25 Books That Every Architect and Architecture Lover Should Read

25 Books Every Architect and Architecture Lover Should Read

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Whether you’re an architect, architecture student, or just a big fan of all things design, books are some of the best ways to expand your knowledge of the built environment and “learn from the greats.” That’s why we have compiled 25 of our favorite books for architects and architecture lovers.

Many of these books are popular pieces about architecture theory that seriously influenced the profession and represent the manifestos of specific architectural movements—think Venturi, Scott Brown, and Izenour’s Learning from Las Vegas and its relationship to the Postmodern movement. We also included great resource books that show how architectural drawings can truly be works of art. If you love flipping through beautifully detailed drawings, you’ll love Manual of Section or even A Visual Dictionary to Architecture.

Plus, if you’re looking for a gift for an architecture lover in your life, they might be missing an architectural classic that would complete their library. In this case, we think famous titles like the revolutionary Le Corbusier’s Towards a New Architecture or Rem Koolhaas’ Delirious New York are some great choices.

Scroll down for a taste of our favorite architecture books to add to your collection, and be sure to check out My Modern Met's Bookshop and our architecture collection for even more great titles.

Keep scrolling to find 25 great books about architecture.

 

A Visual Dictionary of Architecture

 

The Architecture of Community

 

The Architecture of Happiness

 

The Architecture of the City

 

Black: Architecture in Monochrome

 

Cities for People

Cities for People - 25 Books Every Architect and Architecture Lover Should Read

Jan Gehl | $55

 

Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture

 

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

The Death an Life of Great American Cities - 25 Books Every Architect and Architecture Lover Should Read

Jane Jacobs | $16.51

 

Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan

 

Design Like You Give a Damn [2]: Building Change from the Ground Up

 

The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses

 

Experiencing Architecture

 

The Four Books on Architecture

 

The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings

Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings - 25 Books Every Architect and Architecture Lover Should Read

Marc Kushner | $15.63

 

In Praise of Shadows

 

Jutaku: Japanese Houses

Jutaku: Japanese Houses - 25 Books Every Architect and Architecture Lover Should Read

Naomi Pollock | $24.95

 

Learning from Las Vegas

 

Lo—TEK. Design by Radical Indigenism

 

Manual of Section

 

A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction

 

The Poetics of Space

 

The Ten Books on Architecture

Vitruvious The Ten Books of Architecture - 25 Books Every Architect and Architecture Lover Should Read

Vitruvius | $26.99

 

Towards a New Architecture

Towards a New Architecture - 25 Books Every Architect and Architecture Lover Should Read

Le Corbusier | $15.59

 

The Works: Anatomy of a City

The Works Anatomy of the City - 25 Books Every Architect and Architecture Lover Should Read

Kate Ascher | $24.84

 

Yes Is More: An Archicomic on Architectural Evolution

 

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Samantha Pires

Sam Pires is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She is also a freelance architectural designer. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from NJIT and is currently earning a Master in Architecture II from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Sam has design experience at multiple renowned architecture firms such as Gensler and Bjarke Ingels Group. She believes architecture should be more accessible to everyone and uses writing to tell unexpected stories about the built environment. You can connect with her online at @sampir.fi.
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