Hundreds of free pdf books on architecture and architecture history. Subject collections and recommended titles. Medieval buildings section. City planning, urban design. Free architecture library.
Table of contents
- Book Collections on Architecture and Architecture History
- More Collections of Free Books on Architecture Topics
- Suggested Books on Architecture and Architecture History
- Open Access (Free Download) Architecture Textbooks
- Vintage Architecture Books
- Book Collections on Medieval Buildings
- Suggested Books on Medieval Buildings
- Related Pages on Century Past
Book Collections on Architecture and Architecture History
Architecture, General : Search Results at Internet Archive – Free Architecture Library
Some book titles: Building Victorian Boston; Interpreting the Renaissance; Design on the Edge.
Architecture, General : Search Results at Open Library – History of Architecture Books PDF
About 1,000 free books. Some book titles: Tales of Two Cities: Paris, London and the Birth of the Modern City; Exploring Vancouver: the Architectural Guide; Interior Finishes and Fittings for Historic Building Conservation.
Domestic Architecture Books : Search Results at Internet Archive – Free Architecture Library
Free domestic architecture pdf books. Some book titles: Ultimate Book of Home Plans; Look Around a Roman Villa; 150 Best House Ideas.
Domestic Architectural Books : Search Results at Open Library – History of Architecture Books PDF
About 2,340 free domestic architecture pdf books. Some book titles: Architects’ Houses; the Tudor Home; the Sustainable Asian House.
Church Architecture Books : Search Results at Internet Archive – History of Architecture Books PDF
PDF books on architecture of churches. Some book titles: England’s Country Churches; How to Read Churches; Washington National Cathedral.
Church Architecture Books : Search Results at Open Library – Free Architecture Library
About 1,350 free pdf books on architecture of churches. Some book titles: Houses of Worship; Churches of Pakistan; Liturgy and Architecture from the Early Church to the Middle Ages.
Landscape Architecture : Search Results at Internet Archive – History of Architecture Books PDF
Books on landscape architecture. Some book titles: Creative Careers: Landscape Designer; Gardening with Rock and Water; Google SketchUp for Site Design.
Landscape Architecture : Search Results at Open Library – History of Architecture Books PDF
About 1,300 free books on landscape architecture. Some book titles: Rain Gardens; Envisioning the Garden; Greening Cities, Growing Communities: Urban Community Gardens in Seattle.
History of Architecture PDF : Search Results at Internet Archive – Free Architecture Library
PDF history of architecture books. Some book titles: The History of Architecture; Pyramids, Pillars and Palaces: a Visual History of Architecture; Architecture: the Groundbreaking Moments.
History of Architecture PDF : Search Results at Open Library – History of Architecture Books PDF
About 4,300 free pdf history of architecture books. Some book titles: Beyond the Supersquare Art Architecture in Latin America after Modernism; Heritage Salvage; Transition in Architecture.
Modern Architecture PDF : Search Results at Internet Archive – Free Architecture Library
Free modern architecture books. Some book titles: Future Architecture: 100 Buildings; Big Buildings of the Modern World; Talk about Contemporary Architecture.
Modern Architecture PDF : Search Results at Open Library – History of Architecture Books PDF
Modern architecture books free. Some book titles: 10 Buildings that Changed America; New Japan Architecture: Recent Works by the World’s Leading Architects. Famous 20th century architects pdf.
Architecture, 21st Century : Search Results at Open Library
Free pdf books on architecture. Some book titles: 21st Century Design; China Contemporary; Interiors Architecture.
Islamic Architecture Books PDF : Search Results at Internet Archive – History of Architecture Books PDF
Free books on Islamic architecture. Some book titles: Art and Architecture in the Islamic Tradition; Taj Mahal; Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture.
Islamic Architecture Books PDF : Search Results at Open Library
About 190 free pdf books on Islamic architecture. Some book titles: The Alhambra and Granada in Focus; Architecture and Polyphony: Building in the Islamic World Today; Islamic Aesthetics: an Introduction.
Folkscanomy Online Collection of Architecture Books
Folkscanomy
Internet Archive Dewey Dec. 720.9
This is a diverse, hand-picked selection of 600 free online books about architecture, with an emphasis on recent work. Included are books about construction, landscape design, sustainable design, earthquake engineering, green building, ecological homes, residential architecture in particular countries, and office buildings. Not all are in English.
Buildings Books – Collection – History of Architecture Books PDF
Thousands of pdf books about buildings. Some book titles: A History of Buildings from Huts to Highrise, Modern Schoolhouses – with plans and illustrations, Antigua Guatemala – the city and its heritage, Repair and Remodel Cost Book, 1001 Buildings You Must See before You Die, Contextual Architecture, Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings, Amazing Buildings, The Real Estate Manager’s Technical Glossary, Library Buildings, Sustainable Buildings in Practice, Super Structures, Embassies of Washington, California’s Missions and Presidios, Bed & Breakfast Encyclopedia, Moscow Revealed, A View of Original Toronto, many more.
Books on Architecture and Houses in American History – Collection – Free Architecture Library
Books from the Internet Archive free online on Architecture in American History. Some book titles: American houses in History, A History of American Dwellings, The American Porch, A Concise History of American Architecture, Romanticism and American Architecture, Contemporary American Architects, Great American Gardens, Frank Lloyd Wright, A Building History of Northern New England, American Vernacular Interior Architecture 1870-1940, American Synagogues, Alexander Jackson Davis, Gothic Revival, Great Glass in American Architecture, many more.
Historic Buildings Books – Collection – Free Architecture Library
Free books on historic buildings from the Internet Archive. Some books: Historic Portsmouth – Early Photographs, The Old South, Historic Australia, New England Gallery, Historic Homes and Sites of Revolutionary America, Historic Houses of the Hudson Valley, Richmond Homes and Memories, Colonial Williamsburg, Preserving London, Respectful Rehabilitation, Cyclical Maintenance for Historic Buildings, Great House of American History, many more. Architecture through the ages book free.
Collection of American Historic Periodicals on Architecture & Urban Planning
Architecture & Urban Planning Periodicals 1899-1918
This free online collection at Hathi Trust contains numerous issues of many titles related to architecture and urban planning, and also coverage of transportation networks and urban infrastructure.
