Top 10 Best Architecture Books Updated 04 /2024

It is a tradition for WAC to choose books from WAC Books each year that cover a wide range of topics, from architecture, interior design, history, theory, urbanism, and the circular economy.

Giulia Foscari and UNLESS's DAM Architecture Book Award winner Antarctic Resolution is on our list. It looks at the continent's "geography, unparalleled scientific potential, and current geopolitical significance." Philipp Meuser and Adil Dalbai's Sub-Saharan Africa: Architectural Guide looks at the south of the Sahara with 850 selected buildings and 200 thematic articles.

See our huge collection of architecture books, and pick your favorite one from the list below to add to your collection.

Antarctic Resolution byGiulia Foscari (Editor), UNLESS (Editor)

The 992-page book uses scientific data and a lot of research to come up with a detailed master plan for Antarctica. Lars Müller Publishers made the book, and it focuses on the coastal towns that could be washed away by rising sea levels caused by humans.

The book was given the DAM Architectural Book Award 2021 at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2021. It includes a variety of written texts, photos, and data-based visual portfolios. It looks at how we could make a larger-scale master plan and "show the intricate web of growing economic and strategic interests and tensions, which are hidden by darkness as the continent is for six months of the year."

Napoli Super Modern by Benoit Jallon (Editor), Umberto Napolitano (Editor), Cyrille Weiner (Photographer), Maxime Enrico (Contributor), Gianluigi Freda (Contributor), Irene Lettieri (Contributor), Andrea Maglio (Contributor)

The 262-page book, which was written by Park Books, is about Naples's modern construction. Cyrille Weiner, a well-known French photographer, took 50 new photos for the book. It talks about Naples' individuality and how it has changed over time.

Images and drawings of important architectural details from the past are also shown in the book, as well as an atlas of eighteen important buildings built between 1930 and 1960. These buildings are shown on the atlas with site and floor plans, elevations, and sections.

Another award the book won was called the DAM Architectural Book Award 2021. It was given at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2021.

Ailing Cities: The History, Assessment, And Remedy For Urbanization In Ghana by Kwaku L. Keddey (Author)

It takes a look at the history of Ghana and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa that have problems with cities and infrastructure.

The book, which was written by Applied Research & Design, was mostly written "to teach and start a conversation with people of all backgrounds about environmental sustainability, architecture, urban planning, and design."

"Ailing Cities covers important topics that will help the reader understand how individuals and communities can make long-term changes in their communities," says the book's blurb.

 Sub-Saharan Africa: Architectural Guide by Philipp Meuser (Editor), Adil Dalbai (Editor)

The book, which came out in 7 volumes, looks at different parts of architecture in the south of the Sahara and how they work. First of its kind: Published by DOM Publishers, it's the first book on architecture in South Africa that "pays attention to the region's many buildings."

Over seven volumes, the readers read 49 chapters that each focus on a country. More than 350 authors from Africa and around the world come together to make a work of art.

Sandfuture by Justin Beal (Author)

Sandfuture looks into the life and work of architect Minoru Yamasaki, who died in 1986. Even though his work had a huge impact on American architecture and society, he hasn't been talked about much in history.

He was the person who built the most famous projects, the Pruitt-Igoe apartments in St. Louis and the original World Trade Center in New York, which were both destroyed on national TV. This makes his lack of fame even more remarkable.

As New York changes after years of terrorism and natural disasters, Sandfuture is also a book about an artist who questions the role of art and architecture in culture.

The 256-page book was written by The MIT Press and was published by The MIT Press

Mid-Century Britain: Modern Architecture 1938–1963 by Elain Harwood (Author)

The author looks at the best way to see British architecture from 1938 to 1963 – mid-century buildings. It's a 288-page book, and it focuses on the 1950s in a unique way. Poetic language is mixed with full-size photos.

The book, which was written by Batsford, talks about important buildings like the Royal Festival Hall, Newcastle City Hall, and Deal Pier and Douglas Ferry Terminal, as well as prefabs and ice cream parlours. It also talks about Coventry Cathedral and the Golden Lane Estate.

The Architecture Of Waste: Design For A Circular Economy by Caroline O'Donnell (Editor), Dillon Pranger (Editor)

The book looks at the world's waste problem from many different angles, including cultural psyches, politics, economics, manufacturing, marketing, and material science.

Climate change and the irreversible destruction of some used materials make us think about how we recycle and make things in architecture and design again. The 306-page book, which also talks about material-object and the circular economy, gives a detailed look at the subject from a historical, materialistic, and design perspective.

The Architecture of Waste is a book by Routledge that has more than 150 color images and written texts for both professionals and students. "The book is meant to be a source of information for architects who want to question the traditional role of the architect and push the discipline to address urgent material issues in the larger design process."

Kuma. Complete Works 1988–Today by Philip Jodidio (Editor), Kengo Kuma (Artist)

Kengo Kuma, a well-known Japanese architect, has written a new book about some of his best and most impressive projects, like the Japan National Stadium, the V&A Dundee, the Great (Bamboo) Wall house, and The Exchange.

The 460-page book, which was published by Taschen, has 500 illustrations. It shows photos, sketches, and plans that show how Kuma's innovative world is matched with his strong material approach.

Kengo Kuma was a guest architect for WAC's Live Interview Series in November, and he talked about his work in person. Check out Kengo Kuma's live talk on WAC's Instagram feed videos.

The New Normal by Benjamin H. Bratton (Editor), Nicolay Boyadjiev (Editor), Nick Axel (Editor)

This is the first major book from Strelka's The New Normal program, which is the institute's most ambitious research project. It focuses on research and design for Moscow, and it looks at how new technologies can help people work together on urban design projects.

The 548-page book is part of a project called The New Normal that aims to look into how planetary-scale computation will affect the future of cities both in Russia and around the world.

It was written by Benjamin H. Bratton and published by Park Books, and it includes 22 projects that were part of the research. "Alongside are seventeen lavishly illustrated contributions by international researchers and designers that outline the wider scope of The New Normal program's output, held together by concise thematic texts."

Living In Mexico. 40th Edition (Multilingual Edition) by Barbara & René Stoeltie (Author), Angelika Taschen (Editor)

Living in Mexico takes the reader into a rich and bold Mexican architecture that is full of bold colors, vibrant patterns, and simple and rustic spaces, all in the style of the country itself.

If you want to learn about Costa Careyes and the Yucatán Peninsula, a book by Taschen is for you. It includes 432-pages of full-size photos that will surprise or inspire you.

Many traditional Mexican homes are shown in the book, including the home of architect Luis Barragán, a 16th-century hacienda that has been restored, and a Mayan thatched-roof dwelling. Readers see how the country's vibrantly diverse palette of textures and hues is revealed through the contrast of styles.

---