Building for South Asia: An Architectural Autobiography

"Architect Polk believes that words about buildings are always secondary to the buildings themselves. In architectural presentation, buildings themselves are the central facts, and he sees that this is true in his own architectural autobiography. Nevertheless, alongwith the many plates that some measure illustrate this work, Polk has included observations on diverse and unreconciled situations that help explain the special cases of the artistry of space, structure, and form in his designs. He never handed down abstract form, and he would say that the words of his book-or indeed any critique-do not alter the buildings. They are neither more nor less because of the written word. All the buildings in this architectural autobiography are Polk s personal designs and belong to his practice in South Asia, 1952-1964."