compiled by Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University Libraries

The following is a selective guide to basic research resources available at Avery Library. It is not meant to be complete, but is an overview of materials that may be useful in beginning research. If you need more assistance, speak to a reference librarian (Reference desk hours) or email reference questions or request a consultation through the Avery Library homepage.

Three more comprehensive guides will also be very helpful in beginning your research:

Architecture and Building: Resources by Topic Compiled by Jeanne Brown, Architecture Studies Librarian at the Architecture Studies Library at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Topics covered include architecture, building and construction, design, housing, planning, preservation, facility management, energy and the environment, and landscape architecture.

Guides to Architectural Research Produced by UC Berkeley's Environmental Design Library, this is an extensive guide covering such topics as American architecture, building and landscape types, climatic design, green design/sustainable architecture, history of architecture, professional practice, and vernacular architecture.

RIBA Links Library The architecture.com link library contains hundreds of useful links to architectural resources on the internet. Currently concentrated on UK websites, but being expanded to worldwide coverage.  Includes information on architects and designers, books and publications, buildings and projects, and products and technical.

CONTENTS

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES FOR ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS

American architects: a survey of award-winning contemporaries and their notable works. New York: Facts on File, 1989.
(Avery Reference AA684 K86)
Entries for 400 architects.

American architects directory. 1st.ed. New York: R.R. Bowker Co., 1956
(Avery Reference AA50 Am35)
Over 9,000 listings of living architects in the United States who are members of the American Institure of Architects (AIA), including birth date, education, AIA affiliation and built work. 

American architects directory. 2nd. ed.New York: R.R. Bowker Co., 1962
(Avery Reference AA50 Am351)
Over 15,400 listings of living architects in the United States who are members of the American Institure of Architects (AIA), including birth date, education, AIA affiliation and built work. 

American architects directory. 3rd. ed. New York: R.R. Bowker Co., 1970
(Avery AA50 Am3511)
Over 23,000 listings of living architects in the United States who are members of the American Institure of Architects (AIA), including birth date, education, AIA affiliation and built work. 

Biographical dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) [also known as  Withey]. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 1994.
(Avery Reference AA 736 W7711)
For architects active between 1740 and 1952.

Biographical dictionary of British architects, 1600-1840. 3rd. ed. [also known as Colvin] New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
(Avery Reference AA996 C7211)
Some entries include a list of projects, both built and unexecuted.

Contemporary architects. New York: St. James Press, 1994.
(Avery Reference AA 40 C761)
Information on major international architects. Includes chronological list of works and a bibliography.

Directory of British architects 1834-1914. London; New York: Continuum, 2001. 2 vol. 
(Avery Reference AA996 D621)
Information on 11,200 architects including education and training, professional qualifications, works, personal details, and a selected bibliography.

International dictionary of architects and architecture. Detroit: St. James Press, 1993. 2 vol.
(Avery Reference AA31 In8)
Two volume set covers 523 architects and 467 buildings that have figured prominently in Western architectural history. Information on architects includes a chronlogy of major works and a bibliography. Illustrated with photographs and floor plans.

Macmillan encyclopedia of architects. New York: Free Press, 1982. 4 vol. 
(Avery Reference AA 31 M223) 
Biographical information on international architects. Includes a chronology of works and a brief bibliography.

Makers of 20th century modern architecture: a bio-critical sourcebook. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1997.
(Avery Reference AA650 J62)
Entries on international architects, firms and confederations. Includes extensive bibliographies.

Who's who in architecture: from 1400 to present. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.
(Avery Reference AA40 W62)
500 major architects from Europe, the Americas, Israel, the British Commonwealth and Japan.

ENCYCLOPEDIAS

Encyclopedia of American architecture. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
(Avery Reference AA705 H911)
Entries includes information on architects, building types, and building materials.

Encyclopedia of 20th century architecture. New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2004. 3 vol.
(Avery Reference AA650 En19)
Broad coverage of architecture produced between 1900 and 2000. Covers persons, places, and architecture topics such as building types, schools and movements, and stylistic and theoretical terms. Includes listings of selected works, selected publications and a bibliography.