More Collections of Free Books on Architecture Topics
More Free Books at Internet Archive on Architecture Topics
Architectural decoration and ornament
Architecture – Composition, proportion, etc.
Architecture – Conservation and restoration
Architecture – Designs and plans
Suggested Books on Architecture and Architecture History
The Poetics of Space – Free Architecture Library
Bachelard, Gaston
Penguin 2014
Guiding us through a stream of meditations on poetry, art, and the blooming of consciousness itself, Bachelard examines the domestic places that shape and hold our dreams and memories. Houses and rooms; cellars and attics; drawers, chests, and wardrobes; nests and shells; nooks and corners: No space is too vast or too small to be filled by our thoughts and our reveries. In Bachelard’s enchanting spaces, “We are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost.”
LibraryThing Reviews – The Poetics of Space
See the Menu at the top of every page for Directories of Free Online Fiction and NonFiction Books, Magazines, and more, on 400 pages like this at Century Past
100 More of the World’s Best Houses – History of Architecture Books PDF
Beaver, Robyn, ed.
Images 2005 Dewey Dec. 720.9
“100 fabulous architect-designed houses from around the world. We’ve found some remarkable homes, tucked away in off-the-beaten-track locations like Dakar, Senegal; Ko Samui, Thailand; the Brazilian countryside; Shanghai, China; Andalusia, Spain; and in more well-travelled locations, including the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Brazil, Finland, Mexico, Europe, and Japan. Each of the 100 featured houses is described in the architect’s words, accompanied by superb architectural photography and in most cases, plans that assist in a comprehensive understanding of each project.” -Publisher. Architecture, Domestic — Pictorial works, Interior architecture — Designs and plans, Architecture / Buildings / Residential. Architecture styles book free.
The Architecture of Happiness
de Botton, Alain
Vintage 2008
A dazzling and generously illustrated journey through the philosophy and psychology of architecture and the indelible connection between our identities and our locations.One of the great but often unmentioned causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kinds of walls, chairs, buildings, and streets that surround us. And yet a concern for architecture is too often described as frivolous, even self-indulgent. Alain de Botton starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences who we can be, and argues that it is architecture’s task to stand as an eloquent reminder of our full potential.
LibraryThing Reviews – The Architecture of Happiness
A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture – Free Architecture Library
Curl, James Stevens
Oxford Univ. 2006
A dictionary of the “many stylistic and technical terms used in architecture today. The work covers all periods of Western architectural history in more than 5,000 articles.” Libr J. Curl Oxford Dictionary of Architecture free download or read online.
Modern Architecture since 1900 – History of Architecture Books PDF
Curtis, William J. R.
Prentice-Hall 1983 Dewey Dec. 724
The volume’s well-detailed text is buttressed with 650 color and black-and-white illustrations. This should be a standard volume in all architecture collections.” Lib J. Architecture, Modern — 20th century.
The Distinctive Home: A Vision of Timeless Design – Free Architecture Library
Eck, Jeremiah
Taunton 2003 Dewey Dec. 728
Jeremiah Eck believes that distinctive homes are a result of a balance between site, floor plan, exterior elements and interior details,” The Distinctive Home” is arranged by each of these four key elements, with examples of each. His tone is accessible and friendly, taking the homeowner by the hand and walking them through each element. Eck’s practical and thoughtful approach to home design will enable the homeowner to articulate exactly what they require in order to create a house that reflects their needs, lifestyle and spirit. At the end of each chapter, Eck profiles a house in detail, showing how the four key elements work together to create a truly distinctive home.
The Story of Architecture
Glancey, Jonathan
Dorling Kindersley 2003
Guiding readers through a staggering 5,000 years of world architecture, Jonathan Glancey’s eminently knowledgeable, authoritative, and always fascinating insights make reading this book irresistible, despite the enormity of the subject. Featuring influential and innovative architects of every age, along with their masterpieces, from the ziggurat at Ur to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, this stylish, lavishly illustrated book shows the unique historical, geographical, and cultural elements that have influenced and literally shaped the world’s greatest architecture.
Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and Design Since 1880 – Free Architecture Library
Hall, Peter
Wiley 2014
Offers an incisive, insightful, and unrivalled critical history of planning in theory and practice, as well as of the underlying socio-economic challenges and opportunities. Reviews the development of the modern planning movement over the entire span of the twentieth-century and beyond. Draws on global examples throughout, and weaves the author’s own fascinating experiences into the text to illustrate this authoritative story of urban growth.
Dictionary of Architecture and Construction – History of Architecture Books PDF
Harris, Cyril M.
McGraw-Hill 1975
This massive compendium by a renowned architectural editor and 50 expert contributors features over 2300 line drawings and clear, concise definitions of more than 27,000 important architecture and construction terms. The most definitive reference in the field, Cyril M. Harris’s Dictionary of Architecture and Construction brings you the broadest possible coverage of the language of architecture and building construction. Special care has been taken to include the latest terms in legal areas, technologies, techniques, materials, organizations, historic architectural styles, and architectural trends.
Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture – History of Architecture Books PDF
Harris, Cyril M.
Dover 1983
In this volume, noted Columbia University Professor of Architecture Cyril M. Harris offers a unique tour through the entire history of architecture: an extraordinary compendium of clear, concise definitions for over 5,000 important terms. This thoroughly accurate and comprehensive gathering of architectural knowledge is complemented by an unprecedented collection of over 2,000 line drawings that richly illustrate significant aspects of architectural styles. Unusual cutaway views, close-ups of intricate details, and precisely rendered plans show many of the greatest architectural achievements of all time.
From ancient ruins to twentieth-century Modernism, the Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture covers the full spectrum of architecture’s rise and development.
The Permaculture City: Regenerative Design for Urban, Suburban, and Town Resilience
Hemenway, Toby
Chelsea Green 2015
Provides a new way of thinking about urban living, with practical examples for creating abundant food, energy security, close-knit communities, local and meaningful livelihoods, and sustainable policies in our cities and towns. Hemenway lays out how permaculture design can help towndwellers solve the challenges of meeting our needs for food, water, shelter, energy, community, and livelihood in sustainable, resilient ways.
