Research guides: Architecture: Electronic Reference Sources

Why use reference materials?

Reference materials can:

explain a term or specialized vocabulary you're unfamiliar with
provide a brief biography of an architect/designer
outline the characteristics of an architectural style or period
provide a concise overview of your subject
list suggestions for further reading.

Key Electronic Reference Sources for Architecture

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
Contains the biographies of over 1,900 Canadian architects and lists every Canadian building of importance between 1800 and 1950 whose architect can be identified.
Canadian Wood Council
Online publications published by The Canadian Wood Council. Publications include free technical publications and case studies.
Collection of Codes Canada Publications
Codes and user’s guides published by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) are available directly through the NRC Publications Archive in free electronic format.
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Publications include: 'National Energy Code for Buildings', "National Building Code of Canada" and an illustrated user's guide.
Dictionary of Modern Design, A
From the Arts and Crafts Movement to Postmodernism, Apple to Frank Lloyd Wright, this dictionary covers the past 160 years of international design, with accessible entries on branding, graphics, industrial design, functionalism, and fashion. New entries on digital design and sustainable design bring the coverage up to date.
Dictionary Plus Art and Architecture
Comprises of authoritative, highly accessible entries on artists, architects, and their works. The dictionary is an ongoing project, and more entries will be added over time.
Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture
Focusing on architecture from all regions of the world, both within and well beyond the theoretical confines of modernism.
Oxford Art Online
Contains 45,000 articles on every aspect of the visual arts - painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, decorative arts and photography - from prehistory to the present day.
Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (3rd ed.)
Covers every period of Western architectural history, including biographical entries on leading historical architects, as well as subjects such as algorithmic design, digital architecture, and parametric design.

Electronic Reference Sources for Architectural and Building Technology, and Construction

Architecture Reference and Specification Book: Everything Architects Need to Know Every Day
An easy-to-use reference book containing vital information that's essential to planning and executing architectural projects of all shapes and sizes. Submit your uwaterloo.ca email in the pop-up window to access this and other O'Reilly titles.
Dictionary of Architectural and Building Technology
A comprehensive summary of the vocabulary used across the building industry, from the preparation of an architectural brief, through creative and technical design, to construction technology and facilities management.

Electronic Reference Sources for Landscape Architecture

Construction for Landscape Architecture
Covers all aspects of landscape construction, including building materials and assembly. It is heavily illustrated with specially commissioned, detailed construction drawings, and a strong emphasis on sustainability. Includes an extensive glossary and appendix of technical information. Submit your uwaterloo.ca email in the pop-up window to access this and other O'Reilly titles.
Oxford Companion to the Garden
Devoted to gardens of every kind and the people and ideas involved in their making. It combines a survey of the world's gardens with articles on a range of topics, such as garden visiting, horticulture, scientific issues, and the social history of gardens, as well as biographies of garden designers, nurserymen, and others.

Electronic Reference Sources for Historic Architecture

Dictionary of Islamic Architecture
Andrew Petersen's dictionary of Islamic architectural terms, originally published by Routledge in 1996
Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture
A visual and pronunciation guide to the terminology of medieval architecture.
Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture
The most current and comprehensive reference resource for the visual and decorative arts, and architecture of the Classical period.
Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts
Contains over 3,000 entries covering thousands of years of decorative arts production throughout western and non-western cultures. Also included are hundreds of entries on the qualities and historical uses of materials, concise definitions on art forms and styles, and in-depth articles discussing the history of furniture, textiles, and ceramics.
Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture
A comprehensive reference work that offers up-to-date entries on Islamic art and architecture ranging from the Middle East to Central and South Asia, Africa, and Europe and spans over a thousand years of history. Entries provide in-depth art historical and cultural information about dynasties, art forms, artists, architecture, rulers, monuments, archaeological sites, and stylistic developments.
Grove Encyclopedia of Northern Renaissance Art
Offers the most current and comprehensive scholarly information on the visual arts of the Renaissance in Northern Europe. Features articles on artists, artisans, patrons, painting, architecture, sculpture, cities, centres of production, theory, criticism, and more.