Architecture is a growing field, especially as the demand for structures continues to rise. The industry is set to grow by 5% from 2022 to 2032, faster than average for all occupations. However, finding the drive to design in such a challenging and precise field can be hard.
It’s easy to imagine creating award-winning structures like the Serpentine House Residence or the Grid Compound Building. Still, it’s more difficult to stay encouraged and knowledgeable enough to create something as creative and awe-inspiring. For a boost of inspiration, aspiring architects can delve into audiobooks, which they can tune into while working, on the commute to school or work, or even while relaxing at home. Here are a few titles to get started:
Why Architecture Matters
by Paul Goldberger
As an aspiring architect, you may focus more on the feasibility and creativity of your designs than anything else. However, audiobooks can be an excellent resource for delving into how architecture affects people emotionally and intellectually.
In Why Architecture Matters, Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic Paul Goldberger argues that architecture goes beyond construction. The audiobook raises awareness of elements such as proportion, scale, space, and light and how these things mold our experiences with buildings. Good architecture also extends past individual structures and involves how these buildings work together to create a cohesive and enriching environment.
Goldberger also analyzes buildings and the ideas of famous architects to apply these concepts to the real world. Aspiring architects can gain a newfound appreciation for the buildings and spaces they encounter and can use the insights from Why Architecture Matters to change the way they think about design and how their structures can affect others beyond the physical sense.
Building a Sustainable Home: Practical Green Design Choices for Your Health, Wealth and Soul
by Melissa Rappaport Schifman
It can be a challenge to express your creativity in design while still meeting the needs of clients and projects, especially with new demands. The art audiobooks on the digital library Everand can offer creative inspiration for various disciplines while staying relevant to what’s needed for your field, such as Artpreneur: The Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Sustainable Living From Your Creativity by Miriam Schulman or Marc SIlber’s Create: Tools from Seriously Talented People to Unleash Your Creative Life.
A great choice for aspiring architects is Melissa Rappaport Schifman’s Building a Sustainable Home: Practical Green Design Choices for Your Health, Wealth and Soul. The audiobook provides a realistic framework for designing sustainable homes, a relevant demand in a world where environmental care is becoming a must for all aspects of life. The author argues that eco-friendly homes and structures benefit the health, wealth, and soul.
Eco-friendly features lower utility bills and maintenance costs and prevent the spread of harmful chemicals from building materials. It also fosters a healthier sense of well-being when contributing to a better environment. Learning about sustainable design can allow you to incorporate eco-friendly architecture into your own designs, providing you an edge to your work that future clients may find appealing.
The Seven Lamps of Architecture
by John Ruskin
Architecture has vastly evolved over the years, but today’s aspiring architects can still benefit from the fundamentals that laid the foundation for modern architecture. Audiobooks can be a great medium for exploring older works that help create and contribute to principles in architectural movements, which can give architects a deeper understanding of the practice.
The Seven Lamps of Architecture by writer and philosopher John Ruskin proposes seven principles that build upon the idea of good architecture. These lamps are truth, beauty, sacrifice, power, life, memory, and obedience, and they’re meant to illuminate the path toward creating meaningful buildings. Architects are urged to create structures that are honest, awe-inspiring, historically and culturally significant, and in line with architectural rules.
Ruskin also emphasizes the need for care and dedication to create buildings meant to last. While these principles seem like common sense for any architect, it helps to be reminded that they have been of monumental importance for centuries and shouldn’t be dismissed. Ruskin’s work is also an accessible resource since it’s in the public domain. Aspiring architects can listen to it and other public domain audiobooks on sites like LibriVox.
In conclusion, these three audiobooks provide invaluable resources for architects, offering diverse perspectives and practical advice to fuel creativity and enhance understanding of the field. Why Architecture Matters by Paul Goldberger deepens appreciation for the emotional and intellectual impact of architecture while Building a Sustainable Home by Melissa Rappaport Schifman provides essential knowledge on eco-friendly design. John Ruskin’s The Seven Lamps of Architecture reminds us of the timeless principles that form the foundation of meaningful architecture. By incorporating these insights, architects can develop a well-rounded approach to their designs, ensuring they create structures that are functional, innovative, enriching, and sustainable.
Explore More Essential Reads:
If you enjoyed this list, you might also be interested in exploring our curated selections of must-read urban design and architecture books. Check out our articles on The 20 Best Architecture Books Every Architect Must Read, The 15 Best Books on Architectural Construction and Details, or The Best Urban Design Books Every Urbanist Must Read