Architecture of the 20th Century
Hollingsworth, Mary
Brompton 1988 Dewey Dec. 724
An exploration of the present century’s most noted architectural achievements furnishes information on Le Corbusier, Wright, and the Bauhaus school and chronicles the revolutionary trends that have taken place. Architecture — History — 20th century, Art nouveau (Architecture), Architecture / General, Architecture, Modern — 20th century, International style (Architecture). Famous 20th century architects.
On Architecture: Collected Reflections on a Century of Change – History of Architecture Books PDF
Huxtable, Ada Louise
Walker 2008 Dewey Dec. 724
Known for her well-reasoned and passionately held beliefs about architecture, Ada Louise Huxtable has captivated readers across the country for decades, in the process becoming one of the best known critics in the United States. Her brilliance over so many years is unmatched, and her range has always been vast-from a plea to save a particular architectural treasure to an ongoing discussion about whether modern architecture is dead. Her keen eye and vivid writing have reinforced to readers how important architecture is and why it continues to be both controversial and fascinating.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities – History of Architecture Books PDF
Jacobs, Jane
Random House 2011
The Death and Life of Great American Cities was described by The New York Times as “perhaps the most influential single work in the history of town planning. Jane Jacobs, an editor and writer on architecture in New York City in the early sixties, argued that urban diversity and vitality were being destroyed by powerful architects and city planners. Rigorous, sane, and delightfully epigrammatic, Jane Jacobs’s tour de force is a blueprint for the humanistic management of cities. It remains sensible, knowledgeable, readable, and indispensable.
LibraryThing Reviews – The Death and Life of Great American Cities
See our Art History PDF
Universal Design for the Home – Free Architecture Library
Jordan, Wendy A.
Quarry 2008 Dewey Dec. 728
Universal Design for the Home features a blend of beautiful projects, creative ideas, and substantive planning information. Highly visual, the book features projects showing room contexts, as well as detail shots. The mix of projects encompasses small and large houses; one-story and multi-story houses; and ideas for general accessibility and comfort as well as some targeted more directly at handicap accessibility. There is an emphasis on remodeled projects, but new homes designed with an eye toward accessibility — present and future — are included as well. Chapters cover the spectrum of accessible home planning, from room arrangements to kitchens, baths, entries, and exterior areas. The book displays fresh, inspiring design ideas as well as must-have, good-sense solutions, such as wider doorways. Basic specifications, how-to tips, and other technical content are featured throughout the book in easy-to-find boxes and sidebars.
The Language of Space
Lawson, Bryan
Architectural Press 2001
“Bryan Lawson provides an ideal introduction to the topic, breaking down the complex and abstract terms used by many design theoreticians when writing about architectural space. Instead, our everyday knowledge is reintroduced to the language of design. Design values of ‘space’ are challenged and informed to stimulate a new theoretical and practical approach to design.
This book views architectural and urban spaces as psychological, social and partly cultural phenomena. They accommodate, separate, structure, facilitate, heighten and even celebrate human spatial behavior.” -Publisher.
Encyclopedia of 20th century Architecture – History of Architecture Books PDF
Magnago Lampugnani, Vittorio
Abrams 1986 Dewey Dec. 724
With more than 350 entries, this handy new [1986] reference work covers the field of 20th-century architecture on a worldwide sale. Biographies of individual architect and firms include the work of the present generation, such as Michael Graves, Renzo Piano, Frank Gehry, Charles Moore, Robert Stern, and Hans Hollein, adding them to those of such earlier architects as Antoni Gaudi, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis Sullivan. Lengthy articles cover countries of the world where substantial contributions have been made to building innovations.
Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design
Montgomery, Charles
Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2013
Dense urban living has been prescribed as a panacea for the environmental and resource crises of our time. But is it better or worse for our happiness? The award-winning journalist Charles Montgomery finds answers to such questions at the intersection between urban design and the emerging science of happiness, and during an exhilarating journey through some of the world’s most dynamic cities. Full of rich historical detail and new insights from psychologists and Montgomery’s own urban experiments, Happy City is an essential tool for understanding and improving our own communities.
LibraryThing Reviews – Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design
Historical Dictionary of Architecture – Free Architecture Library
Palmer, Allison Lee
Scarecrow Press 2008 Dewey Dec. 720.9
This dictionary provides a historical overview of the major architectural developments and styles, building materials and types, major structures and locations, sites and architects. Historical eras like ancient Egyptian architecture and the Renaissance in Europe and movements such as Art Deco are covered. Materials discussed range from concrete, stone, glass and wood, while types of structures include architectural inventions such as the arch and dome to building types from monasteries and mosques to museums and skyscrapers.
The Seventy Wonders of the Modern World: 1500 Years of Extraordinary Feats of Engineering and Construction
Parkyn, Neil, ed.
Thames & Hudson 2002 Dewey Dec. 720.9
St. Peter’s Basilica, the Taj Mahal, the Topkapi Palace, the Sydney Opera House, the Hoover Dam — the world’s greatest structures capture the imagination, whether they are places of worship, palaces of pleasure, skyscrapers, bridges, dams, or colossal statues.
How was the Empire State Building erected in the middle of the crowded city of New York? What machines were used to dig the Channel Tunnel? Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean — and why does it not fall over? How can the Akashi Kaikyo suspension bridge in Japan span 1.4 miles yet withstand earthquakes and typhoons? And what supports the soaring, lofty vaults of Chartres Cathedral? Such questions are answered by an international team of architects, engineers, and architectural historians who chart the progress of human ingenuity and creativity from A.D. 500 to the present day.
What Style Is It?
Poppeliers, John C.
Perennial Classics 2000 Dewey Dec. 720
Captioned photographs and a descriptive text identify architectural styles in America from the seventeenth century to the 1930s.
Experiencing Architecture – Free Architecture Library
Rasmussen, Steen Eiler
MIT 1964
Widely regarded as a classic in the field, Experiencing Architecture explores the history and promise of good design. Generously illustrated with historical examples of designing excellence—ranging from teacups, riding boots, and golf balls to the villas of Palladio and the fish-feeding pavilion of Beijing’s Winter Palace—Rasmussen’s accessible guide invites us to appreciate architecture not only as a profession, but as an art that shapes everyday experience.
