Books for architects are one of the oldest ways building designers have gained inspiration and insight. A good professional library, though, needs two shelves. One holds design and architecture titles that feed creativity. The other holds business books, because a practice also has to win clients and stay profitable.
This compilation is built exactly that way: first, 10 remarkable design and architecture books, from smart cities to club culture; after them, 5 timeless business books on branding, communication, and money management. We believe that any architectural rendering company has to be aware of the trends in this sphere, and 3D artists at ArchiCGI are quite fond of all creative publications. Use the contents below to jump to the shelf you need.
Architecture and Design Books: 10 Picks
#1. Making Cities Smarter
Author: Martin Tomitsch
Price: $35.00
Release Date: 3/27/2018
Today, the vast majority of world’s population lives in urban environments, and the logistics and infrastructure get smarter and smarter each year. Making Cities Smarter focuses on the ways people will interface with “smart” city facilities and how to combine physical and digital experiences. This book is a comprehensive prospect of new challenges for architects as well as an in-depth analysis of what citizens of future cities might face.
#2. Cutting Matta-Clark: The Anarchitecture Project
Author: Mark Wigley
Price: $45.00
Release Date: 5/22/2018
Modern books for architects often recover events or designs that were forgotten by history. One such example is Anarchitecture group show, organised by Gordon Matta-Clark in March 1974. Despite a vocal discussion at the time, there is no documentation about it. Through interviews with participants Cutting Matta-Clark sheds light on Anarchitecture seminars and their unique way of combining art and architecture.
#3. Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980
Authors: Text by Vladimir Deskov, Ana Ivanovska Deskova, Andrew Herscher, Jovan Ivanovski, Jelica Jovanovi, Anna Kats, Tamara Bjaži, Klarin, Juliet Kinchin, Rem Koolhaas, Marta Vukoti, Lazar, Martina Maleši, Maroje Mrduljaš, Arber Sadiki, Luka Skansi, Lukasz Stanek, Matthew Worsnick, Mejrema Zatri, Photographs by Valentin Jeck
Price: $65.00
Release Date: 7/24/2018
Yugoslav architecture is not a very explored topic in books for architects, which is sad due to how interesting it is. Yugoslavia always adhered to modernism and exported its design ideas to Africa and Middle East. Even US have adopted many its ideas. Find out unexplored things about the unique brand of Yugoslav socialism, international borrowings and influence of its unique architecture.
#4. The Wirtz Gardens Part III
Author: Bertrand Limbour
Price: $140.00
Release Date: 02/27/2018
Belgian landscape geniuses Peter Wirtz, Martin Wirtz and Jacques Wirtz have made a huge impact on garden architecture with their projects in Japan, Switzerland, Belgium, US, UK, Spain, Portugal and France. The third installment of The Wirtz Gardens presents new projects of this family business, complete with plans and descriptions.
#5. Image Factories: Infographics 1920–1945: Fritz Kahn, Otto Neurath et al.
Authors: Bernd Stiegler, Otto Neurath, Vilém Flusser
Price: $35.00
Release Date:04/24/2018
Architecture books can present not only design ideas or used as a way to gain inspiration, but also give insight into psychology of potential clients and give advice on how to reach them. 20th century set the foundation for the informational oversaturation of modern media. The abundance of textual data needed new efficient ways of presenting it. Image Factories overviews how Austrian physician and illustrator Fritz Kahn and German philosopher Otto Neurath revolutionized presentation of information with infographics. Learn what tactics are most effective to convey ideas through visuals alone!
#6. Design As An Attitude
Author: Alice Rawsthorn
Price: $29.95
Release Date: 06/26/2018
Design permeates every facet of our lives. London journalist and critic Alice Rawsthorn dedicated her book to being a field guide to modern design as a whole. It shows how effective certain elements of any design can be to vocalise author’s messages, how to pursue larger themes with subtlety. If your field of activity is architecture, this is certainly an educational and fascinating read.
#7. Michael Webb: Two Journeys
Authors: Text and Artworks by Michael Webb, Editing by Michael Sorkin, Mark Wigley
Price: $50.00
Release Date: 05/22/2018
Michael Webb, an artist, architect, founder of Archigram. Among all books for architects Two Journeys is a perfect mix of food for thought, inspiration and serious theoretical study. Webb has expanded creative boundaries by exploring techniques like perspective projection. This publication is a perfect opportunity to find out his research of space, time and speed in art as well as how it translates into paper.
#8. Landscape of Faith: Interventions Along the Mexican Pilgrimage Route
Authors: Edited by Tatiana Bilbao, Photographs by Iwan Baan.
Price: $35.00
Release Date: 03/27/2018
Not too long ago, we have compiled a list of sources of inspiration for architects. Among the bestsellers of this year Landscape of Faith is probably the only one which combines inspiration from nature and man-made buildings. As for the book itself, it is about a journey of pilgrimage on a trail that prides itself over various landmarks designed by renowned architects. Landscape of Faith capitalizes on austerity, sustainability and layers of meanings that can be attributed to designs.
#9. The World Atlas of Art Nouveau Architecture
Authors: Ivan Bercedo, Jorge Mestre
Price: $95.00
Release Date: 04/24/2018
If you are looking for imaginative books for architects, The World Atlas of Art Nouveau Architecture should be your choice of the year. Famous artists like Victor Horta, Hector Guimard, Viollet-le-Duc, William Morris, Otto Wagner, Samuel Bing and the Goncourt brothers rejected traditional formalism and delved deep into fantasy and experimentation. Art Nouveau also brought innovative building techniques – pioneers of this architectural style were the first ones to experiment with glass, iron, ceramic and prefabricated concrete building construction. The publication pays homage to the first truly global modern art movements.
