Doing Research in Architecture
Using the Library for Studio Assignments | Writing Papers | Finding Local Information
Studio Assignments
Building Codes | Building Materials | Cost Data | Drawing Resources | Finding Images | Lighting | Siting | Space Planning | Structures | Surveying
Building Codes
Local Building Codes | Specialized Codes | National and International Building Codes
- Local Building Codes
- Specialized Codes
- National and International Building Codes
- Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI)
- American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
- American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
- American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
- Building Codes Assistance Project
- Canadian Codes Centre
- Canadian General Standards Board
- Canadian Standards Association Construction Standards
- Electrical Contractor Network, National Electrical Code (and the NFPA)
- Institute for Research in Construction (National Research Council Canada)
- International Association of Plumbing and Mechnical Officials (IAPMO) (Developers of Universal Plumbing Code)
- International Code Council (Formerly Building Officials and Code Administrators [BOCA]; responsible for National Fire Prevention Code, Uniform Building Code and Uniform Mechanical Code)
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
- National Building Code (BOCA)
- National Electrical Installation Standards (NEIS)
- National Fire Protection Association (NFPA; responsible the National Fire Code, National Electrical Code, NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code, Life Safety Code, Fire Prevention Code, National Fuel Gas Code, National Fire Alarm Code)
- National Information Standards Organization (NISO)
- National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- Underwriters Laboratories (UL)
- Uniform Fire Code (National Code Services Association)
- U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Portal
- U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Energy Codes Program
- National Mechanical Code (BOCA)
- Ching, Frank, and Winkel, Steven R., Building Codes Illustrated, 2nd edition, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), AUP Reference TH420 .C49 2007
- Patterson, Terry L., 2006 Building Code Handbook, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007), AUP Reference TH420 .P38 2007
- Thornburg, Douglas W., and Henry, John R., Significant Changes to the International Building Code 2006 Edition (Clifton Park, NY: Thomas Delmar Learning, 2006), AUP Reference TH420 .T485 2006
Building Materials
General | Concrete | Glass | Masonry | Steel | Sustainable | Wood
- General
- Herzog, Thomas, Facade Construction Manual, (Basel: Birkhauser, 2004), AUP shelved at Arch Desk, TH2235 .H475 2004
- Marotta, Theodore W., Basic Construction Materials, 7th edition, (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2005), AUP Reference, TA403 .M26 2005
- Watson, Donald, Time-Saver Standards for Building Materials and Systems, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000), AUP Reference TA404.5 .T56 2000
- Concrete
- Concrete Masonry Standards (Herndon, VA: National Concrete Masonry Association, 2004). AUP Reference TA682.25 .A88 2004
- Kind-Barkauskas, F., et al., Concrete Construction Manual, (Basel: Birkhauser, 2002), AUP Reference TH1461 .K5613 2002
- Nawy, Edward G., Reinforced Concrete: A Fundamental Approach, 5th Edition, (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2005), AUP Reference, TA444 .M38 2005
- Glass
- Balkow, Dieter, Glass Construction Manual, (Basel: Birkhauser, 1999), AUP Reference
- Masonry
- Pfiefer, Gunter, Masonry Construction Manual, (Basel: Birkhauser, 2001), AUP Reference TH1199 .M274 2001
- Steel
- Schulitz, Helmet C., Steel Construction Manual, (Basel: Birkhauser, 2000), AUP Reference TA684 .S352 2000
- Sustainable
- Kibert, Charles J., Sustainable Construction, Green Building Design and Delivery, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005), AUP Reference, TH880 . G74 2005
- Snell, Clarke, and Callahan, Tim, Building Green, (Asheville, NC: Lark, 2005), AUP Reference TH4860 .S6397 2005
- Wooley, Tom, et al., Green Building Handbook, (London: Spon, 1997), AUP Reference TA403.6 .G74 1997 v. 1
- Wooley, Tom, and Kimmins, Sam, Green Building Handbook v. 2, (London: Spon, 2000), AUP Reference TA403.6 .G74 v. 2
- Wood
- Hugues, Theodor, et al., Timber Construction, (Basel: Birkhauser, 2004), AUP shelved at Arch Desk, TA66 .H84 2004
- Timber Construction Manual, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005), Engineering Reference Floor 1 TA666 .T47 2005
- Walker, Alden, ed., Encyclopedia of Wood, (New York: Facts on File, 2005), AUP Reference TA419 .E53 2005
- Wood Reference Book, (Ottawa, ON: Canadian Wood Council, 1991) AUP Reference TH1101 .W55 1991
Cost Data
- RS Means Construction Cost Data Western Edition, 20th edition, 2007, (Norcorss, GA: Reed Construction Data, 2007), AUP Reference TH435 .B85 2007
Drawing Resources
Blueprints | Design Drawing | Engineering Drafting | Scale Elements | Sketching
- Blueprints
- Madsen, David A., Print Reading for Architecture and Construction Technology, (Clifton Park, NY: Thomas Delmar Learning, 2005), AUP Reference T379 .M23 200
- Design Drawing
- Ching, Frank, Architectural Graphics, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2003), AUP Reserve NA2700 .C46 2003 (5 other copies in AUP General Stacks, 1975, 1985, 1996 editions)
- Ching, Frank, Design Drawing, (New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1998), AUP Reserve NA2708 .C49 1998 (2 copies)
- Davis, David A., and Walker, Theodore D., Plan Graphics, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), AUP Reserve NA2700 .W34 2000
- Forseth, Kevin, Graphics for Architecture, (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980), AUP Reserve NA2708 .F67
- Yee, Rendow, Architectural Drawing, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2003), AUP Reserve NA2708 .Y439 2003
- Engineering Drafting
- See books in the call number range T353 in AUP Library and Engineering.
