Why architectural books? As you may already know from my site, my background is in architecture. Although DesignStop.Com's focus is far away from architecture, I thought I'd include a few selected architectural books. I did so because they are great books that even non-architectural types will love. If you want more architectural book recommendations , I can easily be encouraged to expand this page.

If you have a child or grandchild interested in a career in architecture and you want to incourage them - give them a copy of Christopher Alexander's The Pattern Language as reviewed below. More than any other architectural book, it will likely inspire them and teach them timeless values that the most artsy-fartsy architectural school won't erase. Consider yourself forewarned - the typical architectual school attempts to completely wipe and reformat a young student's mind ;^)

All the book links take you to amazon.com where you can read more thorough descriptions, read customer reviews, and safely purchase any of these great architectural books. If you haven't found something of interest here, check out this direct link to amazon.com's architecture/art/photography section.

A Pattern Language : Towns, Buildings, Construction by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein

If you aren't familiar with this great book you should be. I can't recommend it enough. I treasure my well-worn copy. This is the bible to many architects - the ones who believe there are timeless qualities that can be incorporated into our built environment. The book identifies "patterns" that put into words the ways of using space that are at the essence of who we are. Those patterns give us a way of clearly seeing qualities that we intrinsically appreciate when they are present. It is unfortunate that most contemporary building design fails to incorporate the patterns. If it did our built environment would be much more satisfying. This great book is a valuable tool for anyone interested in understanding the spaces in which we live and how to make them better.

It is very interesting to architects that the work of Alexander and his associates has recently been "discovered" by computer scientists interested in discovering the patterns in their own work. If you've heard of Alexander's work in this context and you want to learn more about his methods of identifying patterns I'd recommend his: Notes On The Synthesis Of Form.

Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander

This book actually was intended by Alexander to be read before his Pattern Language book. The timeless way of building reminds us that traditional and vernacular ways of doing things are deeply rooted. These timeless ways still have a tremendous influence on us. The book is a wonderful read that has the power of changing the way you look at the world.

The Past Is a Foreign Country by David Lowenthal

An amazing book. It isn't really an architectural book but I couldn't have done my M.Arch thesis without it. The book is about our relationship with the past. To say it is insightful would be an understatement. Lowenthal maps out the role the past has in contemporary culture and how that role has evolved and will continue to evolve. He explains that in essence we look at the past much like we perceive distant foreign countries. We romanticize each in very similar ways. I'm fascinated by this geographical-spatial metaphor. Reading this book not only illuminates our relationship with the past but with the future and other "places" we haven't yet been.

Although this book makes no mention of the internet, it seems to me we tend to use similar geographical/spatial metaphors to help us make sense of the internet. Remember a few years ago many people used to think of the net as a "void" . Given Prof. Lowenthal's academic background in geography, economics, and history, maybe I should suggest this as new area of research for him. Maybe he's interested in jumping on the internet bandwagon ... I'll try and send him an email and post his response here. Stay tuned ( and read his great book ).

Landscape in Sight : Looking at America by John Brinckerhoff Jackson, Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz (Editor

If you get a sense from my fondness of the above books that I enjoy books that help me to open my eyes and really see the world around me - you'd be right. This great book of essays by J.B. Jackson opens your eyes to the stories of the landscapes in which we live our lives. Every landscape has a story to tell if you tune in your senses. J.B. Jackson made it his life's work to help people experience what is often taken for granted.

A Light in the Field : Lighthouses, Fishery Buildings, Barns and Mills of Prince Edward Island by H. M. Scott Smith

I have a bias here. Scott Smith is a friend of mine. This is Scott's third book on Prince Edward Island's heritage architecture. His other books were on its houses and its churches. I actually worked on the illustrations for the house book back when I was a young pup.
This book highlights Scott's skill as an architectural photographer and writer. His focus is on the rural buildings usually overlooked in architectural discourse. It is these buildings that strongly contribute to making Prince Edward Island the special place it is.

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