Essential Architecture Books and References for Study and Practice

Here are 10+ essential references to dive into as you begin Architecture school.

Jul 22, 2025

An aspirant or a practicing architect, reconnect with the roots of the profession and build a solid foundation. Quite a long read, grab a snack or something. Play a MOBA montage while you’re at it. KEKW

Planning and Designer’s Handbook 2nd Edition by Max Fajardo

The friendliest of them all — your go-to reference for basic measurements and layouts. This book offers bite-sized information to help you understand key design considerations. It includes standard dimensions for furniture and sample layouts for kitchens, bedrooms, stores, cabinets, toilets, and accessibility features.

Keep in mind, this should serve as a starting point — a foundation for understanding design and layout elements. If you're a student, it's helpful to begin with this book, then transition to international standards commonly used today. Note that some accessibility guidelines in the book may be outdated and are now governed by current laws, which must be strictly followed. In practice, however, many of these standards are still in use and can be incredibly useful to know.

Diksiyonaryong Biswal ng Arkitekturang Filipino by Rino Fernandez

This book focuses on Indigenous, Spanish, and American structures that significantly contributed to the development of Filipino Architecture. It contains detailed drawings of some of the most iconic buildings in the Philippines, highlighting key characteristics of past architectural movements in the country. The presentation style is similar to that of the Visual Dictionary by D.K. Ching, featuring breakdowns of various systems and building methods from earlier periods.

It serves as a valuable resource for students in their History classes and may also inspire practitioners, especially when clients request a touch of historical influence integrated into modern design.

A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D.K. Ching

It’s like a children’s book for architecture—except you’re not a child, you’re sleep-deprived, and it’s your fifth cup of coffee by 11 a.m. As the name suggests, it contains detailed drawings of various things: building materials, construction methods, historical structures, and more than I can list. While it doesn’t cover everything, it gives you more than enough to understand terms, their meanings, and how they function within a system.

This book, much like the one by Fajardo, offers a broad overview and is widely used for exams and review materials, especially for definitions of terms. While it's certainly beneficial for students and reviewees, practicing architects might pick it up for a bit of nostalgia—or just to remember something they already encountered before.

Either way, it’s a fun book to browse. Admittedly, I haven’t read it cover to cover, but you don’t have to—just find a topic, flip through the pages, and build your understanding from there. It always helps you get to where you're heading.

Architect’s Data by Ernst and Peter Neufert

This book provides a wide range of information on design, space requirements, furniture dimensions, layouts, and construction details. It’s one of the most comprehensive books I know—and one of my favorite reads. It contains numerous sample plans and detailed drawings, and you’ll find some unexpected entries in there, like horse stables or types of climbing plants. It may be a bit harder to digest compared to the Visual Dictionary, but it gets the job done and is highly informative.

Students might find it useful and efficient in building their understanding of design. For professionals, however, some of the content may feel a bit dated. While certain details might be outdated, the samples and ideas it conveys are still relevant and effective in developing a strong design narrative. Personally, I use it as a reference for layouts and dimensions—so long as the required spaces still align with current regulations, it remains a valuable resource.

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Before we start talking about the elephant in the room, let me just drop two timeless pieces: (1) The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch and (2) Responsive Environments by Ian Bentley et al. These two are like the salt and pepper of site planning—well, more like city planning, actually—but the concepts they discuss are incredibly important, and some can definitely be applied to space planning.

You’ll keep hearing these two references, and if you’re in your early years in Architecture, it’s a good idea to start familiarizing yourself with the concepts they cover.

The next references I’ll mention are some of the most valuable documents and books in our profession. They are the densest, heaviest reads of my entire architecture life—painful, bloody, and packed with text and no illustrations. If you’re a student, you’re better off reading these slowly during your free time. You’ll probably go through them once or twice during your Comprehensive class.

But for professionals, you’ll need them all the time. They’re like the books of the Bible: you follow them, you use them properly, you use them to defend yourself—and maybe even keep them under your pillow at night. I can’t stress this enough: this is the most important set of rules and guidelines you need to follow as an architect.

And yes, you might actually get sued—or even land in jail—if you don’t.

Profession

Republic Act 9266: The Architecture Act of 2004 + UAP and SPP Documents + Code of Ethics

These references contain all the essential information about our practice: what is allowed and not allowed, what is required from us, what is expected of us, how we charge, the scope of our services, and the violations—and consequences—if we fail to meet these guidelines. This is your guidebook for practicing architecture. These documents define what it truly means to be an architect.

Presidential Decree 1096: National Building Code of the Philippines + Republic Act 9514: Fire Code of the Philippines + Batas Pambansa 344: Accessibility Law

This is the “Big Three” when it comes to planning and design. These will guide you in designing a building—and at times, you might feel they’re very restricting. And honestly, they are, because they outline the restrictions and limitations necessary to ensure the safety of building users and everyone around it, starting from construction.

These books specify the exact measurements required to accommodate certain design or building elements. I believe they truly bring out an architect’s talent and skill in manipulating spaces harmoniously without breaking any rules. While we want our buildings to be as beautiful and striking as possible, the safety and well-being of users will always be an architect’s top priority.

You don’t really want your building to murder people, do you?

Special and Specific Guidelines

Philippine Green Building Code + Batas Pambansa 220: Rules and Regulations for Socialized and Economic Housing + Presidential Decree 957: Rules and Regulations for Subdivisions and Condominium

Starting with the most important of them all—the Philippine Green Building Code (PGBC). The PGBC is a referral code of the NBCP, meaning it is an extension of the NBCP’s provisions specifically focused on green building strategies. It contains specific provisions and required standards but is not intended to function as a rating system. Rating systems such as BERDE and LEED, on the other hand, are used to categorize how sustainable a building is. You should always refer to the NBCP and PGBC for compliance; and if you want your building to be certified, that’s when you use a rating system from certifying agencies—which, by the way, have their own separate rules and guidelines.

The other two references mentioned here—PD 957 and BP 220—are specific to dwellings and their required amenities. Both function similarly to the NBCP by providing specific dimensions and highly detailed criteria to follow. However, only BP 220 is exempted from certain NBCP provisions, as it applies to Socialized and Economic Housing projects, which are designed with smaller clearances to make them more affordable for less fortunate families.

While most people admire grand and iconic buildings that may cost 100 times more, it is still part of our profession’s duty to provide livable and comfortable spaces for all people. These regulations represent the efforts of the government and professionals to serve every sector of society—and as architects, it is an honorable duty we can proudly take part in.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope you found it useful and informative. Most professionals might already be familiar with these references, but they’re still worth mentioning—to remind ourselves what this profession is all about and where we started. If you’re a student, don’t worry too much—you’ll get there eventually. What’s important is that you now understand the level of commitment our profession requires. And now that you have this knowledge, you can start building on it gradually. In need of motivation? —unfortunately, my brain can’t remember his name, but during the June 2025 Architect’s Licensure Exam, there was one gentleman who stood out—he’s over 50 years old and he made it! Fifty! What a [redacted] legend!

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