- Scale Elements
- Burden, Ernest E., Entourage A Tracing File, (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1981), AUP Reserve, NA2780 .B873 1981
- Evans, Larry, New Complete Illustration Guide: the Ultimate Trace File for Architects, Designers, Artists and Students, (New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1997), AUP Reserve NA2780 .E9 1997
- McGarry, Richard M., and Madison, Greg, Scale Elements for Design Elevation, (New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1991), AUP Reserve NA2780 .M37 1991
- Tobey, Gary, and Hildeton, Nels, Delineation, (New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1992), AUP Reserve NA2780 .T6 1992
- Sketching
- See books in the NC825 call number area of the AUP General Stacks.
Finding Images
Finding Building Details | Finding Plans, Sections, Elevations | Finding Image Databases
- Finding Building Details
- Avery Index (Check article record for "Types of Illustrations") This will often require finding a paper copy of a periodical
- Consult Detail Magazine, English and German editions, AUP Periodicals NA3 .D378 and NA2835 .D4
- Books by Christian Schittich; for ex., Architectural Details 2003, (Munich : Institut für internationale Architektur-Dokumentation ; Oxford : Elsevier, c2004), AUP Arch Desk, NA2840 .A734 2004
- DeChiara, Joseph, Panero, Julius, and Zelnik, Martin, Time-Saver Standards for Interior Design and Space Planning, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001 AUP Reference NK2110 .T48 2001
- Hoke, John Ray, Jr., ed., Architectural Graphic Standards, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), AUP Reference TH2031 .A84 2007
- Levy, Sidney M., Construction Building Envelope and Interior Finishes Databook, (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2001), AUP Reference TH2235 .L48 2001
- Place, Wayne, Architectural Structures, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), AUP Reference TH1101 .T48 2000
- Rumbarger, Janet, Architectural Graphic Standards for Residential Construction, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), AUP Reference TH2031 .A84254 2003
- Thallon, Rob, Graphic Guide to Frame Construction, (Newtown, CT: Taunton, 2000), AUP Reference TA658 .P625 2007
- Watson, Donald, ed., The American Institute of Architects Architectural Details, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), AUP Reference SB472 .L36 2007
- Watson, Donald, ed., Time-Saver Standards for Building Materials and Systems, (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2000), AUP Reference TH2031 .R34 2001
- Finding Current or Historic Plans, Sections, Elevations, etc.
- Avery Index (Check article record for "Types of Illustrations") This will indicate whether plans, elevations, sections, etc., were used in the article indexed; using Avery will require you to find paper copies of periodicals most of the time.
- Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
- Find books on the work of a specific architect, landscape architect, urban planner or a significant work by using the UW Library Catalog
- Use a reference books such as:
- Clark, Roger H., and Pause, Michael, Precedents in Architecture, Third Edition, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005), AUP Reserve, NA2750 .C55 2005. (Two other, earlier editions exist in AUP General Stacks)
- Ford, Edward R., The Details of Modern Architecture, Volume 1, (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003) AUP Reference NA2840 .F67 1990 v. 1
- Ford, Edward R., The Details of Modern Architecture, Volume 2, (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1998) AUP Reference NA2840 .F67 1990 v. 2
- Weston, Richard, Plans, Sections and Elevations Key Buildings of the Twentieth Century, (London: Laurence King Publishing, 2004), AUP Reference, NA2705 .W44 2004b
- Finding Image Databases
Lighting
- Rea, Mark S., ed., Lighting Handbook, (New York: Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, 1993) AUP Reference TK4125 .I375 1993
- Steffy, Gary, Time-Saver Standards for Architectural Lighting, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000) AUP Reference TK4188 .S753 2000
Siting
General | Climate Data | Solar Orientation
- General
- Roberts, John Mack, The Building Site, Planning and Practice, (New York: Wiley, 1983), AUP General Stacks, TH375 .R63 1983
- Climate Data
- Climates of the States, Ohio-Wyoming, v. 2, (Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1980), AUP Reference QC983 .C55 1980 v. 2
- National Oceanic and Atmpspheric Administration, (NOAA), National Weather Service
- National Climatic Data Center (NOAA)
- Olygay, Victor, Design with Climate: Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism, (Princeton, N. J., Princeton University Press, 1963), AUP Library, NA2540 .O44
- Solar Orientation
- Porteous, Colin, Solar Architecture in Cool Climates, (Sterling, VA: Earthscan, 2005), AUP General Stacks TH7414 .P67 2005
- Sibson, Ron, Solar Angle Reference Manual, (Hoboken, NJ: WIley, 1983), AUP Reference TJ810 .S48524 1983
Space Planning
- Allen, Edward and Iano, Joseph, The Architect's Studio Companion, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), AUP Reference, NA2750 .A556 2007
- Ching, Frank, Architecture--Form, Space & Order, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), AUP General Stacks NA2760 .C46 2007
- City of Seattle, Seattle Public Utilities, Standard Plans and Specifications
- DeChiara, Joseph and Crosbie, Michael J., Time-Saver Standards for Building Types, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001)
- DeChiara, Joseph, Panero, Julius, and Zelnik, Martin, Time-Saver Standards for Interior Design and Space Planning, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001 AUP Reference NK2110 .T48 2001
- Hopper, Leonard J., Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), AUP Reference SB472 .L36 2007
- Oliver, Paul, Encylopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World, (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998), AUP Reference NA208 .E53 1997, v. 1-4
- Panero, Julius and Martin Zelnik, Human Dimension & Interior Space, (New York: Whitney Library of Design, 1979), AUP General Stacks and Reference, NA2542.4 .P356 1979
- Steiner, Frederick R. and Butler, Kent, Planning and Urban Design Standards, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), AUP Reference TH2031 .S74 2007
Structures (Architectural Engineering)
- See books in the TA625-TA658 call number area of the AUP and Engineering Libraries.
- Ballast, David Kent, Handbook of Construction Tolerances, (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007), TH851 .B35 2007
Surveying
- Nathanson, Jerry, et al., Surveying Fundamentals and Practices, (Upper Saddle River, NJ.: Pearson Prentice Hall, c2006 AUP Reference TA545 .N28 2006
- See books in the TA545 call number area of the AUP and Engineering Libraries.
Writing Papers
Using UW Library Resources | Critical Thinking/Information Literacy | Finding Biographical Information | Finding Book Reviews | Forming a Paper Topic | Reference Sources in Architecture | Style Guides
Using UW Library Resources
Critical Thinking/ Information Literacy: Differentiating among Bad, Better, and Best Resources
- Is the information suitable?
- What is its scope? Overview or in-depth?
- Book: What kind of study is it? Is it for novices, specialists or in-between? Who is the intended readership?
- Periodicals: What is its target audience?
- Popular: Fine Home Building, Metropolitan Home, Dwell (Generally not written by architects for architects.)
- Professional: Architectural Record, Architectural Review, 2G, El Croquis, Planning, Urban Land (Contain many diagrams used by professionals; articles tend to be more reliable than popular press.)
- Scholarly: Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Environment and Behavior A, Landscape Planning (Peer-reviewed; because of peer-review, these articles should be the most reliable.)
- Importance of peer-review: Hallmarks of a peer-reviewed article: Look for author’s credentials, footnotes, bibliography.
- Some periodical indexes will differentiate peer-reviewed articles; See CSA / ASCE Civil Engineering Abstracts Database
- Whether a book or article, is it timely?
- Is the writer an authority?
- Who is the writer? What are his/her credentials? If in doubt, do a biographical research on the author. A Google search is a start, or use a citation index, like Web of Science, to check the number of times an author has been cited.
- What is the writer’s bias? Who pays the author? To whom is the author beholden?
- If it is a book, who published it? Is it self-published? Is it a popular publisher (Chronicle or Taschen, for example), professional-oriented (Norton, Wiley, or Rizzoli), or university press (MIT, U of California, U of Washington)?
- Does the author rely on primary, secondary or tertiary research documents?
- Primary
- Presents author's original work
- Relies on first-hand sources, experimental data, eye-witness accounts or archival information
- Court records/government documents
- Personal narratives/autobiographies
- Original drawings/photographs
- Correspondence
- Contemporary newspaper accounts
- Interviews/oral histories
- Secondary
- Analysis after an event, removed by one or more steps
- Describe, interpret, and evaluate primary sources
- Book reviews
- Journal articles
- Dissertations
- Scholarly books
- Textbooks
- Tertiary
- Compile, organize, and summarize secondary sources
- Bibliographies
- Periodical databases
- Almanacs
- Encyclopedia articles
- Dictionaries
- If the writer seems authoritative, find his/her other works and use his/ her bibliographies and footnotes to find other reliable information.