See our Car Magazines PDF
Sears Modern Homes 1912
Sears Modern Homes 1930
Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. 1912 & 1930
The American catalog sales company Sears Roebuck & Co. sold kit homes for about three decades in the early 20th century. These two catalogs provide their offerings in 1912 and 1930.
Not So Big Solutions for Your Home
Susanka, Sarah
Taunton 2002 Dewey Dec. 728
“The author presents a compilation of 31 essays from her “Drawing Board” column in Fine Homebuilding magazine “that offer a number of solutions to household design problems both big and small.” Susanka offers an eclectic mix: tips on site selection, mud room design, planning to fit specific furniture, creating a family room that works (etc.) Libr. J.
In Praise of Shadows
Tanizaki, Junichiro
Vintage 2001
This Is An Essay On Aesthetics By One Of The Greatest Japanese Novelists. The Text Ranges Over Architecture, Jade, Food, Toilets, And Combines An Acute Sense Of The Use Of Space In Buildings, As Well As Perfect Descriptions Of Lacquerware Under Candlelight And Women In The Darkness Of The House Of Pleasure. The Essay Forms A Classic Description Of The Collision Between The Shadows Of Traditional Japanese Interiors And The Dazzling Light Of The Modern Age.
Urban Design Reader
Tiesdell, Steve and Carmona, Matthew
Taylor & Francis 2007
This collection of essays introduces the 6 dimensions of urban design through a range of the most important classic and contemporary key texts. Compiled by the authors of the best selling Public Places Urban Spaces, this indispensable guide includes all the crucial definitions and various understandings of the subject, as well as a practical look at how to implement urban design.
Landscape Architecture Sourcebook: A Guide to Resources on the History and Practice of Landscape Architecture in the United States – History of Architecture Books PDF
Vogelsong, Diana, ed.
Omnigraphics 1997
Describes key reference material and significant works for the practice and study of landscape architecture. Coverage includes reference works, general texts and histories, landscape architects and architectural firms, practical handbooks, plant guides, core works on places and projects, periodicals, and institution resources. A useful glossary defines key terms important for understanding the structure of the resources and literature for the field of landscape architecture.
Dynamic Urban Design: A Handbook for Creating Sustainable Communities Worldwide
Von Hausen, Michael A.
iUniverse 2013
How are we going to improve community health, reduce crime, and improve mobility in cities while at the same time expanding our cities to accommodate growth? How do we do more with less, live within our means, and still create a higher quality of life? For future human survival and quality of life, the world needs a more inclusive, rigorous, socially inspired, and comprehensive urban design model integrated with sustainable development. This book delivers that model—a reference guide for doing it right.
Frank Lloyd Wright: A Visual Encyclopedia – History of Architecture Books PDF
Thomson, Iain
Thunder Bay 1999 Dewey Dec. 720.9
A must-have for Wright fans and lovers of architecture and design. This comprehensive guide to the life and times of the man widely considered to be one of the most innovative and influential figures in modern architecture provides an A to Z chronicle of Wright’s work, family, friends, and the major events that shaped his career. Over 1,000 stunning color photographs include interior and exterior shots of his most acclaimed architectural masterpieces. Architecture / Individual Architects & Firms / General, Architecture / Reference, Architects — Biography — United States, Biography & Autobiography / Artists, Architects, Photographers, Architects.
American Architecture, 1607-1976
Whiffen, Marcus; Koeper, Frederick
MIT 1981 Dewey Dec. 720.9
Architecture — United States, Architecture / History / General, Photography / General, Architecture.
Twentieth-century American Architecture: The Buildings and their Makers
Wiseman, Carter
Norton 2000 Dewey Dec. 720.9
Carter Wiseman presents an original, readable, and literate overview of the major figures, influential movements, and landmark buildings that have defined American architecture over the past hundred years. In a survey that is “as good . . . as anyone is likely to write . . . accurate in its facts, wise and fair in its judgments”(New York Times), he focuses to a large extent on architecture’s makers–the commanding figures who by force of personality and sheer artistic ability indelibly influenced its progress: Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson, I. M. Pei, Robert Venturi, Louis Kahn, Frank Gehry. The triumph of modernism; the growth of architectural preservation; the eclipse of the practical arts by money, theory, and abstraction; and the uncertain future of architecture in a country that celebrates both individualism and community are just some of the issues addressed in this highly praised work.
From Bauhaus to Our House – History of Architecture Books PDF
Wolfe, Tom
Pocket 1981 Dewey Dec. 720.9
After critiquing—and infuriating—the art world with The Painted Word, award-winning author Tom Wolfe shared his less than favorable thoughts about modern architecture in From Bauhaus to Our Haus.
In this examination of the strange saga of twentieth century architecture, Wolfe takes such European architects as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Bauhaus art school founder Walter Gropius to task for their glass and steel box designed buildings that have influenced—and infected—America’s cities.
Research Guide – Early American Architecture – History of Architecture Books PDF
This research guide from the librarians at University of Wisconsin – Madison has links to many free online vintage books about early American architecture, organized by region.
Open Access (Free Download) Architecture Textbooks
Open Access Textbooks
Open Access textbooks are licensed by authors and publishers to be freely used, and were published or updated in recent years. You may also find here other learning resources, such as course lesson plans.
Basic Concepts of Structural Design for Architecture Students
Anahita Khodadadi
Portland State Univ. 2021
This book aims to narrate fundamental concepts of structural design to architecture students such that they have minimum involvement with math problem-solving.
Building Information Modeling using Revit for Architects and Engineers
Atefe Makhmalbaf
Mavs Open Press 2022
This book offers a web-based multimedia platform to enable students in Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Construction Engineering to learn fundamentals of BIM using Revit and be able to create building architectural, mechanical and structural models, develop construction documentation and analyze building performance.
Tutorials of Visual Graphic Communication Programs for Interior Design
Yongyeon Cho
Iowa State Univ. 2021
This book is for the beginning level of both architecture and interior design students who learn computer graphic communication software. The author developed multiple tutorials to teach three computer graphic applications, AutoCAD, Revit, and Enscape.
