I’ve never been one to throw out or resell books. I still have everything from the college courses that I’ve taken.
Much of my library has been converted to Apple Books or Kindle. My last flirtation with compressing life and prepping for ‘living small’ was to digitize my media library, to allow me to keep it, but prepare for mobility – down to be ability to maintain information with the smallest footprint possible.
In the interest of full disclosure, I started an affiliation account with Amazon, and many if not all of the links contained on this page will be pointed at the Amazon website. At the time that I’m writing this – I’m without an income – so if you’re so inclined – please click away.
As I go through this exercise, cataloging the physical library – I’m seeing a pattern emerge. 20 year old books on emerging technology – which are all part of practice now. Experimental devotion to an emerging type of construction, using tools that by today’s standard are already approaching being out-dated. While the ‘radical concepts’ have grown to become mainstream thought and practice, having a solid foundation of the principles through history is always worth it. The educational base is, as always, rooted in history, philosophy and movements. There are examples of all in the list of the texts below, books from school, books gathered over the years to fit with one philosophy or another, and plenty of source material for project types, practice, programming, design idea resources.
I came across David Macaulay’s books in the middle school library. The drawings sucked me in. I wanted everything associated with this type of drawing and making. I can credit David with planting the seeds of wonder, for a kid who already loved to draw.
The illustrations contained in David’s books launched an interest in architectural drawings and illustrations. City, Castle & Cathedral were arguably the books that started it all, before I was really aware of architecture as a career field.
If you’ve got a young one around who falls asleep next to their sketchbooks with dreams of doodles and illustrations – this series, started me on a lifelong path of drawing, building, and detailing. I highly suggest ordering David’s books.
Everyone loves architectural sketches, and that includes architects. Whether you chose to believe it or not – its a learned skill like any other. I know, I know. Shut up, no way, I can’t do that, right? If you’re curious to know the methods, this is your book. Fundamentally – its not that much different from a straight ‘How to sketch’ book, but Ching emphasizes layout, scale, proportion, shading and all of the elements for the staple of design communication – sketching what you see.
All those great illustrations, and Form Space & Order breaks down basic design elements, and hierarchy. Ching’s books are well organized & packed with information and examples.
Architectural Graphics goes thru a step-by-step explanation of drawing tools, techniques, and explanations of how and what each of these drawings mean and should represent. Buy it for the up front knowledge – keep it for the great illustrations. This applies to all of Frank’s books. In print, I have the hand-lettered editions. Digitally, the collection is more current, and I love both of them.
Building Construction Illustrated is a continuation of the other series, with greater detail and explanation of basic construction systems & how the forces work within these structures.
This one was a textbook for a 200 Level course, which I still reference to this day. Illustrated with typical details for construction – pretty great graphic representations of working drawings and line weights. For typical detailing means/methods this book is well worth having around for beginners or industry veterans.
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I picked this up just for the whimsy of having an architectural pop-up book. As a kid, I always wanted one and thought the concept was pretty cool. This one was an impulse buy, and its pretty cool.
I purchased this book as part of an urban studies/design course I was involved in when I first entered college. We got a walk-thru of the material and methods from someone employed at HOK, and utilized this process and presented the programming of a cultural center. I’ve since recommended this or versions of this to various firms that I’ve worked for to help nail down the elusive program & budget that’s seemed to be missing from most of the projects that I’ve worked on.
I picked this up when I started doing more retail & residential work, and it was a great find. Custom displays, details, great illustrations, physical models… This book is filled with great examples of Jaklitsch/Gardner’s design work and I’ve enjoyed flipping thru the 10 year’s worth of pages for a little jog to the creative center of the brain.
Rem Koolhaas’ & OMA’s collection of projects & writings from the first 20 years of the firm. Arranged, as the title selects – by project scale. This is one of those ‘base library’ books that nearly every architect that I know of has on their shelf, and its been on mine.
Admittedly, I’m still a little skeptical of Bjarke’s work but you can’t argue with results. I’ve perused the pages of this one, both physically and digitally a good many times. It offers insight and inspiration while challenging the convention of either utilitarian or utopian project types to flirt with a third option. Although currently he’s trying to redesign the planet Earth, so… Definitely worth the purchase.
As a huge fan of SHoP Architects, since college this book is frequently on my desk rather than the bookshelf. It contains 6 projects and the firm’s explorations of how they approach design, technology and finance in their architecture projects.
A collection of theoretical works of Michado & Silvetti, they explore buildings, public works,
This book came out of the Vienna Architecture Conference in 1992, and the essays and interviews discuss where contemporary architecture fits in modern society, with those producing it. Its a pretty great record of having that many starchitects in one place discussing the impact of architecture on the changing society. I wouldn’t mind seeing this repeated with current thinkers.
Before the tiny house thing started to get exposure, I always explored the ideas of small buildings, follies, pavilions and other expressive small-scale projects. As the title suggests – this book is a great source for exactly that type of project.
Great book on how computation can be applied to art and generative design – complete with source codes to get you started. The pages themselves are well laid out
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Great compact photo book on minimalism and full of examples and design ideas.
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Another of those reference books that were purchased many years ago that are just nice to have around. Similar to the Ching books, it’s a chapter and verse into architectural graphics and developing a basic interior design document set.