- Assessing Web Sites
- What type of website is it? Who wrote it? (Is an author credited?) What are his/her biases?
- Does the author use any footnoting? If so, does s/he credit any print resources or use primary research sources?
- If the author uses hyperlinks to corroborate points, where do they lead? Are the sites authoritative? Are many of the links dead?
- How timely is the site? Look to see when it was last updated, usually at the bottom.
- Who runs the site? Is it an organization with an agenda? Check the fine print about the sponsor. What does the URL tell you?
- “.coms” can be reliable, but they can also try to sell you something; is it a news organization? Use them with caution.
- “.orgs” can be reliable, but are sometimes fronts for bogus institutions. Corroborate the authenticity of the website’s owner.
Does it have an ideological bias and how does this manifest itself?
- “.gov” information should be reliable, but it depends on the bias of the government and its reporting agency.
- “.mil” information should be reliable, but militaries are bureaucracies like any other large organization with self-interests and biases.
- “.edu” information should be the most reliable, but this can vary. Stick with large, reputable universities and colleges.
- Who links to the site? Google ranks the relevancy of a site by the number of others that link to it.
- Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask; University of California, Berkeley
Finding Biographical Information
- American Institute of Architects Seattle Chapter Honors and Awards
- American Institute of Architects Seattle Chapter Firm Profiles AUP Reference NA55 .S6 F57 2000
- UW Libraries Biographical Links
- Proquest National Newspapers will help provide biographical information. Historical issues of the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times are also available via Proquest.
- DOCOMOMOWeWa Architects and Designers
- Grove Art Online
- Morgan, Ann Lee and Naylor, Colin, Contemporary Architects, Third Edition, (New York: Saint James Press, 1994) AUP Reference, NA40 .C66 1994
- Placzek, Adolf, ed., Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects, (New York: Free Press, 1982), AUP Reference NA40 .M25 1982 v. 1-4
- ProFile 2004, (Norcross, GA: Reed Construction Data, 2004), AUP Reference NA53 .P76 2000
- Roots Web Social Security Death Index
- Sennott, R. Stephen, Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture, (New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2004), AUP Reference NA680 .E495 2004, v.1-3
- Van Vynckt, Randall J., International Dictionary of Architects and Architecture, (Detroit: Saint James Press, 1993), AUP Reference, NA40 .I48 1993 v. 1-2
- Washington Secretary of State Historical Records Search
Finding Book Reviews
Forming a Paper Topic
Reference Sources in Architecture
- Illustrated Architecture Dictionary (Author, Chuck LaChiusa, uses examples from Buffalo, NY)
- Harris, Cyril M., ed., Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture, (New York: Dover Publications, 1983), AUP Reference NA31 .H56 1983
- Harris, Cyril M., ed., Dictionary of Architecture and Construction, 4th Edition, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006), AUP Reference NA31 .H32 2006
Style Guides
- Gibaldi, Joseph, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, (New York: Modern Langugage Association, 2003) (4 copies in Odegaard Reference) OUGL, LB2369 .G53 2003
- Style Manuals & Writing Guides (Cal State Los Angeles University Library)
Finding Local Information
Information on Specific Buildings | Maps | Neighborhood History | Photos | Seattle, King County and Washington State Statistics
Information on Specific Buildings
Archival Collections | Books | Government Resources | University of Washington Buildings | Web Sites
- Archival Collections
- Books
- In the UW Library Catalog, search by name for specific architects and buildings
- Ochsner, Jeffrey, Distant Corner, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2003), AUP General Stacks NA735 .S45 O27 2003
- Ochsner, Jeffery, et al., Shaping Seattle Architecture, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1998) AUP Reference NA735 .S45 S53 1998
- Seattle City Directories, UW Libraries Department of Special Collections
- Swope, Carolyn, Classic Houses of Seattle, (Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2005), AUP Reference, NA7238 .S4 S94 2005
- Woodbridge, Sally, and Montgomery, Roger, A Guide to Architecture in Washington State, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1980), AUP Reference NA730.W2 W66
- Government Resources
- University of Washington Buildings
- Web Sites
Maps
Neighborhood History
Archival Collections | Books | Government Resources | Local History Organizations | Neighborhood Newspapers | Newspaper Indexes
- Archival Collections
- Books
- Government Resources
- Local History/Historic Preservation Organizations in Washington
- Neighborhood Newspapers
- Newspaper Indexes
Photos
Seattle, King County and Washington State Statistics