AASL Column, December 2019
Lucy Campbell and Barbara Opar, column editors
Column by Barbara Opar

Your Architecture Holiday Gift Guide

Another year has come and gone. The good news is that for many, this is a time for you to gift others or enjoy something bought for you. For the past two years, the December AASL column has presented a list of notable architecture books. Based on your feedback, we are doing it once more. Here are this year’s selections:

Bernheimer, Lily. Shaping of Us: How Everyday Spaces Structure Our Lives, Behavior, and Well-Being. San Antonio, TX: Trinity University Press, 2019 ISBN:9781595348722. 336 Pages. $26.95

In an engaging work, Lily Bernheimer explores the interactions people have with the spaces around them. 

Bradbury, Dominic. Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses. London: Phaidon Press, 2019. ISBN: 978-0714876740. 440 pages. $96.99

Midcentury modern is again in fashion. Bradbury’s book is a well-researched tome on the topic, spanning iconic and lesser-known examples. 

Bradbury, Dominic. Off the Grid: Houses for Escape. London: Thames and Hudson, 2019. ISBN: 9780500021422. 272 pages. $45.00

Bradbury explores extreme architecture, including remote cabins in the North and seaside retreats. More than an escapist title, the book shows how architects are responding to sustainability and creating new and liberating ways of life. 

Follett, Ken. Notre-Dame: A Short History of the Meaning of Cathedrals. New York: Viking, 2019. ISBN: 9781984880253. 80 pages. $11.90 

Novelist Ken Follett’s personal account of witnessing Notre Dame in flames, followed by a brief history of this masterpiece. 

Gropius, Walter, ed. Walter Gropius: International Architecture. Zurich: Lars Müller Publishers, 2019. ISBN: 9783037785843. 106 pages. $45.00

One of a number of important translations appearing in the 100th year anniversary of the Bauhaus.  

Hall, Jane. Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women. London: Phaidon Press, 2019. ISBN: 978-0714879277. 224 pages. $41.57

Halls presents the reader with a stunning visual survey of 200 of the best buildings designed by women architects.

Hendrickson, Paul. Plagued by Fire: The Dreams and Furies of Frank Lloyd Wright. New York: Knopf, 2019. ISBN: 9780385353656. 624 pages. $31.50

Frank Lloyd Wright comes alive in a new biography that depicts a Wright haunted by some of the choices he made. 

Hu, Ming. Net Zero Energy Building: Predicted and Unintended Consequences. New York: Routledge, 2019. ISBN: 9780815367802. 161 pages. $39.95 (paperback)

The author studies energy efficiency, energy impact and environment concerns in a thoughtful title important to those in both practice and teaching. 

Lazrus, Paula Kay. Building the Italian Renaissance: Brunelleschi’s Dome and the Florence Cathedral. New York: Reacting Consortium Press, 2019. ISBN: 9781469653396. 92 pages. $30.00 

Do you teach about the Italian Renaissance? This title serves as an interesting way for students to learn about the final stage in the completion of Brunelleschi’s masterpiece.

Oppenheim. Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains. Miami: Tra Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 978-1732297869. 290 pages. $75.00

Want to check out something fun this holiday? Then this book is for you. It covers 15 unique houses from movies including Northwest by Northwest. 

Roberts, Sam. A History of New York in 27 Buildings: The 400-Year Untold Story of an American Metropolis. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781620409800. 304 pages. $28.00 

Sam Roberts of the New York Times discusses 27 of the most iconic New York City buildings.

Satow, Julie. The Plaza: The Secret Life of America’s Most Famous Hotel. New York: Twelve, 2019. ISBN: 9781455566679. 358 pages. $29.00 

A behind-the-scenes look at an iconic building, this book shows how for many The Plaza serves as a concrete example of power and prestige.   

Williams, Austin. New Chinese Architecture: Twenty Women Building the Future. London: Thames & Hudson, 2019. ISBN: 9780500343388. 256 pages. $45.00

Fifty key projects across China by both established and emerging women architects illustrate the changing landscape of Chinese architecture.  

Zamora, Francesc. 150 Best Tiny Space Ideas. NYC, NY: Harper Design, 2019 ISBN13: 978-0062909220. 480 pages. $29.99

Innovative examples of dwellings under 450 square feet are unveiled in this well-illustrated work. 

And lastly, for those feeling rich or who have a really supportive relative, you might want to consider these titles:

Bambach, Carmen C. Leonardo da Vinci Rediscovered. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019. ISBN: 9780300191950. 2200 pages $382.28

On the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death, Carmen Bambach presents a new interpretation of the life, work, and legacy of Leonard da Vinci.

Chattopadhyay, Swati. The Routledge Companion to Critical Approaches to Contemporary Architecture. New York: Routledge, 2019. ISBN: 9781138917569. 488 pages. $194.70

Current architectural thought is discussed by thirty-six contributors who present a range of the different themes and views that impact architecture today.  

Singha, Sumita, ed. Women in Architecture. New York: Routledge, 2019. ISBN: 9781138832930. 1,436 pages. $1390.00

Advertised as presenting a holistic, non-Eurocentric view of women in architecture, this is a major new reference work in the field of architecture.