Encyclopedia of vernacular architecture of the world. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997. 3 vol.
(Avery Reference AA200 En19)
Thematically divided into two parts: theories and principles, and, cultures and habitats.

Grove art online Full-text encyclopedia with coverage of architects, architectural history, and architectural styles and movements.

STYLE GUIDES

American architecture since 1780: a guide to the styles. Cambridge. Mass.: MIT Press, 1992
(Avery Reference AA705 W571)
Photographs and descriptions precede the discussion of the history of each style.

Architectural styles: an historical guide to world design. New York: Facts on File, 1982.
(Avery AA204 P84332)
Covers antiquity to the present day, including non-European civilizations. Includes a section titled "Main Features That Distinguish Styles" and a glossary. Includes drawings, plans, details and photographs.

Architecture styles spotter's guide: classical temples to soaring skyscrapers. San Diego, Calif.: Thunder Bay Press, 2006
(Avery Reference AA204 Ar28)
Discussion of architecture styles and notable buildings. Includes photographs and an illustrated glossary of architectural terms.

Concise history of architecural styles. London: A. & C. Black, 2003.
(Avery Reference AA204 C74)
From Ancient Egypt to the early 19th century. Features an illustrated chapter that covers ten elements common to architecture of almost all periods and countries. Includes glossary of terms.

Field guide to American architecture. New York: New American Library, 1980.
(Avery AA705 R44)
Divided into four building types: residential, ecclesiastical, civic and commercial, and ultilitarian. Includes 450 line drawings which illustrate representative examples of American buildings, as well as some photographs.

Field guide to American houses. New York: Knopf, 1984.
(Avery Reference AA7205 M12)
Treatment of major architectural fashions and styles. Illustrated with photographs, maps, and line drawings.

Pelican history of art.
Multi-volume survey which covers international art and architecture of all periods from ancient to modern. Each volume covers a specifc country and time period. Search CLIO under title "Pelican history of art" for a complete listing.

Visual dictionary of American dometic architecture.  New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1994.
(Avery Reference AA7205 C19)
Comprehensive look at types, periods and styles, showing regional and stylistic variations. Contains 500 detailed illustrations.

What style is it? a guide to American architecture. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley, 2003.
(Avery Reference AA705 P811)
Descriptive photographs and illustrations accompanied by explanations to help identify the most significant syles of American architecture.

ARCHITECTURAL TERMS AND CONCEPTS

Architecture and ornament: an illustrated dictionary. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1998.
(Avery Reference AA31 M29)

Dictionary of architecture & construction. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.
(Avery Reference AA31 H24413)

Elements of style: an encyclopedia of domestic architectural details. London: Mitchell Beazley, 1991.
(Avery Reference AA2840 El2711)

Historic architecture sourcebook. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1977.
(Avery Reference AA31 H62)

Illustrated dictionary of building design + construction. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.
(Avery Reference AA31 B893)

Illustrated dictionary of architecture. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.
(Avery Reference AA31 B891)

GRAPHIC AND TIME-SAVER STANDARDS

GRAPHIC STANDARDS:

Architectural graphic standards. 8th ed. New York: Wiley, 1988.
(Avery Reserves AA3105 R14115)

Architectural graphic standards. 11th ed. New York: Wiley, 2007.
(Avery Reserves AA3105 R141191)

Interior graphic standards. New York: Wiley, 2003.
(Avery Reserves AA3105 M17)

Landscape architectural graphic standards. Hoboken: Wiley, 2007.
(Avery Reserves AA9517 L22945)

Planning and urban design standards. Hoboken: Wiley, 2006.
(Avery Reserves AA9035 P69)

TIME-SAVER STANDARDS:

Time-saver standards for architectural design data. 7th ed.New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997.
(Avery Reserves AA3105 Ar25311)

Time-saver standards for architectural lighting. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000.
(Avery Reserves AA3125 St32533)

