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crucial books for a first-year student ?
Hey everybody, I am getting my Master's degree in Library Science and am working on a project that I could use your help with. (I did my M.Arch many years ago, so most of my resources are outdated.)
What books do you feel are crucial for a first-year architecture student? Are there any online databases that you think are similarly (or more) important?
Thank you!
Of course the following are my own opinions, and there are many, many books that should make it to this list, but a few that come to mind immediately are:
A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander (A book I have used from first year architecture school through to working in a firm today).
The American Vignola, a handbook on classical architecture.
The Architects Studio Companion
Get Your House Right
And possibly, if practicing in the States, Graphic Guide to Frame Construction. Understanding stick frame construction is essential if practicing in the States, especially if you ever plan to do anything residential.
I thought I would receive suggestions for newer books, but a lot of these were published before I went to architecture school over ten years ago. Super interesting. Thanks for your input!
yes, you would imagine there's been more "thought" about architecture in the past 20 years, but it hasn't. it's been only flashy parametrics and "iconic" franchises like the louvre and the guggenheim building with sheik's money.
I would add the neufert or american graphic standards to that list, it helped me a lot with dimensions of elements.
Design like you give a damn is a pretty good example of the architectural publications of the last decades, it shows a lot of good work, but there is no connecting thread or comprehensive analysis.
the kinds of books that teach young students how to think and live, like this:
CHING, obviously, Building Construction Illustrated, Architecture: Form, Space, & Order, and Architectural Graphics.
HARRIS, Dictionary of Architecture and Construction.
SALVADORI, Why Buildings Stand Up.
LEVY & SALVADORI, Why Buildings Fall Down.
WIGGINS, A Manual of Construction Documentation.
LEWIS, Architect?: A Candid Guide to the Profession.
RYBCZYNSKI, How Architecture Works: A Humanist's Toolkit, Looking Around: A Journey Through Architecture, Home: A Short History of an Idea, The Look of Architecture, City Life, and Makeshift Metropolis: Ideas About Cities.
NIETZSCHE (KAUFMANN, Ed), Basic Writings of Nietzsche and The Portable Nietzsche.
BOYD, Life's Little Deconstruction Book: Self-Help for the Post-Hip.
CAMUS, The Myth of Sisyphus.
WOLFE, From Bauhaus to Our House.
I haven't read de Botton's Architecture of Happiness yet, so can't quite recommend, but I have read some of his other work, so I have high hopes.
I could also cautiously recommend The Fountainhead, but only under guidance, to understand that Roark and Keating are BOTH examples of how not to be.
I'm glad you brought up Ching - he is at the top of my list, too
Any online databases? Favorite places to find images or inspiration? Just plain ol' Google Images...?
Sort of tangential to your question and possibly not relevant to your current project, but I would encourage every architect to start building a personal "look book" of inspirations gathered from whatever sources you get them from. This could be an old-fashioned physical "scrap-book" of clippings, a Pinterest, just a folder on your hard drive, or any number of other formats. Mine is here: ateliernobody.tumblr.com.
To answer your question a little more directly, I have found Tumblr to have a good number of architecture and design blogs to follow. I haven't dug into Pinterest for architecture, but I have found it useful for some other interests of mine.
I'd say follow all the architecture and design blogs/pages/streams or whatever they're called on all the social media platforms, then start curating your feed by cutting out the ones you don't find useful. Occasionally someone will post a list of "best" (or at least their personal favorite) blogs - these lists are a good place to start.
I’d say Koolhaas oeuvre in general, Deplazes’ Constructing Architecture, Atelier Bow Wow’s Pet Architecture and Graphic Anatomy, even Bjarke Ingels’ Yes Is More or Hot and Cold could be of some use...
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