In 1990, the CCA acquired a collection of over three hundred architectural toys and games. The collection, assembled by the American sculptor and architect Norman Brosterman, spans nearly two centuries of toy manufacture in more than five countries. These toys have been the subject of a series of exhibitions and small books that, through various scholarly analyses, have advanced our consideration of how children learn about the world through toys.

In Buildings in Boxes, the architect and essayist Witold Rybczynski explains how his early exposure to these toys influenced his architectural vision.

Part of a series that includes Potential Architecture: Construction Toys from the CCA Collection, Toys that Teach, Toys and the Modernist Tradition, Dream Houses, Toy Homes, Toy Town and Cities in Motion: Toys and Transport.

Essay by Witold Rybczynski
Graphic design by Glenn Goluska

Published in French as L’architecture en jeux : Jeux de construction du CCA
Softcover, 32 pages