The online magazine archdaily recently shared a new format by announcing its first book ever: The ArchDaily Guide to Good Architecture. In partnership with renowned international publisher gestalten, the magazine has taken a pause to look back on the more than 40,000 projects curated over the past 15 years, to distill their contributions and answer the bold question of what is good architecture. The sheer scale of ArchDaily is a reflection of how important architecture is today, as the deepening complexity of our world places increasing pressure and demands upon our built environment. To deal with issues such as the climate crisis, energy scarcity, population density, social inequality, housing shortages, fast-moving urbanization, diminished local identity, and a lack of diversity, architecture needs to open itself.

Sample picture from the book “The ArchDaily Guide to Good Architecture”; © gestalten

Centered around ArchDaily’s 10 principles of good architecture developed by the editor’s team, the book showcases a rich variety of projects—both built and planned—from a sunken restaurant with subterranean views to a Mediterranean cave transformed into a remarkable residence. Reflecting a global community of world-shapers, it celebrates the most visionary architects, and introduces bold new talent. It explores the key topics and trends redefining the built environment, marking the forefront of architectural thought and practice today, with an eye on tomorrow.

Sample page from the Book “The ArchDaily Guide to Good Architecture”; © gestalten

Archdaily has also reached out to the architects who are on the leading edge of the profession, to unveil from their experience some of the keys to our initial question. Alejandro Aravena contributes by opening the question of what is architecture in his foreword, while Jeanne Gang (Studio Gang, USA), Isay Weinfeld (Isay Weinfeld Studio, Brazil), Francis Kéré (Francis Kéré Architecture, Burkina Faso), Craig Dykers (Snøhetta, Norway), and Alejandro Aravena (ELEMENTAL, Chile) expand on the subject from their diverse points of view and the uniqueness of their work on a series of interviews. From visionary architects, emerging and established, to the topics and trends driving us towards a better-built future, we are happy to share a cross-section of some of the most inspiring innovators, ideas, and incredible feats of architecture that we’ve encountered thus far on our ongoing adventures in discovery and dialogue.

The book can be ordered online directly at gestalten.