Architecture is a manifestation of the environment in which it is placed, observes distinguished architect and theoretician Christian Norberg-Schulz. A simple enough observation, but one that becomes subtle and nuanced in this landmark book that attempts to define, for the first time, what Nordic building really is.

Exploring the ways built experience "takes place," Norberg-Schulz charts the distinctive character of land and climate that distinguishes the architectural traditions of Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway from each other and from those to the south.

While each of these countries might be said to share regional traits, Norberg-Schulz identifies differences (the cultivated and closely detailed landscape and architecture of Denmark, the dramatic, structured forms of Norway) that allow him to account for the way individual Nordic architectures evolved.