Introduction to Drafting and AutoCAD 2D
Wally Baumback
British Columbia/Yukon 2021
The AutoCAD 2D eBook was written as a tool to guide and teach you to master AutoCAD. No two students learn at the same pace, therefore the eBook was written with competency-based modules. The competency-based modules are bite-size pieces that allow you to work at your own pace.
Introduction to Design Equity
Kristine Miller
Creative Commons 2019
Introduction to Design Equity, an open access book for students and professionals, maps design processes and products against equity research to highlight the pitfalls and potentials of design as a tool for building social justice.
Vintage Architecture Books
Modern Architectural Designs and Details – History of Architecture Books PDF
Containing eighty finely lithographed plates, showing new and original designs in the Queen Anne, Eastlake, Elizabethan, and other modernized styles, giving perspective views, floor plans, elevations, sections, and a great variety of miscellaneous exterior and interior details of dwellings of moderate cost…
Comstock, William T.
NY: Comstock 1881 Dewey Dec. 720
(continuing the info on the title page) “Also a number of designs of low priced cottages in the various popular styles, adapted to the requirements of seaside and summer resorts, and suburban and country places. Also, several designs for modern store and office fronts, counters, shelvings, etc. etc.” 19th century house plans. Architecture, Domestic–Designs and plans.
School Architecture; Principles and Practices
Donovan, John J.
Macmillan 1921 Dewey Dec. 727
The application of modern school architecture to modern school development. It covers site, planning, cost, all departments, heating and ventilation, plumbing, and electrical installation, and illumination. An expensive work but authoritative and encyclopedic in character. Written by specialists chosen from the eastern and middle western parts of the United States as well as the Pacific coast. It is planned especially for architects, school-boards and superintendents. It includes a chapter on Standards by the chairman of the Committee on standardization of schoolhouse planning and construction of the National education association. A bibliography and a list of the many illustrations arranged by architects and by location are included.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926. School buildings — United States.
Architecture of Colonial America
Eberlein, Harold Donaldson
Little 1915 Dewey Dec. 724
The best general book on the subject. Systematic but popular treatment for the general reader as well as the architect, considering the architectural types of different colonies — Dutch, New England, southern — and distinguishing colonial from Georgian. It devotes most space to dwelling houses, but churches and public buildings receive attention and also the architects. It is lavishly illustrated from photographs.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926. Architecture — United States, Architecture [Colonial ].
Illustrated Homes: A Series of Papers Describing Real Homes and Real People
Gardner, E. C.
Boston: Osgood 1875
Light and amusing chapters by an architect describing his experiences with various clients, re-living the process of trying to design houses to fit their needs and wants. Drawn illustrations are included. 19th century house plans. Architecture, Domestic.
Beautiful Houses: A Study in House-Building
Foreign Examples in Domestic Architecture – A Collection of American House Plans – Materials and Details for the Artistic House-Builder – The Architect
Gibson, Louis H.
NY: Crowell 1895 Dewey Dec. 720
The book is organized in five sections, listed in the sub-title above. “The World’s Homes” has three chapters of French architecture and single chapters for English, German, Swiss and American colonial styles. Numerous illustrations throughout. 19th century house plans. Architecture, Domestic — History, Architecture, Domestic.
Convenient Houses with Fifty Plans for the Housekeeper … – History of Architecture Books PDF
Architect and Housewife; a Journey through the House; Fifty convenient house plans; practical house building for the owner; business points in building; how to pay for a home
Gibson, Louis H.
NY: Crowell 1889
Intended to be educational without being technical, this book by an Indiana architect in the 1880s “is intended to deal with houses in a housekeeping spirit. The architect has in mind convenience, stability, and that ideal of housekeepers, beauty of surroundings”. The second part deals with the arrangement of the house, and especially kitchens and pantries, plumbing, laundry, and heating. Following that is a non-technical section on building houses, and then a section on hiring a building contractor. The last section is financing the home. 19th century house plans.
Domestic Architecture: Being a Series of Designs for Mansions, Villas, Rectory houses … – Free Architecture Library
Parsonage houses, Bailiffs’ lodge, Gardener’s lodge, Game-keeper’s lodge, Park gate lodges, etc. in the Grecian, Italian, and old English styles of architecture. With observations on the appropriate choice of site; the whole designed with strict reference to the practicability of erection, and with due attention to the important consideration of uniting elegance, convenience and domestic comfort with economy … With accurate estimates appended to each design. With colored plates
Goodwin, Francis
London: Longman 1833
This book is essentially an advertising publication from an architectural firm in England in the 1830s that catered to the extremely rich. Illustrations of the company’s range of palatial buildings are full-page color paintings. 19th century house plans. Architecture, Domestic — Designs and plans — Great Britain — Ireland, Cottages.
Early Renaissance Architecture in England – History of Architecture Books PDF
Gotch, John Alfred
Scribner 1914 Dewey Dec. 724
A historical and descriptive account of the Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, 1500-1625, by an authority. It covers much the same period as that in his former work, Architecture of the Renaissance in England (Batsford 1894) with the addition of the first half of the sixteenth century. The former book has examples of Elizabethan and Jacobean buildings to a large scale, with a brief account of each, whereas this one takes the form of a handbook tracing the development of style from the Gothic period to the advent of Inigo Jones. It contains 87 collotype illustrations in the text. First published in 1901.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926.
Old English Houses
Gotch, John Alfred
Dutton 1925 Dewey Dec. 728
A simple and readable account of the growth of English domestic architecture from medieval to Georgian times, showing how the developing of social customs and the changing ideal of comfort were expressed in the construction of the houses, chiefly of the great old homes of England. There are 48 illustrations and 7 plans. The author’s English home from Charles I to George IV (Batsford, 1918. 30s) is a more elaborately illustrated presentation showing interior and exterior views, including plans, measured drawings, and views from rare old prints.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926.
Barn Plans and Outbuildings – History of Architecture Books PDF
Halsted, Byron D.
NY: Orange Judd 1881
An informative and non-technical book explaining and showing how a variety of 19th century American barn designers addressed the needs of farmers and of the animals that live in these buildings. Two Hundred and fifty-seven drawn illustrations. 19th century house plans. Farm buildings — Designs and plans, Barns, Stables, Stables — Designs and plans, Farm buildings, Barns — Designs and plans.
