Best 30 Architecture Books
Why is reading important for learning architecture?
Reading architecture books is a direct way of researching the best and most successful design principles used by famous architects through the ages. This allows you to develop new ideas and understand architectural design from different perspectives.
Reading architecture books provides you with new information on architectural techniques and culture worldwide. This helps you stay at the forefront of architectural trends and technologies that you can incorporate into your architectural design.
By reading about architectural history and culture you will begin to understand the significance of how architecture shapes a place and time. This will allow you to design more culturally and contextually sensitive architecture.
Reading in general improves your writing skills immeasurably as well as your critical thinking and communication skills - which are all essential skills for a successful architect.
Finally, reading the best architecture books can be inspiring and motivating. By reading about the work of famous architects’ technical and aesthetic theories, or seeing their designs come to life in books you can be inspired to create incredible designs yourself.
How to read architecture books effectively
Whether you are an architect or architecture student it is best practice to read through a book in its entirety, however, this luxury is not always afforded to you. Especially if you are under a deadline and researching your project or dissertation. therefore here are some important tips to help you extract information from a book effectively.
🔸 Browse and select the book(s) that are most relevant to your needs or interests.
🔸 Review the book, learn its structure and context by reading the blurb and character headings
🔸 Refer to the index if you want to lift out specific information.
🔸 Highlight important text and make notes. this is particularly important for using references in essays and dissertations.
What books should I read as an architect?
Reading a variety of architecture books across different disciplines, eras, cultures, and locations would help you develop a general well-rounded knowledge in many fields. However, it is also good practice to be well read on a specialist subject if you enjoy it and reflects your work.
What are the best architecture books?
We have compiled a list of the best architecture books that every architect needs to read. The list ranges over many architectural disciplines and subjects. 👇
This post contains affiliate links which we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Towards a New Architecture, by Le Corbusier
This classic work is a collection of essays written by Le Corbusier advocating for and exploring the concept of modern architecture. The book has had a lasting effect on the architectural profession, serving as the manifesto for a generation of architects, a subject of hatred for others, and unquestionably a critical piece of architectural theory.
The Architecture of Community, by Leon Krier
In 'The Architecture of Community', Krier has reconsidered and expanded writing from his 1998 book 'Architecture: Choice or Fate'. Here he refines and updates his thinking on the making of sustainable, humane, and attractive villages, towns, and cities. The book includes drawings, diagrams, and photographs of his built works, which have not been widely seen until now.
Thinking Architecture, by Peter Zumthor
Architecture that is meant to have a sensuous connection to life calls for thinking that goes far beyond form and construction. In his texts, Peter Zumthor articulates what motivates him to design his buildings, which appeal to the visitor's heart and mind in so many different ways and possess a compelling and unmistakable presence and aura.Now
Contemporary Japanese Architecture, by Philip Jodidio
The contemporary architecture of Japan has long been among the most inventive in the world, recognized for sustainability and infinite creativity. No fewer than seven Japanese architects have won the Pritzker Prize.
S M L XL, by Rem Koolhaas and Bruce Mau
S,M,L,XL presents a selection of the remarkable visionary design work produced by the Dutch firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture (O.M.A.) and its acclaimed founder, Rem Koolhaas, in its first twenty years, along with a variety of insightful, often poetic writings.
Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, by Robert Venturi
First published in 1966, and since translated into 16 languages, this remarkable book has become an essential document of architectural literature. A gentle manifesto for a nonstraightforward architecture, Venturi's Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture expresses in the most compelling and original terms the postmodern rebellion against the purism of modernism.
A Pattern Language, by Christopher Alexander
You can use this book to design a house for yourself with your family; you can use it to work with your neighbors to improve your town and neighborhood; you can use it to design an office, or a workshop, or a public building. And you can use it to guide you in the actual process of construction. After a ten-year silence, Christopher Alexander and his colleagues at the Center for Environmental Structure are now publishing a major statement in the form of three books which will, in their words, "lay the basis for an entirely new approach to architecture, building and planning, which will we hope replace existing ideas and practices entirely."
The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs
In this classic text, Jane Jacobs set out to produce an attack on current city planning and rebuilding and to introduce new principles by which these should be governed. The result is one of the most stimulating books on cities ever written.
