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ProPEL AASL December Column, Part I
AASL Column
AASL December Column, Part I
Barret Havens and Barbara Opar, column editors
Column by Barbara Opar, Librarian for Architecture, Syracuse University Libraries
Gifting Architecture: Select new architecture books from 2024
Victoria Hirst, a Syracuse second year Architecture student looking at new books in the King+King Architecture Library. Photo taken by Adeleke Damilola Adekola, December 11, 2024
Continuing the AASL tradition of encouraging architectural faculty and students to discover new architecture books which both inspire and inform, this year’s baker’s dozen focuses on noteworthy reads about major architects and masterworks. Many of the books on this list retail for under $75.00.
Alemani, Cecilia. Elevated: Art on the High Line. New York: The Monacelli Press, 2024. ISBN: 9781580936439. 256 pages. Hardcover: $50.44.
- The author uses photographs and interviews to describe and discuss the rich public art programming at the High Line.
Calvert, Robyne. The Mack: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow School of Art. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2024. ISBN: 9780300239850. 208 pages. Hardcover: $60.00.
- The updated history of this iconic building including the devastating fires.
Dennis, Michael. The Venetian Façade. Novato, CA: Oro Editions, 2024. ISBN: 9781961856356. 160 pages. Hardcover: $40.00.
- Michael Dennis explores the artistry and typology of the Venetian façade. A well-written and engaging book by a notable architect and academic.
Henderson, Ron. 30 Trees: And Why Landscape Architects Love Them. Boston: Birkhäuser, 2023. ISBN: 9783035627312. 256 pages. $53.99.
- 30 internationally known landscape architects select their favorite trees. According to the Amazon description: “These personal insights are complemented by five scholarly essays on criteria such as typology, ecology, maintenance, and seasons that are critical in matching trees to landscapes”.
Kudless, Andrew, Adam Marcus. Drawing Codes: Experimental Protocols of Architectural Representation. Novato, CA: Oro Editions, 2024. ISBN: 9781957183398. 296 pages. Hardcover: $49.95.
- The authors contend that computational thinking can revitalize architectural representation. Includes 96 commissioned drawings. An engaging selection of images.
Lubell, Sam, Greg Goldin. Atlas of Never Built Architecture. London: Phaidon Press, 2024. ISBN: 9781838666538. 368 pages. Hardcover: $110.55.
- An interesting and informative array of unbuilt works by significant members of the architectural community.
Neumann, Dietrich. Mies van der Rohe: An Architect in His Time. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2024. ISBN: 9780300246230. 448 pages. Hardcover: $75.00.
- Insights by a Mies scholar. An important addition for the study of Mies van der Rohe and his legacy.
Predock, Antoine. Ride: Antoine Predock: 65 Years of Architecture. New York: Rizzoli, 2024. ISBN: 9780847899517. 692 pages. Hardcover: $87.99.
- Traces the career and works of the late Antoine Predock who began as a regional architect but achieved international renown.
Surya, Shirley, Aric Chen. I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture (M+ Museum Series). London: Thames & Hudson, 2024. ISBN: 9780500481028. 400 pages. Hardcover: $85.00.
- Despite his prominence in the field of architecture, the number of books published on I.M. Pei is limited, making this a welcome addition to the scholarship centering on Pei’s many contributions.
Thomas, Abraham. Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2024. ISBN: 9781588397836. 128 pages. Paperback: $27.90.
- A reassessment of the work and career of Paul Rudolph, exploring concepts, themes and process.
Sabatino, Michelangelo. The Edith Farnsworth House: Architecture, Preservation, Culture. New York: The Monacelli Press, 2024. ISBN: 9781580936194. 256 pages. Hardcover: $56.13.
- An iconic work receives an in-depth study.
Siwisa James, Davida. Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill: Alexander Hamilton’s Old Harlem Neighborhood Through the Centuries. New York: Empire State Editions, 2024. ISBN: 9781531506148. 432 Pages. Hardcover: $34.95.
- Traces the changes in this neighborhood from farmland to a historic landmark neighborhood. The rich cultural heritage of the area is retold through significant people and places.
Zigbi-Johnson, Najhi. Mapping Malcolm. New York: Columbia Books on Architecture and the City, 2024. ISBN: 9781941332832. 304 pages. Paperback: $28.00.
- Ozzie Davis contended that Malcolm X shaped and was shaped by Harlem. This book explores Black placemaking through historical, cultural and political contexts as it manifests itself across New York City today.
