50 Must Read Blogs - Christiana Laun

[TheAllusionist]

Interesting List located at: 50 Must Read Blogs and Resources for Architecture Majors | Best Colleges Online


By Christina Laun
Architecture can be a challenging and sometimes stressful major, but you can help yourself stay informed and get creative new ideas by keeping on top of the news through the use of the Internet. With many architects blogging, and loads of resources and information out there, it can be well worth your time to check out at least a few blogs in your free time or to help you with a project. Here’s a list of 50 blogs and helpful sites we think are great sources for architecture majors.
Top Blogs
These blogs cover a wide range of subjects and can be great reading material.

1. A Daily Dose of Architecture: Blogger John Hill, a New York City resident and architecture student, posts his almost daily musings on architecture from around the world.
2. anArchitecture: This blog is written by Austrian Christoph Wassmann and contains a variety of links, news and commentary on the field of architecture.
3. BLDGBLOG: Written by Archinect team member, writer and editor for DWELL magazine Geoff Manaugh, this blog contains posts on design, architecture and landscape design.
4. a456: Here you’ll find a variety of thoughts, commentary and ideas on design and architecture from Enrique Ramirez, a Ph.D. student in History and Theory of Architecture at Princeton.
5. Archinect: While not a single blog in itself, this site brings together architecture blogs from schools around the world in order to create a more cohesive and collaborative field.
6. City of Sound: This blog covers a range of issues from music to architecture. It’s written by a director at Monocle, Dan Hill, who explores the relationship between form and function in the buildings and cities we inhabit.
7. Inhabitat: Here you’ll find green and sustainable design news, especially on issues related to architecture.
8. Interactive Architecture: Diploma thesis tutor Ruairi Glynn created this blog as a place to collect ideas about how students at the Bartlett School of Architecture and elsewhere can create architectural installations that require interaction and activity.
9. Pruned: This blog is dedicated to showing how landscape forms a big part of overall design, and the blog is written by landscape architect Alexander Trevi.
10. Super Colossal: Based in Australia, this design firm’s blog covers issues related to a range of design and architecture related topics.

Architecture News
Stay on the edge of the field of architecture with these news-filled blogs.

1. ArchNewsNow: This blog makes it easy to keep up with the latest and greatest moves in the architecture world. You can read the blog or sign up for the newsletter to get news delivered right to you.
2. Architecture Planet: This site aggregates news from sites all over the Web that have to do with architecture. You can find a wide range of stories, information and links to keep you busy.
3. Modern Architecture Design News: Find loads of pictures and news stories about the latest in modern architecture on this blog.
4. Architecture Lab: This online magazine and news site provides access to all kinds of new and up-to-date information on architecture.

Blogs By Architects
Check out these blogs by architects to see what other kind of work is being done out there.

1. Architecture: This blogger is an architect in a big firm in Singapore, and the blog focuses on new ideas and urban living, especially in Singapore and surrounding areas.
2. Life Without Buildings: While the title of this blog may imply otherwise, it’s actually all about architecture. You’ll find hundreds of photos and commentary on modern buildings and postmodern design.
3. Architecture + Morality: Three bloggers, a civil engineer, an architect and a pastor, use this blog as a forum to discuss a range of social issues behind architecture.
4. Arkitec TRUE: Run by Long Beach architect Yelda Horozoglu, this blog covers ideas on urban planning, design and architecture.
5. Continuity in Architecture: This blog is a teaching forum created by architecture professors at the Manchester School of Architecture and contains a scholarly perspective on architecture related themes.
6. Tessellar: The author of this blog, architect Mazlin Ghazali, resides in Malaysia and describes his idea to create communities based on a honeycomb based shape in order to create a better layout for communities and housing.
7. The Architecture of Fear: This blog was created by George Agnew during his time at Columbia University’s School of Architecture and explores the ideas of how architecture functions with war, terror and fear.

Green Building Blogs
Green and sustainable building is a big part of architecture these days, so learn all about it on these sites.

1. BLYGAD: The name of this blog, which stands for Blog Like You Give a Damn, is written by Colin Kloecker for the Architecture for Humanity in Minnesota. This organization is focused on creating sustainable architecture worldwide.
2. Earth Architecture: This blog is dedicated to buildings that have been constructed from natural materials like dirt, mud and bricks.
3. Eco Tecture: Here you’ll find information that focuses on green build projects in cities like Chicago, Brooklyn and London.
4. Treehugger: While this blog focuses on a number of issues related to environmentalism, it contains a large section on green architecture and design, which can be a great resource for those interested in the cutting edge of green building.
5. greenbuildingsNYC: Check out the latest green buildings in NYC and plans for new construction on this eco-focused blog.

Architecture Photography Blogs
These blogs focus on documenting architecture through photos and can not only be a good read but great eye candy as well.