Barns, Outbuildings and Fences – Free Architecture Library
Harney, George E.
NY: Woodward 1870
The author was obviously an architect for wealthy people with landed estates. His designs for stables and out-buildings were too stylish and expensive for most farmers. Many fine drawings. 19th century house plans. Farm buildings — Designs and plans, Fences — Design and construction, Barns — Designs and plans.
The House, a Manual of Rural Architecture, or, How to Build Country Houses … – Free Architecture Library
and Out-buildings embracing the Origin and Meaning of the House; the art of house-building, including planning, style and construction ; designs and descriptions of cottages farmhouses, villas and out-buildings, of various cost and in the different styles of architecture, etc., etc. ; and an appendix containing recipes for paints and washes, stucco, rough-cast, etc. ; and instructions for roofing, building with rough stone, unburnt brick, balloon frames, and the concrete or gravel wall ; with numerous original plans
Jacques, D. H.
NY: American News 1866
This book contains useful non-technical explanations of basic processes of constructing houses and farm buildings. It has drawings of a wide variety of buildings, including housing for a wide range of budgets as well as churches and school-houses. The early Victorian style of some of the houses looks very familiar, matching that of many historic homes around the country today. Numerous drawn illustrations and floor plans. 19th century house plans. Outbuildings — Designa and plans, Cottages — Designs and plans, Architecture, Domestic — Designs and plans, Country homes — Designs and plans, Farmhouses — Designs and plans.
Essentials in Architecture
Belcher, John
Scribner 1907 Dewey Dec. 720
A book to assist the professional student and general reader in recognizing the elements of beauty in all kinds of buildings, in distinguishing the good from the bad in architecture, and in defining precisely wherein the goodness or badness lies.
The writer shows an intimate knowledge of the subject and broad-minded judgment. Numerous half-tone illustrations of well-known buildings add value.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926. Architecture — Composition, proportion, etc — Aesthetics.
History of Architecture on the Comparative Method for Students, Craftsmen, and Amateurs – Free Architecture Library
Fletcher, Sir Banister Flight
Scribner 1905 Dewey Dec. 720.9
An excellent, comprehensive and profusely illustrated handbook giving a comparative view of the historical styles from the earliest period. Part one covers the historical styles and Part two the non-historical styles. It was first published in 1896.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926.
Enjoyment of Architecture – History of Architecture Books PDF
Hamlin, Talbot Faulkner
Scribner 1921 Dewey Dec. 720.1
An explanation of the principles of good architecture made clear by many examples in this country and abroad. No attempt is made to treat the subject by periods of development. It is well illustrated and contains a brief bibliography on the theory of architecture. The author believes that only by a wide-spread knowledge of the intellectual and emotional in architecture can its beauty increase.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926.
Practical Book of Architecture
Price, Charles Matlack
Lippincott 1916
A popular treatment of interest to those intending to build, to beginners in the study of architecture, and to the general reader. Covers the subject fully as an art and a science. Part one discusses style from a decorative point of view, and part two is a practical guide to building. Has excellent illustrations, many of modern work.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926.
Dictionary of Architecture and Building, Biographical, Historical, and Descriptive (Vol 1, A-E) – History of Architecture Books PDF
– Volume 2 (F-N)
– Volume 3 (O-Z)
Sturgis, Russell
Macmillan 1901-02
Edited by one of the foremost writers in America on architecture, with contributions by sixty men of broadest training and technical skill, this valuable work will always remain a standard reference authority for the student and a storehouse of information for anyone interested in the subject.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926.
American Cottages
Consisting of Forty-four Large Quarto Plates containing original designs of Medium and Low Cost Cottages, Seaside and Country Houses. Also, a Club House, Pavilion, School House, and a Small Seaside Chapel. Together with a Form of Specification for Cottages.
Comstock, William T.
NY: Comstock 1883 Dewey Dec. 720
Many of these cottages, which were apparently vacation homes for prosperous people, were pretty large. Most of the book consists of drawn illustrations of these houses, with floorplans. A chapel is at the back. 19th century house plans. Architecture, Domestic — Designs and plans, Cottages.
American Country Houses of Today …
an illustrated account of some excellent houses built and gardens planted during the last few years showing unmistakable influence of the modern trend in ideals architectural
Howe, Samuel
Architectural Book 1915 Dewey Dec. 728
Architecture, Domestic — United States. House design books.
Wilderness Homes: A Book of the Log Cabin
Kemp, Oliver
NY: Outing 1908
The log cabin was a familiar site on the American frontier for two centuries. They were homes that settlers could build themselves at virtually no cost with nothing but very basic tools, if there were trees available. Most settlers replaced the log houses with more comfortable and more expensive frame houses as soon as possible, as homemade log homes were a mark of poverty. However, in the early 20th century log buildings were making a comeback as hunting camps and lakeside cottages. This how-to book, full of instructions and including a number of photos of log buildings in use, was for that audience. Log cabins — Design and construction, Log cabins, Log buildings, Building, Wooden, Log cabins — Designs and plans.
Domestic Architecture of the American Colonies and of the Early Republic – Free Architecture Library
Kimball, Sidney Fiske
Scribner 1922 Dewey Dec. 728
A series of lectures delivered in 1920 at the Metropolitan museum of art in New York and published under its auspices. It is an attractive study of American architecture before the Revolution, beautifully illustrated, and based on old records, accounts, inscriptions, original designs, wills, deeds, and other documents, and limited to the period of the colonies under British rule, describing and illustrating over two hundred typical houses. It is rich in historic lore and biographical information. Special features are a chronological chart, notes on individual houses on which the text is based, and a full index.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926. Architecture, Domestic — United States, Architecture, Colonial, United States — Historic buildings.
What Makes the House Beautiful – Free Architecture Library
Peabody, Henrietta C, ed.
Atlantic monthly 1920 Dewey Dec. 728
A copiously illustrated volume with measured drawings and slight text, adapted from The House Beautiful, showing details of attractive entrances, staircases, panelings, fireplaces, bookcases, cupboards, kitchens, and breakfast corners. The illustrations are limited to colonial architecture, and are taken from houses in Salem and other New England towns, and from artistic modern interiors. Suggestive to anyone planning a house on colonial lines.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926.