Time-Saver standards for building materials & systems. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000.
(Avery Reserves AA3102 T48)

Time-saver standards for building types. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.
(Avery Reserves AA2750 D35113)

Time-saver standards for housing and residential development. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.
(Avery Reserves AA7540 T481)

Time-saver standards for interior design and space planning. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.
(Avery Reserves AK2137 T481)

Time-saver standards for landscape architecture. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998.
(Avery Reserves AA9517 T481)

Time-saver standards for urban design. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
(Avery Reserves AA9035 T48)

Time-saver standards: site construction details manual. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999.
(Avery Reserves AA9517 D594)

Time-saver standards for urban design. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
(Avery Reserves AA9035 T48)

MULTILINGUAL DICTIONARIES

Diccionario tematico de arquitectura, urbanismo y construccion = Topic dictionary of architecture, urbanism and construction. Madrid: Fundacion General de la Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, 1992.
(Avery Reference AA31 M52)

Elsevier's dictionary of architecture in five languages: English, French, Spanish, German, and Dutch. New York: Elsevier Science Publishers, 1988
(Avery Reference AA31 EL758)

Multilingual dictionary of architecture and building terms. (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) New York: E & FN Spon, 1998
(Avery Reference AA31 M919)

DATABASES

Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals Citations to articles in worldwide architecture and related periodicals with primary emphasis on architectural design and history but coverage as well of archaeology, landscape architecture, interior design, furniture and decorative arts, garden history, historic preservation, city planning, urban design, real estate development and environmental studies. 

Art Full Text / Art Retrospective  Citations, some abstracts, and some full text of articles in international art periodicals. Areas covered include architecture and interior design. Art Retrospective covers 1929-1984. Art Full Text covers 1984 to the present. (This link will automatically take you to Art Full Text, to search Art Restropective only, or in combination with Art Full Text, select the "Open Database Selection Area" at the top left hand corner once you are connected to Art Full Text)

Bibliography of the History of Art Citations and abstracts for articles on Western, European and American, art history periodicals and other publications. Coverage from 1973 to the present and includes architecture and decorative arts.

JSTOR Full-text articles from more than 600 scholarly journals. Architecture coverage includes the journals Architectural History, Assemblage, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians and October among others.

RIBA Library Online Catalogue Catalogue of books, journal articles and other material in the British Architectural Library at the Royal Institute of British Architects. Covers architecture, city planning, and urban history. Strong focus on Great Britain, Europe and the British Commonwealth (India, New Zealand, Australia and Canada).

ULI Development Case Studies Access to more than 300 detailed case studies of completed projects ranging from low-income housing to mixed-use downtown developments to commercial and industrial projects. The case studies provide photographs and site plans, information on costs and rents, innovative features and strategies of the project, and an explanation of the entire development process. It covers projects from 1985 to the present. Thirty new case studies are added very year.

ARCHITECTURE E-JOURNALS

List of full-text journals available through Columbia Universities Libraries

IMAGE DATABASES AND WEBSITES

ARTstor Searchable database of more than 300,000 digital images and associated catalog data. ARTstor covers many time periods and cultures, and documents the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design, as well as many other forms of visual culture.

Cities and Buildings Database Collection of digitized images of buildings and cities drawn from across time and throughout the world. Produced by the University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections.

Columbia Image Bank: History of Art and Architecture Digital images of art from major museum collections, archeological sites, and works of architecture.

Great Buildings Collection This gateway to architecture around the world and across history documents a thousand buildings and hundreds of leading architects, with 3D models, photographic images and architectural drawings, commentaries, bibliographies, web links, and more, for famous designers and structures of all kinds.

Pidgeon Digital Audiovisual collection of illustrated talks by architects and related designers.

RIBApix Images from the collections of the British Architectural Library at the Royal Institute of British Architects, the world's most extensive visual archive devoted to architecture. It covers world architecture of all periods together with related subjects such as interior design, landscape, topography, planning, construction and the decorative arts.

last updated: September 2007