The top 10 architecture and design books of 2024
For those still looking for Christmas gifts, we round up this year's top architecture and design books as part of our review of 2024.
Kiosk by David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka
Simply named Kiosk, this book features photos of more than 150 modernist, modular kiosks that brighten streets across central and eastern Europe.
Authors David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka aimed to draw attention to the surviving, unusual structures that were constructed in factories in the Eastern Bloc from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Written by academics Harriet Harriss, Naomi House, Monika Parrinder and Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft, 100 Women: Architects in Practice showcases the work of architects from 78 different countries.
The book contains interviews with some of the world's best-known architects including Liz Diller, Tatiana Bilbao, Mariam Issoufou Kamara and Lina Ghotmeh, along with numerous women who have not yet received extensive global attention.
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Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces by Dominic Bradbury
Published by Phaidon, the Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces is an encyclopedia featuring 450 mid-century-modern buildings from all across the world.
The book not only contains many of the key buildings created by the movement's trailblazers but also those designed by more under-represented architects.
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Humanise by Thomas Heatherwick
The book that undoubtedly drew the most attention this year was Thomas Heatherwick's Humanise.
In the book, along with a Radio 4 series and initiative of the same name, British designer Heatherwick takes aim at "boring" buildings.
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Sacred Modernity by Jamie McGregor Smith
Sacred Modernity aimed to showcase the "unique beauty and architectural innovation" of brutalist churches across Europe.
The book contains 139 photographs of 100 churches taken by photographer Jamie McGregor Smith over five years, along with essays by writers Jonathan Meades and Ivica Brnic.
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Simon Phipps' follow up to his Brutal North and Brutal London books, Brutal Wales highlights architecture in the brutalist style across the country.
Alongside photography of 60 buildings, the book has explanatory texts in both Welsh and English, as well as an introduction by social historian John Grindrod.
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Donald Judd Furniture by Judd Foundation
The Donald Judd Furniture book contains photos of all the furniture pieces created by the artist for his New York and Marfa, Texas, properties that remain in production.
Along with the photos, the book contains archival sketches by Judd, newly commissioned drawings of each piece and several essays by the artist.
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London Estates by Thaddeus Zupančič
London Estates documents the modernist council housing built in the UK capital in the post-war period.
Described by publisher Fuel as "the most comprehensive photographic document of council housing schemes in the capital", the book was photographed by Thaddeus Zupančič.
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Made in America by Christopher Payne
Photographer Christopher Payne's Made in America book contains images taken over the past decade in the USA's factories.
Payne created the book as a way of helping to preserve the legacy of industry in America, while documenting the skill of workers who are featured in the photography.
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50 Design Ideas You Really Need to Know by John Jervis
The latest book in the 50 ideas series, 50 Design Ideas You Really Need to Know contains essays tracking the evolution of design from the 19th century to today.
Written by John Jervis, the book aims to make a broad range of design concepts accessible to a wide audience.
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