Archinect - Features

The Books You Should Read for Summer 2024, According to Leading Voices in Architecture

2024-05-29T16:41:00-04:00

Is your bookshelf ready for Summer? If not, we have you covered.

Continuing a recurring tradition, Archinect has reached out to notable figures across the architecture community who have been featured in our editorial over the past year, asking them what books they believe should be on your radar. The resulting list, in its own way, encapsulates the most important conversations taking place within architecture, design, and academia today, from inequality and conflict to labor and technology.

We hope you find some new inspiration in the titles below or, if you’ve exhausted our 2024 list, from our previous recommendations.

Archinect's 2023 Summer Reading List

2023-07-10T20:46:00-04:00

Summer is here, and whether you're on vacation or preparing for one or looking to lay low at home, a summer must is a good book. The Archinect team has curated a list of reading essentials to explore.

Below is a collection of books organized into five categories – New Releases, Books Every Student Should Read, Books for Motivation and Introspection, Books on Artificial Intelligence and Beyond, and Coffee Table Collectables. We've also included book suggestions from the Archinect team, Archinectors from our forum, and individuals we've interviewed in the last year.

Archinect's 2018 Summer Reading List

2018-07-10T09:01:00-04:00

Temperatures are rising, and for many, that might mean finding a good book for the beach or pool, while on the plane to a summer destination, or hiding away in an air-conditioned Starbucks. When talking to architects over the past few months, we've been asking for their current favorites. Whether it's a companion to the Venice Architecture Biennale or a deep dive into communal living, below you'll find a stellar list to supplement that already overflowing stack sitting on your shelves.

Archinect's Summer Reading List: recommendations from Steven Holl, Kate Wagner, Diana Agrest, Katya Tylevich, Jenny Sabin and Samuel Bravo

2017-07-26T15:36:00-04:00

The summer months are the ideal time to peruse a book from your beach towel, airplane seat, hotel bed, or more likely, the coffee shop you are hiding away from your unconditioned apartment at. From a novel starring an architect-protagonist to one about the Russian Revolution to architectural theory and a biography of the gene, here are some books to dive into this summer.

Archinect's Summer Reading + Listening List: Recommendations from Amale Andraos, Dora Epstein Jones, Jenna Didier, and Mimi Zeiger

2016-08-04T10:13:00-04:00

It turns out architecture folk don't really go for junk fiction when it comes to summer reading. Karl Ove Knausgaard makes another appearance, alongside classics by Albert Camus and Frantz Fanon, as well as some more architecture-specific reads. Here's what Amale Andraos, Dora Epstein Jones, Jenna Didier, and Mimi Zeiger are reading (and listening to) this summer—and why.

Archinect's Summer Reading + Listening List: Recommendations from Aaron Betsky, Jimenez Lai, Alan Loomis and Scott Merrill

2016-07-16T10:41:00-04:00

From vivid historical analysis to theoretically-driven essays on Rem Koolhaas to the mesmerizing stream of consciousness of Karl Ove Knausgaard, Aaron Betsky, Jimenez Lai, Alan Loomis and Scott Merrill spoke to Archinect about what they're reading (and listening to).

Here's a quick glimpse of the tenor and scope of their picks, just in time for summer.

Archinect's Summer Reading List: recommendations from Oana Stanescu of Family, Elaine Molinar and Craig Dykers of Snøhetta, and Jorge Otero-Pailos

2016-07-07T08:39:00-04:00

With temperatures climbing and vacations on the horizon, it’s time to stock up on summer reads. When talking to architects over the past few months, we’ve been asking for their book recommendations—to bring to the beach, to distract from the sweltering heat of the subway, or just to edify. Here’s a few of them.