Everyone loves to read a great book over the holidays, especially people who care about their minds as much as your architect/designer friends! Here are six books that were published this year that might interest them:
Renzo Piano: Complete Works, 1966-2014 – This book explores the wind-ranging works of the master architect who designed Pompidou Center, the New York Times Building, and the 72-story London Bridge Tower. It also includes new photos of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Kimbell Art Museum Expansion in Fort Worth, Texas, and a preview of the Valletta City Gate in Valletta, Malta. The attraction of Piano’s work is his diversity of style. As he himself said, “One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again.”
LEGO Architecture: The Visual Guide – Do you know someone who grew up building LEGO houses and became an architect or builder? That person will love this book, which dives deeply into the people and processes behind the LEGO Architecture series. The book profiles the LEGO artists and builders who created the famed series, and is loaded with photos. The book provides a comprehensive look at how the LEGO Architecture series came to be.
America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools 2014 – This book is ideal for a high school student or career changer who is seriously considering architecture school. This is the 14th annual edition. It analyzes architecture and design programs across the United States, including a list of the 20 best architecture schools, 15 best landscape design schools, 10 best interior design schools, and 10 best industrial design schools.
Constructing Worlds: Photography and Architecture – This book examines the relationship between architecture and photography and features the work of 18 influential artists from the 1930s to now. The book is arranged chronologically and by photographer, spanning the time from the birth of the skyscraper to urbanization of Asia. It includes 220 color and duotone images.
The Urban Sketching Handbook: Architecture and Cityscapes: Tips and Techniques for Drawing on Location – Does someone on your gift list like to sketch? She will enjoy this book by award-winning illustrator Gabriel Campanario, which drills down into specific challenges of making sketches on-location. Campanario provides advice that makes drawing architecture and cityscapes fun and rewarding.
The Best American Infographics 2014 – Design and statistics meet in this book, which describes the amazing and informative world of infographics. Forget the boring pie charts and bar graphs you see in every PowerPoint presentation; instead imagine complex concepts presented imaginatively with color, drawings, and lines, all backed up by data.