#10. Night Fever. Designing Club Culture 1960–Today
Authors: Text by Jörg Heiser, Tim Lawrence, Ivan Lopez Munuera, Catharine Rossi, Sonnet Stanfill, Alice Twemlow, et al. Interviews with Ben Kelly, Peter Saville, et al.
Price: $75.00
Release Date: 05/22/2018
It’s hard to imagine modern culture without nightclubs. Surprisingly, almost no books for architects recognised these hotbeds of avant-garde, but with Night Fever, this is about to change. This book takes the reader on a journey through the subcultures of the 20th century and how underground movements shaped modern architecture.
Business Books for Architects: 5 More Picks
Design books feed inspiration, but a practice also has to run as a business. Branding, communication, money management: these five titles cover the sides of the profession that studios rarely teach.
#1. “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It” by Michael E. Gerber
This book is a guide to building a profitable small business. How can it be of value to Architects working for a large firm? By giving them an understanding of what’s behind the company’s success, and what roles different employees, such as HR, Project Managers, Marketing Analysts, Customer Services specialists, and others, play in achieving the company’s business goals. In his book, Michael E. Gerber examines the 3 phases each business goes through, thus making it easy for Architects to analyze their companies. Moreover, the author emphasizes the role of companies positioning, plans and missions, inciting readers to inquire about them of the Company’s Owner or Marketing Manager. As a result, Architects can get a better understanding of how to be more involved in business processes and interact with other Departments teams.
#2. “Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money” by Daniel Lapin
This pick is on the list of the best business books for Architects for its time-proven tips on business philosophy. For those who believe that to become successful entrepreneurs, it’s necessary to be born with some special qualities, the book will be a revelation. The author proves there that neither super-high IQ and genetics nor unscrupulous business practices are a key to running a business. All that really matters is everyday studious work.
Like most creative professionals, Architects often shy away from being involved into business processes. They tend to believe that it is dull and lacking artistry. Well, in this book Daniel Lapin shows just how far it is from the truth and proves that running a business is full of inventiveness.
Networking is another important point in the book. For instance, what’s more useful for a career path – having a barbeque with friends or devoting some extra attention to a new project? Most Architects would pick working on the project. But is it really the best choice? The benefits of rubbing shoulders with interesting people can’t be overestimated, especially for making a career. The consequences of both choices are fully covered in the book and will make Architects think twice before refusing another party invitation.
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#3. “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World” by Gary Vaynerchuk
Social media are an effective instrument. The trouble is, the competition there is fierce. How to make people listen to a particular brand and wait for new posts? How to engage them in conversation, and make forget all about other companies or Architects? Gary Vaynerchuk, a New York Times bestselling author and one of the most inspirational business speakers, believes that the answer is storytelling.
This is one of the best business books for Architects because it’s very practical and gives effective social media marketing strategies. Moreover, Gary Vaynerchuk shares the information about the best social media that sell and are worth being present on – valuable knowledge for all creative professionals for whom reputation is 50% of success.
#4. “Architect + Entrepreneur: A Field Guide to Building, Branding, and Marketing Your Startup Design Business” by Eric Reinholdt
Who can tell better how an architecture firm works than an Architect who had started his own company? Eric Reinholdt stuffed his book with business strategies worked out specifically for Architects. It’s a real tools kit that’s mixing entrepreneurship with architecture practice and interior design. If one works in a small design company or is a part of a team launching a startup in architecture, there’s no better read to guide him through the harshness and ubiquity of a startup launch. The book helps to puzzle out how things are related and thus become a more effective member of the team, make the most use of one’s professional skills and step up one’s career.
#5. “Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands” by Marty Neumeier
How to make a brand stand out? According to Marty Neumeier, radical differentiation is the answer. Among the other business books for Architects, this one differs by its narrow objective, which is “to make a brand memorable”. Being not able to catch clients’ attention can cost a firm its market success. So having read this book, the Architects will be able to understand where their companies are moving – to oblivion or to a special place constantly embedded into people’s minds. Another advantage of this read is that it shows how Architects can help marketing teams with creating fresh advertising materials that would appeal to the target audiences.
Most importantly, with the 17 specific steps the book reveals, one will know what exactly a company should do to create the “difference” of the brand and how to avoid the 4 fatal mistakes of brand portfolios. What about it? Architects who know how to lead their companies to prosperity and take part in the process are bound to move up the corporate career ladder.
For Architects who intend to build a successful career, it’s crucial to carve out some time for a good read. However, as time is precious, only the best will do. Finding the right business books for Architects is just as important as choosing friends. So for this list, we’ve selected only the most renowned and time-proven books to invest time and effort into.
All fifteen titles together cover both sides of the craft. We hope that the presented books for architects will be educational and inspirational. And if you’ll get some innovative ideas from any of the architectural rendering books, we’ll be glad to help you bring them to life in 3D. Visualize your interior and exterior designs today with our professional real estate 3D visualization services.
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Reading about business is a start, applying it is the point. Our guide to marketing for architects turns the same ideas into ten concrete channels, and 3d rendering services for architects supplies the visuals each of them needs. Related reading: what makes an architectural CGI project succeed and how a creative studio improves architect marketing.
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