LibGuides: Architecture: Find Books

A shelf search of the library's catalog can yield useful and unexpected results. To find books on the shelf, find the section in the library with call numbers most associated with the subject you are interested in researching-this may be Architecture but it may also be Art. Every book is assigned a call number which tells you where in the library you can find it. FAU Libraries use the Library of Congress classification system, which uses letters and numbers to designate subjects covered (example: PE1075 .L47 2007). Below are the call number associated with architecture.

Architecture NA 1 - NA 9428

While FAU libraries use LOC call numbers, Broward Public Libraries use the Dewey Classification System. For a more detailed explanation with examples of the Dewey Numbers please see this link. The Dewey Numbers for Architecture are below:

Architecture 720-729

SUBJECT HEADINGS

A researcher may also easily find books by searching the library's catalog using Library of Congress subject headings. The following is a partial list of subject headings related to Architecture that can be used when searching for books and other items in the FAU Libraries Catalog.

Architecture and Society -- History -- 20th Century
Architecture -- Study and teaching -- Germany
Architecture, Modern -- 20th century
Architect Name (e.g., Wright, Frank Lloyd) -- Criticism and interpretation
Gehry, Frank Zumthor, Peter Piano, Renzo Saarinen, Eeero Le Corbusier Hadid, Zaha
Architects -- Japan -- Interviews
Art museums -- Designs and plans
Bauhaus

For additional assistance, click here.

How to search for books and other materials using the library catalog

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Books Available at FAU Boca Raton Campus

Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of books that the library has in its collections, but rather a starting point for students and researchers.

FAU Libraries has an extensive collection of Textbook Reserves for Architecture -as well as other subjects- just follow the link and look for your class prefix ARC and number (ARC 2208, ARC 2461, etc....). Link to textbook reserves can be found here.

For a video tutorial on finding books on the shelf, click here.

Architecture, Form, Space & Order by Francis D. K. Ching
Call Number: NA2760.C46
ISBN: 0442215347
Publication Date: 1979-12-01
Francis D. K. Ching is Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Precedents in Architecture by Roger H. Clark; Michael Pause
Call Number: NA2750.C55 1996
ISBN: 0442020511
Publication Date: 1996-04-01
**Also Available as Ebook**
"Precedents in Architecture provides a vocabulary for architectural analysis that will help you understand the works of others, and aid you in creating your own designs. Here, you will examine the work of internationally known architects with the help of a unique diagrammatic technique, which you can also use to analyze existing buildings." "In addition to the sixteen original contributors, the Second Edition features seven new, distinguished architects. All 23 architects were selected because of the strength, quality, and interest of their designs."--BOOK JACKET.
Culture and Architecture by Leo Hanson
Call Number: NA200.H36 2017
ISBN: 1516510828
Publication Date: 2017-05-05
Culture and Architecture: An Integrated History is a brief survey of architectural history, from its prehistoric origins to the present day. It explores architecture as the most prodigious and most visible art form, examines architecture's integral relationships with culture, and places the great monuments of the world within contexts that help explain why they were built and why they are considered great artistic works. Culture and Architecture is organized into six major time divisions that explore prehistory, antiquity, late antiquity, the middle ages, the pre-modern era, and the modern era. Each chapter includes photographs and drawings of the most important works during that period, and the appendix lists important general architectural terms. Culture and Architecture is an ideal course book for students in foreign studies, art, anthropology, history, or anyone interested in architecture and culture. It is written to foster an appreciation of architecture from students from all disciplines and fields of study.

Books Available at Broward Library Main

Please note that while FAU libraries use the Library of Congress numbering system, called call numbers, Broward Public Libraries use the Dewey Classification system. This is not a comprehensive list of books Broward Public Libraries has in their collection, but rather a starting point for your search.

Precedents in Architecture
By: Clark, Roger H.
ISBN: 9780471287032
Publication Date: 1996
Architecture: form, space, & order
by: Ching, Francis D. K.
ISBN: 9781119853374
Publication Date: 2023

Books Available Online (Ebooks) through FAU Libraries

Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of ebooks on architecture that the library has in its collections, but rather a starting point for students and researchers.

Shapes of Imagination by George Stiny
ISBN: 9780262544139
Publication Date: 2022-11-15
Visual calculating in shape grammars aligns with art and design, bridging the gap between seeing (Coleridge's "imagination") and combinatoric play (Coleridge's "fancy"). In Shapes of Imagination, George Stiny runs visual calculating in shape grammars through art and design-incorporating Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poetic imagination and Oscar Wilde's corollary to see things as they aren't. Many assume that calculating limits art and design to suit computers, but shape grammars rely on seeing to prove otherwise. Rules that change what they see extend calculating to overtake what computers can do, in logic and with data and learning. Shape grammars bridge the divide between seeing (Coleridge's "imagination, or esemplastic power") and combinatoric play (Coleridge's "fancy"). Stiny shows that calculating without seeing excludes art and design. Seeing is key for calculating to augment creative activity with aesthetic insight and value. Shape grammars go by appearances, in a full-fledged aesthetic enterprise for the inconstant eye; they answer the question of what calculating would be like if Turing and von Neumann were artists instead of logicians. Art and design are calculating in all their splendid detail.
Culture and Architecture by Leo Hanson
Call Number: NA200.H36 2017
ISBN: 1516510828
Publication Date: 2017-05-05
Culture and Architecture: An Integrated History is a brief survey of architectural history, from its prehistoric origins to the present day. It explores architecture as the most prodigious and most visible art form, examines architecture's integral relationships with culture, and places the great monuments of the world within contexts that help explain why they were built and why they are considered great artistic works. Culture and Architecture is organized into six major time divisions that explore prehistory, antiquity, late antiquity, the middle ages, the pre-modern era, and the modern era. Each chapter includes photographs and drawings of the most important works during that period, and the appendix lists important general architectural terms. Culture and Architecture is an ideal course book for students in foreign studies, art, anthropology, history, or anyone interested in architecture and culture. It is written to foster an appreciation of architecture from students from all disciplines and fields of study.
Precedents in Architecture by Roger H. Clark; Michael Pause
Call Number: NA2750.C55 1996
ISBN: 0442020511
Publication Date: 1996-04-01
**Also Available as Ebook**
"Precedents in Architecture provides a vocabulary for architectural analysis that will help you understand the works of others, and aid you in creating your own designs. Here, you will examine the work of internationally known architects with the help of a unique diagrammatic technique, which you can also use to analyze existing buildings." "In addition to the sixteen original contributors, the Second Edition features seven new, distinguished architects. All 23 architects were selected because of the strength, quality, and interest of their designs."--BOOK JACKET.

What if a book is not available at my library?

If a book, article or other item is not available at your library, you must Interlibrary Loan the item/s.

Go to the following link to request the item be sent to your campus library: Interlibrary Loan

Last updated on May 21, 2025 10:49 AM