Best Architecture Study & Teaching Books of 2025

The PPI ARE 5.0 Exam Review All Six Divisions, 2nd Edition is a comprehensive manual that covers all six NCARB ARE 5.0 division exams. This book offers over 200 new pages of content and thoroughly reviewed and updated exam objectives to prepare readers to pass all six divisions. With hundreds of tables and figures, exam taking strategies, and over 150 example questions, this book is an excellent resource for anyone preparing to take the ARE 5.0 exam. The pages are tabbed in six different colors, making it easy to lookup a particular exam division. Overall, this book is an indispensable tool for architecture students and professionals.

The PPI NCIDQ Interior Design Reference Manual is a comprehensive review guide for all three sections of the NCIDQ exams, including IDFX, IDPX, and PRAC. The book covers all content areas and provides updated materials for the IBC 2018 changes included in the exam. With over 200 figures, study guidelines, exam tips, and tables, this book is a must-have for interior design students and professionals looking to pass their exams the first time. The author, David Kent Ballast, is a licensed architect and NCIDQ certificate holder with years of experience teaching and writing on design topics. Overall, this book is an excellent resource for those pursuing an interior design career.

Bryan Cantley's Speculative Coolness is a captivating exploration of the intersection between the real and the virtual in architecture. The book showcases Cantley's experimental projects that seek to understand and speculate on the architecture that could occupy this new territory. The anthology features both resolved projects and those under development, presented alongside critical essays by renowned architectural practitioners and theorists. Cantley's beautifully layered drawings, combining computer generation with hand delineation, are objects of architecture themselves. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the expansion of disciplinary knowledge and the potential of architecture in the digital age.

The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander presents a new theory of architecture that describes an ancient process in modern terms. Alexander argues that the current theory of architecture is bankrupt and proposes a way of building that has been used for thousands of years. This book is an excellent resource for design students and anyone interested in architectural theory and design. The author's expertise as a builder, craftsman, general contractor, architect, painter, and teacher is evident throughout the book. Overall, The Timeless Way of Building is a unique and insightful read that challenges the current approach to architecture.

The PPI ARE 5.0 Mock Exams All Six Divisions, 2nd Edition is a comprehensive book that helps architects prepare for the NCARB Architect Registration Exam (ARE 5.0). It contains six mock exams, one for each division of the exam, and covers all subject areas. The book includes over 600 realistic exam questions, with different types of questions to familiarize the reader with the question types encountered in the exam. Solutions are provided to reinforce theory and application of fundamental concepts. This book is an excellent tool for those looking to enhance their time-management skills and identify their strengths and weaknesses.

The LEGO Architect is a fascinating book that takes readers on a journey through the history of architecture styles such as Art Deco, Modernism, and High-Tech. The book provides an excellent introduction to architectural history through bite-sized portions of information and galleries of LEGO models. Readers can also build 12 different models using LEGO bricks in various styles. The author, Tom Alphin, is a UX Program Manager at Microsoft and a passionate LEGO fan. In conclusion, The LEGO Architect is an educational and fun way to learn about architecture and design, and it is an excellent addition to any children's model building book collection.

The PPI ARE 5.0 Practice Questions All Six Divisions, 2nd Edition is a comprehensive guide for architects preparing for the ARE 5.0 exam. It includes over 550 practice questions, case studies, and alternative item types to familiarize test-takers with the types of questions they will encounter on the exam. The book is organized by exam division and includes tabs for easy reference. The solutions are clear and easy to follow, making it an excellent resource for self-study or group review. Overall, this book is a must-have for anyone preparing for the ARE 5.0 exam.

Palm Springs: A Modernist Paradise is a luxurious book paying homage to the mid-century modern architecture of Palm Springs. The book showcases historic jet-set homes designed by legendary talents such as Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, and Paul Williams, as well as private residences by today's leading tastemakers. The book also profiles outstanding examples of modernist architecture, such as the Annenberg Estate, Ford House, and Kaufmann House, shown in their splendor, as well as today's restorations by top interior designers. This book is a must-have for mid-century modern architecture enthusiasts and anyone looking to explore the allure of Palm Springs as a modernist destination.

The Language of Architecture: 26 Principles Every Architect Should Know is a visual reference book that provides students and professional architects with the basic elements of architectural design. The book is divided into twenty-six easy-to-comprehend chapters that cover the historical view of the elements, as well as an overview of how these elements can and have been used across multiple design disciplines. Highly illustrated and erudite, this volume is a comprehensive learning tool for both students and professionals. The book is highly recommended for its thought-provoking approach, succinctness, and insights into the complexity and beauty of architectural language.

Phil Bernstein's "Machine Learning: Architecture in the age of Artificial Intelligence" provides a strategy for architects to face the opportunities and threats of the rapidly approaching era of artificial intelligence. Divided into three sections, the book lays out an approach for anticipating, understanding, and managing a world in which computers often augment, but may well also supplant, knowledge workers like architects. Bernstein, a well-known technologist in the field of architecture, offers insight into how practices can take full advantage of new technologies to future-proof their businesses. This book is a must-read for architects looking to stay ahead of the curve.