Delirious New York, by Rem Koolhaas
Rem Koolhaas's celebration and analysis of New York depicts the city as a metaphor for the incredible variety of human behavior. At the end of the nineteenth century, population, information, and technology explosions made Manhattan a laboratory for the invention and testing of a metropolitan lifestyle -- "the culture of congestion" -- and its architecture.
Form, Space, and Order, by Francis D.K. Ching
Ching starts with the most basic elements of geometry–points, lines, planes, volumes–and demonstrates how they can be combined and organized to create architectural forms. For more than forty years, the beautifully illustrated Architecture: Form, Space, and Order has served as the classic introduction to the basic vocabulary of architectural design. The updated and revised Fourth Edition features the fundamental elements of space and form and is designed to encourage critical thought in order to promote a more evocative understanding of architecture. The informative illustrations give a clear description of the concepts throughout the book featuring sections on circulation, light, views, and site context, along with considerations of environmental factors, building codes, and contemporary examples of form, space, and order in a built environment .
The Architecture of Happiness, by Alain de Botton
In The Architecture of Happiness, bestselling author Alain de Botton explores one of our most intense but often hidden love affairs- with our houses and their furnishings. He asks- What makes a house truly beautiful? Why are many new houses so ugly? Why do we argue so bitterly about sofas and pictures - and can differences of taste ever be satisfactorily resolved? To answer these questions and many more, de Botton looks at buildings across the world, from medieval wooden huts to modern skyscrapers; he examines sofas and cathedrals, tea sets and office complexes, and teases out a host of often surprising philosophical insights. The Architecture of Happiness will take you on a beguiling tour through the history and psychology of architecture and interior design.
The Architecture of the Jumping Universe, by John Lobell
This text discusses the basic ideas of complexity and chaos theories and presents many examples of architecture based on these ideas in the work of leading architects - Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano, Charles Correa and Itsuko Hasegawa - along with ecological and organic designs.
The Architecture of the Well-Tempered Environment, by Reyner Banham
Reyner Banham was a pioneer in arguing that technology, human needs, and environmental concerns must be considered an integral part of architecture. No historian before him had so systematically explored the impact of environmental engineering on the design of buildings and on the minds of architects
The Image of the City, by Kevin Lynch
Why Buildings Stand Up, by Mario Salvadori
Between a nomad's tent and the Sears Tower lies a revolution in technology, materials, and structures. Here is a clear and enthusiastic introduction to buildings methods from ancient times to the present day, including recent advances in science and technology that have had important effects on the planning and construction of buildings: improved materials (steel, concrete, plastics), progress in antiseismic designs, and the revolutionary changes in both architectural and structural design made possible by the computer.
The Architecture of Light, by Mary Ann Steane
Considering an approach to environmental context that sees light as a critical aspect of place, this book explores current attitudes to natural light by offering a series of in-depth studies of recent projects and the particular lighting issues they have addressed. It gives a more nuanced appraisal of these lighting strategies by setting them within their broader topographic, climatic and cultural contexts.
Architect's Pocket Book (Routledge Pocket Books)
One of the most important books for an architecture student. This handy pocket book brings together a wealth of useful information that architects need on a daily basis – on-site or in the studio. It provides clear guidance and invaluable detail on a wide range of issues, from planning policy through environmental design to complying with Building Regulations, from structural and services matters to materials characteristics and detailing. This fifth edition includes the updating of regulations, standards and sources across a wide range of topics.
The Urban Sketcher: Techniques for Seeing and Drawing on Location
Experience life as only an artist can! Join the rapidly growing, international movement of artists united by a passion for drawing on location in the cities, towns and villages where they live and travel. Packed with art and advice from Marc Taro Holmes, artist and co-founder of Urbansketchers.org, this self-directed workshop shows you how to draw inspiration from real life and bring that same excitement into your sketchbook. Inside you’ll fi nd everything you need to tackle subjects ranging from still lifes and architecture to people and busy street scenes.
The Architecture of Change, by Jerilou Hammett and Maggie Wrigley
The Architecture of Change is a collection of articles that demonstrates the power of the human spirit to transform the environments in which we live. This inspiring book profiles people who refused to accept that things couldn't change, who saw the possibility of making something better and didn't hesitate to act.
