Overview
Let's take a look at how architects design buildings around the world!Travel the globe to explore how architects shape our communities using creativity, problem-solving, and innovation. Through colorful and vibrant art, this book highlights how buildings are designed to be both beautiful and functional, blending with their environments and meeting the needs of the people who use them.
See how thoughtful architectural concepts can be found all around us. From schools in Rwanda that stay cool with smart materials to temples in India that come alive with sunlight, each stop along the way offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of building design. Readers travel to cities with sturdy skyscrapers that resist fierce winds, snug homes that absorb heat from the Earth, and buildings crafted to honor and reflect a timeless heritage.
Architect and author Franchesca Alchanati shares her passion for design by bringing global examples to life for young readers. Illustrator Sophia Watts enhances this journey, using cutaways, diagrams, and bold visuals to show readers what's going on behind the walls, down to the carefully chosen materials.
Perfect for curious kids and budding builders, It Was Designed by an Architect celebrates the small details and big ideas that make our communities more purposeful, welcoming, and vibrant places to live.
Author Bio
Francesca (Frankie) Alchanati, a native of Los Angeles who grew up as a triplet, vividly recalls the moment she chose to become an architect -- Career Day in second grade. Her passion for architecture grew through her education at Drexel University in Philadelphia, along with global travel and volunteer work that deepened her commitment to socially impactful design. Now based in Washington, D.C., Frankie balances her architectural career with leading Parenting Child Care Rwanda International (PCCRI), the NGO she founded to support families and schools in Rwanda.Sophia Watts is a designer and illustrator from Nottingham. She graduated from Leeds Arts University with a first-class honours degree in illustration and is currently based in South West London, where she lives with her girlfriend. Sophia's passions include animals, food, and travel, all themes that feature prominently in her work. She particularly enjoys creating scenes that capture the true essence of the places she visits, adding in the small nuances that make each location unique. Sophia mainly works digitally but occasionally works in traditional media. Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to work with companies such as Penguin Random House UK, The Northern Opera Group, Scoop Magazine, Independent Leeds, Stratford Literary Festival, and more.
