List of the 20 best free architecture books online
Architecture, like so many other disciplines of the arts, is a concept in which many branches converge. Although perhaps until a few centuries ago it was not a very well studied science, it was already present in the classical world. Architecture is responsible for the fact that we have a home, an office where we can work and even a pleasant environment to enjoy.
However, knowledge about this art is not acquired overnight, and it takes many years of study to understand it. Whether you are already a professional or you are just starting in the sector, surely there are still concepts within architecture that escape your mind. That is why from Lobostudio we have decided to make this ranking of the best free books on Architecture, to dive into both the theory and practice of this great discipline.
Theories of Architecture / José María Montaner
In fact, this book is a review of the work of the great architect Ignasi de Solà-Morales, under the perspective of the views of many of his colleagues and students. In the end, Teorías de la Arquitectura, turns out to be a book impregnated with all the knowledge and work of Solà-Morales.
To download it click here.
Color, Texture and Contemporary Architecture / Spain
During the last years of the development of modern architecture, some elements have become more important than others. It is precisely those mentioned in the title of the book that are developed in it. An analysis and development of the current fashions within architectural science.
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The Liturgy of Space / Francisco Sánchez Pérez
Francisco Sánchez is a professor of Sociology at the Complutense University. In this book he aims to analyze how the sociological behaviors of the inhabitants of a small town in Malaga, Casarabonela, influence the interpretation of architecture as a language and form of expression.
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Architecture as Place / Josep Muntañola Thornberg
This essay contains a revealing subtitle: preliminary aspects of an epistemology of architecture. Muntoñalo makes a series of analyses on how architecture has been the great science that has allowed us to be aware of cities as a place, as a physical space and a social environment.
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Introduction to the Theory of Architecture / Eduardo de la Rosa Erosa
This may be the basic book for anyone learning about architecture. It lays out the basic fundamentals of architectural knowledge. De la Rosa also establishes the connections between architecture and building.
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100 Years of Architecture and Design in Germany / Deutscher Werkbound
The evolution of architecture varies from country to country. And although Spain and Germany are on the same continent, they have nothing in common. Werkbound reviews the best architectural works of the Teutonic country as well as an analysis of the main characteristics of the typical architecture of the country.
To download it click here.
Wood Products for Architecture / AITIM
It is the most technical of all the books in the ranking. Here you will find a selection of the best materials made of wood on which architecture can be based, and which are possible elements in a construction. The different existing woods open a world of infinite possibilities for the architect.
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Shared Streets Manual / Dérive Lab
An essay that anticipates the way we socialize and share the spaces around us. It is increasingly common to find the historical centers of cities pedestrianized and green areas are gaining ground to the vertical building. Thus, Lab analyzes the shared spaces that surround us from an urbanistic point of view.
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Architecture and Memory / Alfonso Muñoz Cosme
Although it is not a book, but rather an extensive article, Alfonso Muñoz's reflection on the Law of Historical Memory and its link with the architecture of Spanish cities, which has much to do with the history of each of them, is interesting.
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Architecture and Urbanism / Fernando de Terán
As a good urban planner, de Terán has wanted both disciplines, Architecture and Urbanism, to converge under the same specialized vision. In this book Fernando analyzes how both arts need each other to achieve the perfect aesthetic balance in a city.
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Modular Housing Construction and Architecture / Daniel Ropero Rago, Ana Comás Mora
This co-authored book perfectly explains the relationship between traditional and avant-garde architecture. It analyzes what are the characteristics that unite both periods of architecture and how modular construction is gaining more and more ground.
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Universal Accessibility and Design for All / Carmen García Jalón
The ONCE Foundation and the COAM Architecture Foundation have joined forces to produce this book which explains, and gives an example, of the new technologies that can be applied when carrying out a project so that it can be accessible to everyone.
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Graphic Code / Various authors
This book was written with the support of the Centro Superior de Edificación with the aim of stimulating assignments for students in the sector. It is a very technical essay that talks about the plastic arts that are subsequently applied to architecture.
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Contemporary Architecture in Heritage Contexts / Pablo Vázquez-Piombo
Vázquez-Piombo establishes the bases and a new methodology when applying contemporary architecture to heritage and cultural buildings. This book is a leading book in this branch of architecture, as previously there were not many references that related architecture and heritage contexts.
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Constructivity and Architecture / Mauricio Loyola Vergara, Luis Goldsack Jarpa
Depending on the degree of constructiveness of our project, it will be more economical, safer and of higher quality. It is precisely this value that is the focus of this book, which gives us all the keys to achieve the most efficient project.
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Golden Section in Art, Architecture and Music / Yolanda Toledo Agüero
Three of the seven great arts come together in this book to talk about geometry and golden proportions, such as those of Da Vinci's Vitruvian man. Gothic, Renaissance or Rococo architecture are some of the branches that Yolanda Toledo analyzes and compares.
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The Architecture Book of Hernán Ruiz, El Joven / Pedro Navascues Palacio
Although it is not an ordinary book, this manuscript is centuries old and is considered one of the best preserved essays on architecture Its author was a great Spanish Renaissance architect who summarized the development of this discipline and the concepts of the theory of architecture of his time.
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Urban Heritage Rehabilitation / Spain
Once again we are faced with an essay related to sociology. Rehabilitation of Urban Heritage analyzes how the investment of local businesses changes the habits of the population and with it the development of housing. The direct consequence: aesthetic improvement and urban regeneration.
To download it click here.
The Architecture of the Basque Farmhouse / Eusko Ikaskuntza
- The title of this article sums it up perfectly. It is a journey through the typical Basque architecture of large farmhouses. A very exhaustive analysis of the elements that characterize it: lintels, facades, beams, distribution... All of them, houses in Euskadi and Navarra.
To download it click here.
Deconstructivist Architecture / Philip Johnson and Mar Wigley
Both authors are among the leading exponents of this architectural movement that emerged in the 1980s. This book reviews the short history of this branch of architecture, its basic principles and gives an example of what is currently called deconstructivism.
To download it click here.
So much for our ranking of the best free architectural books 🙂
Hope you liked them and see you in the next one!
If you want to know more about architecture you might be interested in this post about one of the best architects of the moment as Ramón Esteve.
