Top Architecture books curated by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we have connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favouriteArchitecture books – and here are the answers.

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Top Architecture books recommended by experts
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Fundamentals of Architecture

Understanding the concepts of Architecture starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Arquitectura - Forma, Espacio y Orden

Arquitectura - Forma, Espacio y Orden

Esta introducción clásica a los principios de la arquitectura analiza de manera sistemática y exhaustiva los fundamentos de la forma, el espacio y la ordenación arquitectónicos a partir de prototipos y de ejemplos históricos de todas las épocas, culturas y ámbitos geográficos. Partiendo de los e…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Architects' Data

Architects' Data

Architects' Data (German: Bauentwurfslehre), also simply known as the Neufert, is a reference book for spatial requirements in building design and site planning.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

A Visual Dictionary of Architecture

A Visual Dictionary of Architecture

It is the only dictionary that provides concise, accurate definitions illustrated with finely detailed, hand-rendered drawings. From Arch to Wood, every concept, technology, material and detail important to architects and designers are presented in Ching's unique style.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

The Art of Home: A Designer Guide to Creating an Elevated Yet Approachable Home

The Art of Home: A Designer Guide to Creating an Elevated Yet Approachable Home

Whether it's through her thriving design business, Studio McGee, her popular Netflix series, Dream Home Makeover, or her online community of over five million followers, Shea McGee has shown the world how the principles of high-end design can be applied to any home. As the title of her new book …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

The works

The works

the parts of a machine, especially those that move: If you take the back off this clock, you can see its/the works.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Modern Architecture : A Critical History 5th ed

Modern Architecture : A Critical History 5th ed

For this extensively revised and updated fifth edition of Modern Architecture, Frampton added new chapters exploring the ongoing modernist tradition in architecture while also examining the varied responses to the urgent need to build more sustainably and create structures that will withstand ch…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Additional Architecture Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Architecture, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

Modern architecture since 1900

Modern architecture since 1900

Described by James Ackerman of Harvard University as "immeasurably the finest work covering this field in existence", this book presents a penetrating analysis of the modern tradition and its origins, tracing the creative interaction between old and new that has generated such an astonishing ric…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Robert Venturi: Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture

Robert Venturi: Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture

A "gentle manifesto for a nonstraightforward architecture," Venturi's Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture expresses in the most compelling and original terms the postmodern rebellion against the purism of modernism.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

The Architecture of the City

The Architecture of the City

The Architecture of the City (Italian: L'architettura della città) is a seminal book of urban design theory by the Italian architect Aldo Rossi published in Padova in 1966. The book marks the shift from the urban doctrines of modernism to a rediscovery of the traditional European city.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Theory and design in the first machine age

Theory and design in the first machine age

First published in 1960, Theory and Design in the First Machine Age has become required reading in numerous courses on the history of modern architecture and is widely regarded as one of the definitive books on the modern movement.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Call It Home: The Details That Matter

Call It Home: The Details That Matter

The details can make a room. The bullnose edge of a marble countertop. The wood grain and color of the flooring. The particular pleat of the drape. Amber Lewis, the esteemed designer known for her signature California-inspired style, obsesses over the tiniest of features to create her eclectic, …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Little Corner: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens, Super Cute Designs of Cozy, Hygge Spaces for Relaxation (Cozy Spaces Coloring)

Little Corner: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens, Super Cute Designs of Cozy, Hygge Spaces for Relaxation (Cozy Spaces Coloring)

If you enjoy decorating your own cozy room, this Little Corner Coloring Book is for you.
This book features 40 illustrations of places with super cute decor, such as a fully equipped kitchen, a dreamy bedroom, a wooden fireplace, and many more!
It's an ideal present for yourself, your fami…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Specializations and Deeper Architecture Knowledge

You've got your basics in order – time to move on to some advanced and specialized concepts. Architecture is evolving every day, these books can help you master it.

World Architecture: The Masterworks

World Architecture: The Masterworks

More than 350 color photographs celebrate the finest buildings from over two thousand years of civilization: Hagia Sophia, the Gothic cathedrals of Europe, Islamic masterworks at Isfahan, the Taj Mahal, the Palace of Westminster, Gehry's iconic Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and much more.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

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