often considered one of the main representatives of Dutch structuralism of the 1960s. Hertzberger promoted the idea that the architect does not design the arrangement entirely but provides a spatial structure that invites users to take their initiative and use the space in a personalized way. Among his most famous realizations are, among others: the Montessori school in Delft (1960-66), the Central Beheer insurance company's building in Apeldoorn (1968-72), the Diagoon residential complex in Delft (1969-70), and the Chasse theater in Breda (1992-95). Aside from his architectural practice, he is also recognized for his pedagogical activities: from 1970 to 1999, he served at the Technical University of Delft and is still an emeritus professor there.

The book “Lectures for Architecture Students” is a refined version of the author's lectures delivered at the Technical University of Delft since 1973. The publication was first released in 1991. Since then, this immensely successful publication has been released in many new editions and translated into Japanese, German, Italian, Portuguese, Taiwanese, Dutch, Polish, and Chinese.
In Czech, the book is published by MOX NOX, and the texts were translated by Šárka Rubková. The book captivates not only with its content but also with its unconventional graphic design, which is the work of the Brno graphic studio The Rodina.

This book was published with the support of the Czech Architecture Foundation, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Dutch Foundation for Literature.