Learning from Las Vegas, by Robert Venturi
A fascimile edition of the long-out-of-print large-format edition designed by design icon Muriel Cooper. Upon its publication by the MIT Press in 1972, Learning from Las Vegas was immediately influential and controversial. The authors made an argument that was revolutionary for its time-that the billboards and casinos of Las Vegas were worthy of architectural attention-and offered a challenge for contemporary architects obsessed with the heroic and monumental.
Architecture in a Climate of Change, by Peter Smithson
Revised to incorporate and reflect changes and advances since it was first published the new edition of Architecture in a Climate of Change provides the latest basic principals of sustainability and the future of sustainable technology.
A History of Architecture, by Spiro Kostof
When the late Spiro Kostof's A History of Architecture appeared in 1985, it was universally hailed as a masterpiece―one of the finest books on architecture ever written. Now, updated and expanded, this classic reference continues to bring to readers the full array of civilization's architectural achievements. Insightful, engagingly written, and graced with close to a thousand superb illustrations, the International Second Edition of this extraordinary volume offers a sweeping narrative that examines architecture as it reflects the social, economic, and technological aspects of human history.
The Architecture of Landscape, by Marc Treib
While we all live our lives in designed landscapes of various types, only on occasion do we consider what these landscapes mean to us and how they have acquired that significance. Can a landscape architect or garden designer really imbue new settings with meaning, or does meaning evolve over time, created by those who perceive and use these landscapes? What role does the selection and arrangement of plants and hard materials play in this process and just where does the passage of time enter into the equation?
The Architecture of Parking, by Simon Henley
This is the first comprehensive international survey of one of the most neglected but most important building types of the modern era: the parking garage. Four main chapters define the most influential aspects of parking design: elevations and façade; construction and materiality; the use of light; and experimentation. The books wide-ranging importance and detailed plans make it an indispensable and inspirational resource for students, professional architects, engineers, urban planners and developers.
World Architecture: The Masterworks, by Will Pryce
A world of beauty and genius is unveiled in over 350 photographs which take you on an epic journey celebrating the finest examples of architecture from over 2,000 years of civilization. Deftly splitting the history of architecture into two parts at AD1500, World Architecture: The Masterworks contains over 80 buildings, over 40 of which are featured in detailed photo essays. Will Pryce’s texts provide an extra dimension of understanding for the contexts, peoples and evolution of world architecture.
Detail in Contemporary Residential Architecture 2
Detail in Contemporary Residential Architecture 2 follows on from the success of the first book in the series, and contains entirely new projects. Featuring the work of renowned architects from around the world, this book presents 50 of the most recently completed and influential house designs. It also analyses both the technical and the aesthetic importance of details in modern residential architecture.
A World History of Architecture, Third Edition
A World History of Architecture updated with expanded coverage of twenty-first century architecture, this new edition uniquely comprises a detailed survey of Western architecture as well as architecture from the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, India, Russia, China and Japan. Significant revision also includes photographs and textual discussion of around 50 new buildings.
101 Things I Learned in Architecture School, by Matthew Frederick
101 Things I Learned in Architecture School is a concise lessons in design, drawing, the creative process, and presentation, from the basics of "How to Draw a Line" to the complexities of color theory. This is a book that students of architecture will want to keep in the studio and in their backpacks. It is also a book they may want to keep out of view of their professors, for it expresses in clear and simple language things that tend to be murky and abstruse in the classroom. These 101 concise lessons in design, drawing, the creative process, and presentation-from the basics of "How to Draw a Line" to the complexities of color theory-provide a much-needed primer in architectural literacy.
The Architecture Reference & Specification Book: Everything Architects Need To Know Every Day by Julia McMorrough
Most architectural standards references contain thousands of pages of details, overwhelmingly more than architects need to know to know on any given day. The updated and revised edition of Architecture Reference & Specification contains vital information that's essential to planning and executing architectural projects of all shapes and sizes, all in a format that is small enough to carry anywhere. It distills the data provided in standard architectural volumes and is an easy-to-use reference for the most indispensable--and most requested--types of architectural information.
The New Old House: Historic & Modern Architecture Combined by Marc Kristal
The New Old House: Historic & Modern Architecture Combined presents 18 private historic homes, from North America to Europe, and traces the ingenious ways architects have revitalized and refreshed them for a new generation.
We hope you have found this blog of the best architecture books helpful!
