Architecture in Books

What is the importance of books about architecture in an age of digital media? How do architects deal with this medium? What is the significance of the presentation of their buildings in the printed works and what lessons do they draw from books about the buildings of their colleagues? And: How do you live and work with books?

The AIT Architektursalon Hamburg, together with Ilka Ruby and Olaf Bartels, designed and curated an exhibition as part of the 10th Hamburg Architecture Summer that is dedicated to answering these questions. The impetus for this special exhibition came from the fact that there hasn't been an architecture bookstore in Hamburg since last year. With this show, the curators show that the need does exist, and draw public attention to this fact.
Under the title “The architecture in the book. The Book in Architecture” shows around 20 well-known architectural photographers very different photographs that make it clear how they see the relationship between architecture and books.

The heart of the exhibition are the countless, partly antiquarian books on architecture, art and building culture, which can be viewed and leafed through. The presence of these books is supplemented by recommendations from international architects such as Kengo Kuma, Handbuch Gautrand, Stefan Behnisch, Jeanne Gang, Hermann Czech, Tatiana Bilbao, Mels Crouwel, Max Dudler, Tim Heide, Han Tümertekin and Santiago Calatrava, who have dedicated themselves to Books that have changed, inspired and shaped the way they see, think and design. The show, which includes over 50 entries, not only presents classics and surprising insiders, it also shows the personal stories and special connections of the participants to the selected specimens.

As the "Literature Salon of Architecture", the Hamburg AIT ArchitekturSalon presents lectures, readings, presentations and discussions on the importance of books for understanding architecture, their production and use throughout the exhibition until mid-July. Photographers, publishers, authors, editors and architects talk about the presentation of architecture in text, image and book.
In addition, there is a pop-up bookshop curated by the L. Werner bookstore in Munich where you can buy books on topics related to building culture.