1. FotoFacade: Architectural photographer Andy Marshall shares his photos in this extensive photography blog, with both new and old buildings being represented.
2. B.E.L.T: Standing for Build Environment in Layman’s Terms, this blog contains photography and commentary by professional Toby Weiss.
3. URBANPHOTO: This blog contains photos from all over the world of urban environments, buildings and people.
4. Bluejake: This amateur photographer shares his photos of New York City, both of the architecture within it and the people who reside there. New photos are posted regularly.
5. Chicago Uncommon: Here you’ll find photos from all over Chicago of the buildings, gardens and more that make up its neighborhoods and landmarks.
6. The Urban Observer: This blog not only offers regular photography but commentary, observations and more that deal with the urban environment in Chicago and cities all over.
7. Eye Candy: Blogger and architect Eric shares photos of buildings old and new from all over, with the purpose of improving the level of design.
8. Offbeat Homes: Browse through photos of all kinds of unique homes in this fun blog.

Landscape Architecture Blogs
Those more interested in the landscape around the buildings rather than the buildings themselves can find some pertinent information on landscape architecture in these blogs.

1. Aesthetic Grounds: Written by landscape architect and public artist Glenn Weiss, this blog focuses on projects that get people involved with their environments through art and design.
2. Free Soil: This blog’s purpose is to share ideas about landscape design that work to create effective landscapes that work with their natural settings to create sustainable and functional outdoor spaces.
3. Land + Living: Here you’ll find news on landscape design issues from all over the world that focus on thoroughly modern design.
4. The Dirt: The American Society of Landscape Architects runs this blog which shares news and views on ongoing projects and conceptions throughout the nation.
5. Turned Earth: The blog of landscape design firm O’Connell Landscape, this blog covers design, planting furniture and anything else that forms part of an outdoor environment.

Reference and Publications
These sites provide reference material and access to online publications on architecture.

1. Center for Universal Design: This group aims to make buildings accessible to all people, even those with limiting disabilities. Ensure your designs allow for all to enjoy them by giving this site a look.
2. ArtLex Dictionary of Visual Art: Find definitions of thousands of art and architecture terms in this helpful reference tool.
3. TechStreet: If you want to build things you need to know what building and safety codes you’ll need to comply with. This site provides an easy place to find all the information you need on these and more.
4. Architectural Record: This publication from McGraw Hill shares news and articles in this regularly updated online format.
5. Architype Review: Here you’ll find a forum to discuss architectural typologies like schools, libraries, parking garages and more, and how these types affect design. It can be a great place to look if you’re trying to think outside of the box for new designs.

Buildings and Architects
Get some background on great buildings and famous architects from these resources.

1. Great Buildings: From country to country and throughout time, this site covers the great buildings and is a great reference and inspirational site.
2. AGRAM: This site focuses on some of history’s most important architects, providing background information and photos of their well-known buildings.
3. ArchINFORM: Here you’ll find a huge online database of architects and buildings which has been described as one of the most useful architecture resources on the Internet.
4. High Rise Buildings Database: Love skyscrapers? You can read all about them with information from this site.
5. National Register of Historic Places: Find out what buildings hold historical significance in your city or anywhere in the United States.
6. Famous Architects: This site brings together a huge archive of information on the world’s most famous and influential architects and can be a great reference for a class project.

[d.sign]

Thanks Russell!
Great list, very useful to have all this links at one place...

[marko04]

Thank you, Russell...
I love quality blogs, but I dont know how to press ctrl+D...
This is big help

[TheAllusionist]

Originally Posted by marko04

Thank you, Russell...
I love quality blogs, but I dont know how to press ctrl+D...
This is big help

CTRL+D in FireFox is one of my pet peeves of stupidity in programming. Yes lets use the hot keys for delete in programs like MicroSoft Outlook as save keys in our program. Sorry but get tons of emails a day and a lot of times they have links (mail order brides for example!LOL) and I am going back and forth between Outlook and FireFox and have accidently deleted mail lots of times trying to Bookmark and interesting page.

Sorry for the rant, but I do stupid things all the time and I have never done anything as stupid as that

Back to our usual programming, yes some good links, I really like sites like 'StumbleUpon' where you narrow your search and allow other peoples search to narrow down what you view.

[Horhe]

Wow thanks Russell a lot of interesting reading there. Will find some time and read through at least some of them..

[cybeo]

Thanks bud!

Try Thunderbird for email. So much better than Outlook.

Wow! What an eyesore is archidose 225.
I really like the modern house kitchen interior lighting.
The anarchitect logo is the top of the apple logo - Apple leaf.

Maybe we should post our favourite blogs as well.

[TheAllusionist]

This would be a good place to post favorite blogs it is in the resource section, so post away!

[bokkins]

ive been looking for these! very cool russell. thanks! so far I've only known archinect among the list. hehe

[neil]

Great list, Thanks Russell.
I am reading those blogs. Few of them are really interesting.