Building Types Online
If you’re searching for details of certain building types or specific buildings, the AA Library has a new database that can help. Building Types Online is a resource for the study and practice of architectural design, based on Birkhäuser’s professional architecture books.
The database includes a large international collection of contemporary buildings, from housing and offices to museums, schools and other building types. It comprises currently approximately 6000 drawings and 2500 photos of the exterior and interior. The drawings are mostly vector-based, drawn to scale and available for download. In additional to drawings and photos, there are 1200 case studies and more than 160 thematic articles that provide background information on individual building types or explain specific aspects such as lighting, acoustics, urban considerations, access types or planning processes. There are also links to locations via Google maps, and sometimes links to Google Scholar.
Search options allow you to combine multiple search terms including full text, architect, building types, decade, height, country, author, urban context, morphological type, volumetric configuration, new building and content type, and author. Annual updates are added including new building types and more contemporary international case studies.
The amount of information on each building varies: for example, the Evelyn Grace Academy, London, by Zaha Hadid Architects, includes technical data, 10 drawings, 2 photographs, whereas Fondation Beyeler, Basel, by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, has technical data, project description, bibliography, 9 drawings and 2 photographs.
Access Building Types Online at: https://collections.aaschool.ac.uk/onlineresources
Watch a video on How to: Browse Building Types (AA Login required)
Evelyn Grace Academy, second floor. Source: Zaha Hadid Architects