Best Architecture Books for Architects an Students

Architecture is a creative career. The flash of an innovative and practical concept will come and pass, but perseverance often comes through the assistance of architectural books and design papers.

The art of architecture remains alive, whether it's a boat, a house, a raft, or a campfire. It's only the technical part that needs to be understood. This article gives you a list of books architects should read as a part of their studies or while planning to advance in their professional journey.

Note: Architects can find architectural clients and leads and market on Archicheq.com. Sign up as an architect for free.

Architecture books for beginners

1. Architectural Graphic Standards by Dennis J. Hall

This vast volume is considered a kind of Bible for architects and students of architecture alike and documents almost every design aspect used in a building.

2. The Elements of Style by Calloway, Powers, and Cromley

This book deals with the architecture of buildings and the proportioning structures arranged in an aesthetic style. The case study is systematic and chronologically displayed from ancient to the current architectural designs.

3. Architecture: a Very Short Introduction

This book by Andrew Ballantyne is a textbook of the history of architecture that tells you about the evolution of this field in the simplest possible way.

Related article: Top 15 Architecture Blogs, Magazines - Articles & Designs

Best architect biographies

4. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

This New Yorker’s biography by Walter Isaacson about the polymath Renaissance guy, Leonardi da Vinci is a must-read tale of an exhilarating mind and life." The book is a must-read account for every designer.

5. Powerhouse, The Life and Work of Architect Judith Chafee By Christopher Domin, Kathryn McGuire

This is one of the best books for architecture enthusiasts as it is an account of the American Modernist architect Judith Chafee, who collaborated with some of the greatest artists the twentieth century before beginning her decade-long career in the field of architecture.

6. Thomas Jefferson, Architect: Palladian Models, Democratic Principles, and the Conflict of Ideals by Mabel O. Wilson

The book gives a nuanced perspective to the career of Founding Father as an architect and questions the contradictions between Jefferson's ideas of freedom and his acceptance of slavery, a disconnect "most poignantly reflected in a plan to keep slaved workers invisible and open to his academical village at the University of Virginia,"

Architecture design books

7. 50 Architects 50 Buildings by Pamela Buxton

In this book, 50 modern architects chose buildings worldwide that inspired them and influenced their work. Architectural journalist Pamela Buxton interviewed each architect to produce these excellent portraits of modern buildings. The book contains various buildings of inspiration, from residential property to palaces, coal mines, and cathedrals. This wondrously crafted book all architects should read as it gives tremendous insight into the power and incredible effect of current architecture on the spaces we are creating today.

8. A Field Guide to American Houses By Virginia Savage McAlester

This book on American architecture is for every house lover, house buyer, or weekend passerby. It identifies different types of American domestic architecture.

9. Architecture: A World History By Daniel Borden, Jerzy Elzanowski, Joni Taylor, Stephanie Tuerk

Architecture: With 600 illustrations, this pocket-sized book is one of the best architecture books, which comprises significant architectural trends, timelines exploring the development of architectural practices and biographies of the great architects.

10. Modern Architecture by Kenneth Frampton

This well-written book by Kenneth Frampton explores the masterpiece of contemporary architecture that humans constructed in the 20th- and 21st-century. Sydney Opera House in Australia, new skyscrapers such as the Petronas and Burj khalifa are very distinct in portraying the contemporary world’s architectural style.

Related post: Top 30 Questions Architects Ask Clients

Best architecture books every student should read

11. 101 Things I Learned in Architecture by Mathew Frederick

This book gives 101 succinct lessons in construction, drawings, and creativity, making it straightforward for architecture students to understand. Every architecture student should read this book during their course of studies.

12. Form, Space & Order by Francis D.K Ching

This most recommended architecture book is a key to all sorts of designs. It includes a thorough analysis of the details, aesthetics, and, above all, the general study of the product. You can also download Ching’s architecture book pdf from various online sources.

13. Complexity and contradiction at 50

This book consists of ten essays and a collection of original papers dealing with different topics, including the book’s connection to Venturi’s work and its relevance in the contemporary context.

Best books for aspiring interior designers

14. Spatial Strategies for Interior Design

This is ideal for graduates or those interested in pursuing an interior design career. This book provides more information on how to interact with a building's heritage, using history as a narrative for the interior of a building.

15. Interiors: The Greatest Rooms of the Century by Phaidon Editors

There is no reason to look beyond interior design when getting inspired from Interiors: The Greatest Rooms of the Century. Covering more than 400 rooms from all over the world and representing the works of around 300 artists, the book showcases renowned designers such as Billy Baldwin, Karim Rashid, Bill Blass and Peggy Guggenheim.

16. On Decorating by Mark Hampton

It is the best book on architecture and design by one of the most renowned interior designers ever, Mark Hampton, who has left his mark throughout the world.

Best construction books

17. Construction Business Management by Nick Ganaway

The book of Ganaways discusses vital aspects, such as managing contracts, ensuring you receive the payment, handling logistical tasks, appropriate promotion and licensing, and more. 

18. Running a Successful Construction Company

The experience of David Gerstel shows you do not need an MBA, and his book gives more insight into the same thing. This is one of the best construction books to read as it teaches you how to choose suitable jobs, place relevant bids and compose solid contracts.

19. Starting Your Career as a Contractor by Claudia Fatu

This book will help you build a company structure, understand what you need for your business insurance, brand your organization, and overcome law and accounting challenges.

20. Contractor’s Survival Guide by Jason Reid

Reid's book also offers a worksheet to assist you in the process of branding. Reid's book teaches time management, building connections with clients and employees, expenditure management, and many more.

I hope that this collection of the best architecture books was useful. Do you know of more books that you would want us to add to the list? Contact us to submit your feedback, and we would be pleased to add your recommendation to our list of architecture books.

Thank you for reading!

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