Radford’s Combined House and Barn Plan Book … – Free Architecture Library
being a complete collection of practical, economical and common sense plans of houses, barns, outbuildings, stock sheds, etc. : illustrated with over twelve hundred copper half tone plates and zinc etchings, and containing over three hundred house and barn designs
Radford, William A., ed.
Chicago: Radford 1908
The first 100+ pages of this 1908 book make up what is really a catalog for a company that sold blue prints, with illustrations of dozens of houses, including the floor plans. Most are recognizable, as many of these styles of homes are still in use around the U.S. The remainder of the book is for barns and farm buildings, and contains advice and information about building them (using the Radford company’s blueprints, of course). In addition to many types of barns, the farm buildings include carriage houses, horse stables (including city stables), a range of chicken houses, ice houses, implement sheds, smoke houses, hog houses, and granaries. Architecture, Domestic — Designs and plans, Barns, Architectures, Domestic — United States, Room layout (Dwellings), Barns — Designs and plans.
House Plans for Everybody – Free Architecture Library
For Village and Country Residences, costing from $250 to $8,000; including Full Descriptions and Estimates in Detail of Materials, Labor, and Cost, with Many Practical Suggestions, and 175 Illustrations
Reed, S. B.
NY: Orange Judd 1882
This book, first published in 1878, provides 40 home designs, each with a description, itemized cost list, floor plan, and illustration of the completed house.
Honor Bilt Modern Homes
Sears
Sears, Roebuck 1921 Dewey Dec. 728
Catalog of full-size house kits produced by Sears, Roebuck that could be ordered for shipment.
Ready Made Buildings; Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Sears
Sears, Roebuck 1920 Dewey Dec. 728
Catalog of inexpensive small houses produced by Sears, Roebuck that the company claimed could be erected very easily by bolting together.
American Hospital of the Twentieth Century
Stevens, Edward Fletcher
A. B. P. 1921 Dewey Dec. 725
A very complete treatise, by an experienced hospital architect, giving the development of medical institutions in both Europe and America. Various solutions of the difficult problems of housing and caring for the sick are presented, and special chapters consider the ward, surgical and medical units and their equipment. The material on heating, ventilation and plumbing has been revised by specialists. There are many illustrations and plans.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926.
Craftsman Homes
Stickley, Gustav
NY: Craftsman 1909
Gustav Stickley (1858-1942) was an American furniture maker who, beginning in the 1890s, was heavily influenced by the English ‘Arts and Crafts’ movement. That movement, led by artist and poet William Morris, reacted against factory-made goods and modernism by reviving old-fashioned hand-crafted production of a wide variety of goods, and idealized medieval European society. Stickley gradually broadened his activities from furniture making to include design of homes, crafts, literature, music, and city planning, and for several years published a magazine, ‘The Craftsman’, to promote his ideas. This book begins with some of his thoughts on design. It also has many drawn illustrations of houses, including interiors with his original designs of furniture and home crafts.
Our Homes and their Adornments, or, How to Build, Finish, Furnish, and Adorn a Home – History of Architecture Books PDF
Varney, Almon C.
Chilton 1885 Dewey Dec. 728
“Practical instructions for the building of homes, interior decoration, wood carving, scroll sawing, house painting, window hangings, screens curtains, window gardening, incidental decorations, decorative art needle-work, and economic landscape gardening; to which is added a household compendium of new, practical and valuable recipes, the whole being designed to make happy homes for happy people.”- from the Title page. Architecture, Domestic — Designs and plans, Interior decoration, Home economics. History of architecture book pdf.
“Besides being an authority on gracious living in late 19th century Detroit, Varney was a prolific architect. His creations, which included apartment buildings, factories and offices, hotels and private residences, popped up all over the city as well as in towns and cities across the state [Michigan].” See photos of his surviving Detroit buildings at Martha Peterson’s “Mr. Varney’s Neighborhood” post on the “El Moore” website.
Book Collections on Medieval Buildings
Medieval Architecture – Books Collection
Free online books here for medieval, or Middle Ages, architecture. These include many books not primarily about architecture; i.e. books about medieval art, medieval life, and the medieval world. Some Books: Medieval European Art and Architecture, Art and Architecture of Medieval Russia, Traveler’s Key to Medieval France, Medieval Panorama, the Medieval Cathedral, Great Medieval Castles of Britain, The Gothic Cathedral, Gothic Architecture, Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture, English Medieval Architecture, Medieval Towns, The Seven Wonders of the Medieval World, Building the Medieval Cathedrals, Monastery and Cathedral in France, and many more.
Cathedrals – Books Collection
Books from the Internet Archive free online on the subject of Cathedrals. Some book titles: The Cathedrals of England, Great Cathedrals, Horizon Book of Great Cathedrals, English Cathedrals and Abbeys Illustrated, Cathedral Architecture, Cathedrals in Britain, Pillars of the Almighty, Cathedrals of Europe, The French Cathedrals, Guide to the Duomo of Milan, Winchester Cathedral, Beverley Minster, Cathedrals and Cloisters of Midland France, Coventry Cathedral, Cathedrals of the World, Master Builders of the Middle Ages, and many more.
Castles – Books Collection
PDF books on castles. Some book titles: Castles of Europe, Historic Castles of Britain, The World’s Most Amazing Castles, Castles of Italy, Colourmaster Guide to Scottish Castles, English Castles; a photographic guide, Castles: a history and guide, Chateaux of the Loire, Learning about Castles and Palaces, Castle Life, Medieval Castles, Castles of Wales, Norman Castles, and many more.
Suggested Books on Medieval Buildings
Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres
Adams, Henry
Houghton 1913 Dewey Dec. 726
Through the instrumentality of the American institute of architects this valuable work privately printed in 1904 became available to all readers. The most apt characterization has been given in the introduction by Ralph Adams Cram: “Everyone who has seen Chartres or Mont. St. Michel or the glory of a rose window or of Gothic art in any form, will feel upon reading this work that he has come home to all he would have said and all he felt concerning this splendid type of religious architecture. The author’s knowledge of feudalism, guilds, crusades; of communes, of nationalities, sculptors, divines, musicians, and builders, the minutiae of great and widely differentiated art weaves brilliant threads throughout the volume.”- A.L.A. Catalog 1926.