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Sadly, this one isn’t being published anymore, but I was lucky enough to grab one to navigate the world of start-ups and business models. Sadly, I didn’t minor at the school of business even though it was across the street on campus.
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Each one of these books was/is a great read to throw into a bag for traveling or reading virtually anywhere. In the pre-iPad times, it made for a great way to pass time and learn of the age to come. Now they serve as little time capsules of the level of thinking that created our current realities. Some more dense reading than others – I wouldn’t mind if digital publishers did more of this. A short-story series on where the industry is going, and the architectural theory driving it.
Digital Gehry takes a look at Gehry’s digital practice and its ability to redefine the role of the architect as “master builder” by using the model to aid in construction.
Digital Eisenman touches on all aspects of his career to date and the impact that digital design has had on his office. Many examples of his works.
Digital Design addresses the coming changes to digital design in all aspects. Graphics, Product, and the changing landscape of the new tools.
Hyper Architecture explores the transformation from avant garde architecture and thinking of the 40s, into the new more virtual realms. Puglisi uses modern architecture examples to study their virtual realism.
Exploring the transition of architecture into the virtual realm and the proposing a new language to translate the organic and virtual to the physical.
Exploring communication as the essential cornerstone of design awareness. The screen is our paper in this new narrative space, and how that is reflected in architecture that contains multiple layers of meaning.
Exploring the concepts of introducing human knowledge and nature into art. Brandur gets into German compositions, non-repeating elements and broadening perspectives. It’s a pretty heavy read on these ideas.
Explorations of the ‘new realm’ of digital design from 10 different projects/firms taken from the late 90s. Great read about the concepts and principles of digital forms and computational design.
This one outlines the benefits of BIM, ideas about building design automation, and advancements to allow energy modeling in the exterior envelope. You never know where something you’ve read 20 years ago will becoming commonplace.
This is a quick read on an exploration of surface and flatness as surface becomes the focus in digital design.
The step-by-step exploration of the design process from the perspective of IT. The second half of the book explores interactive sensors and the logic of the new environment.
Quick read on the architecture of the internet and traditional basis of the ‘new media’. Some of these have become snapshots of the recent past. This was merely 19 years ago.
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Greg Lynn, the godfather of the ‘blobject’ and a few early collected work samples of topological reformation to animate what otherwise are static building expreseeions. For everyone hacking together a Grasshopper graph to loft a surface and create fluid geometry for a building – this is one of the places where that started. After attending a friend’s thesis presentation at Columbia University for Greg’s class – I was, of course, captivated by playing with these new forms of expression and seemingly limitless paths of inspiration from which to draw, and express in built form.
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The beginning titles listed below largely came from my entry into architecture school, and assigned readings. This entire list stems from these beginnings. If anyone is curious about history, or would like a deeper understanding of proportion, reason, and the progression of why architecture is the way that it is – history & theory books are the place to start.
A basic staple of architecture education, I read this taking the Architecture 100 lecture class. This book serves as a primer for understanding of the history of the profession and an understanding of the influences of classical techniques and style that extend from thousands of years ago to today.
This is another primer on architectural history, that was at the front end of my library and education. written by John Ruskin who was considered the foremost authority on architectural history in the 1800s.
I have the hardcover version of this – also purchased as part of my ARCH100/101 education. Wittkower explores Palladio & Alberti and their dedication to find the harmony of nature expressed in proportions in their works.
Another of my textbooks and part of a two-volume set, this book is a survey covering American architecture from Jamestown to the American Revolution.
Book II in the collection covering the growth and development of America’s built environment and the stylistic progression of architecture.
I picked this up from the architecture school bookstore around 1998. Published in 1980, its now a ‘classic’ but its a great read on architectural theory and the relationships between people and the places they inhabit.
Containing 6 different ‘paper architecture’ projects from young architects, (1972-1988) that would reach levels of international fame (Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis, Peter Eisenman, Bernard Tschumi, Daniel Libeskind and Thom Mayne) with introductory and commentaries on each of the projects by Jeffrey Kipnis and Terence Riley.
A collection of essays and excerpts from 48 pivotal writings on architectural theory in the late 20th Century, and offered chronologically by the year the articles were written – you can track theoretical thought and reflection of architecture over 30 years. If you’re looking for a deep dive & intellectual discourse on architectural theory – I recommend it.
I picked this up from the architecture school bookstore as well. Not as dense as ‘Since 68’, it covers a lot in the modern and postmodern realms of architecture. It’s a great tool to explore creating from a more phenomenological approach to design.
Le Corbusier’s book is one of those essential library items that’s an essential read. Whether you agree or disagree with the answers he poses to his questions – its a great addition to any architect or historians bookshelf.
In an effort to get a greater understanding of deconstruction, I turned to Mark Wigely’s (GSAPP Dean) to bridge between philosophy & design. Its a great read and lead to further studies of Derrida, Heideger, Gilles Deleuze and others.
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City Lights was a textbook that was utilized by an urban studies course, taken at the first university I attended. Its a comprehensive analysis of urban life, the genesis of cities as centers of trade, defensible spaces, place-making, sociology, the political forces, and fragmentations that are behind how and why things are they way they are.
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