Universe of Stone: Chartres Cathedral and the Invention of the Gothic – History of Architecture Books PDF
Ball, Philip
HarperCollins 2009
Beautifully illustrated and written, filled with astonishing insight, Universe of Stone embeds the magnificent cathedral in the culture of the twelfth century—its schools of philosophy and science, its trades and technologies, its politics and religious debates—enabling us to view this ancient architectural marvel with fresh eyes. Author Philip Ball makes sense of the visual and emotional power of Chartres and brilliantly explores how its construction—and the creation of other Gothic cathedrals—represented a profound and dramatic shift in the way medieval thinkers perceived their relationship with their world.
Cross-Sections: Castle: See Inside an Amazing 14th-Century Castle – Free Architecture Library
Biesty, Stephen
Covent Garden 1994
Working from plans of an actual 14th century European castle, Stephen Biesty has sliced the building into various cross-sections, each one teeming with life and detail.
The Substance of Gothic: Six Lectures on the Development of Architecture from Charlemagne to Henry VIII – History of Architecture Books PDF
Given at the Lowell Institute, Boston in November and December, 1916
Cram, Ralph Adams
Marshall Jones 1916 Dewey Dec. 940.1
Contents: The Quarry of Antiquity – The Age of Charlemagne – The Great Awakening – The Epoch of Transition – The Medieval Synthesis – The Decadence and the New Paganism.
The Cathedral: The Social and Architectural Dynamics of Construction – Free Architecture Library
Erlande-Brandenburg, Alain
Cambridge University 2009
In this iconoclastic study, the author sets out to reverse some of the romantic myths which have accrued about the medieval cathedral, in particular that the cathedral was a separate entity, self-sufficient, sublime and apart. Here the cathedral is shown to be a dynamic, evolving and unpredictable force in the development of the medieval city. Full use is made of recent archaeological research to show how architectural, social, financial and religious considerations combined to form a structure that was above all a practical, functioning concern, a ‘city within a city’.
Gothic Architecture in France, England, and Italy – Free Architecture Library
– Volume 2
Jackson, Sir Thomas Graham
Cambridge 1915 Dewey Dec. 723
Though complete in itself this is a continuation of a previous study. The author has chosen for description buildings typical of the history and development of the Gothic, confining himself to those he has studied and illustrating with nearly 200 fine plates and many line drawings. This easily takes rank as the most important general work on the subject in English.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926. Architecture — France — England — Italy, Architecture, Gothic.
The Medieval Fortress: Castles, Forts, And Walled Cities Of The Middle Ages – History of Architecture Books PDF
Kaufmann, J. E. and Kaufmann, H. W.
Hachette 2004
Covers the origin and evolution of the castles and other walled defenses, their major components, and the reasons for their eventual decline. The authors reveal how the medieval fortress combined both Roman and barbarian features, with some influences from as far away as China. Detailed coverage is given for castles in the British Isles, France, Germany, Moorish Spain, and as far east as Poland and Russia, as well as Muslim and Crusader castles in the Middle East.
Brunelleschi’s Dome – Free Architecture Library
King, Ross
Penguin 2001
King illuminates the mysterious sources of inspiration and the secretive methods of architectural genius Filippo Brunelleschi in a fascinating chronicle of the building of his masterwork, the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.
English Cathedrals: A History – History of Architecture Books PDF
Lehmbert, Stanford E.
Hambledon and Lond 2005
English cathedrals, including Canterbury, Durham, Winchester and York, are the greatest collective work of art and architecture in Britain, reflecting over a thousand years of history. English Cathedrals is an account of their foundation, construction and decoration – their architectural history – but also of who used them and what happened in them – their human history.
The English Castle – History of Architecture Books PDF
Matarasso, Francois
Caxton 2000
A historical guide to the medieval castle, tracing its rise from humble defensive position to magnificent fortified palace. The text is illustrated with over 140 detailed drawings and plans of English castles. A gazetteer lists over 200 of the most interesting castles, many of which are open to the public.
Crusader Castles in the Holy Land: An Illustrated History of the Crusader Fortifications of the Middle East and Mediterranean – History of Architecture Books PDF
Nicolle, David
Bloomsbury 2008
The bloody crusades that swept across the Middle East in medieval times left their mark on the landscape, where fortifications which once acted as bastions of power for the beleaguered Crusader States now cast their ruined shadows over the earth. Examining the castles built in the Holy Land between 1097 and 1302 as well as the castles built in Cyprus, Greece and the Aegean between 1191 and 1571, this book provides a rare overview of the history and notably the evolution of fortresses and defenses during the Crusades.
French Cathedrals, Monasteries and Abbeys, and Sacred Sites of France – History of Architecture Books PDF
Pennell, Elizabeth Robins
Century 1909 Dewey Dec. 726
A beautiful book combining personal impressions and descriptions, with a slight background of history and exquisite illustrations reproduced from Joseph Pennell’s etchings and drawings. Thirty cathedrals and churches are described and illustrated. A similar book now out of print is O’Reilley’s How France built her Cathedrals (Harper, 1921) an interesting study of French Gothic architecture of the 12th and 13th centuries, written by a devoted and enthusiastic student. The illustrations are taken from the etchings and drawings of Paul A. de Leslie.- A.L.A. Catalog 1926. France — Description and travel, Church architecture — France, Cathedrals — France.
Gothic Architecture in England and France – History of Architecture Books PDF
West, George Herbert
Bell 1911 Dewey Dec. 723
A concise, clear and reliable handbook in which the Gothic in the two countries is studied constructionally and historically, with special reference to salient points of difference as embodying dissimilar national traits. Controversial questions are not entered into, and the author’s conclusions are given as personal. Includes numerous illustrations, list of books consulted, parallel chronologic lists of French and English buildings, the seven periods of Gothic architecture, chart showing contemporary work and events in England and France from 700 to 1640, and glossary. – A.L.A. Catalog 1926.