Book yourself some structural reading this Christmas

These might be just the thing if you want to gen up on architecture over the break or gift a designer tome, writes Emma Cullinan.

Calatrava -Complete Works 1979-2007 Philip Jodidio, Tachen, €117.50

This book is a feat of engineering it itself, measuring an impressive 32cm by nearly 40cm, making it a trophy tome that neatly symbolises its subject.

Calatrava's bridges and buildings are commissioned by some as trophy structures and, to get the sculptural forms he desires in his work, much substantial engineering goes on behind the scenes. For instance, the deck of his upcoming footbridge in Dublin is not counterbalanced by its upright arm, because that leans over the deck rather than backwards, and is instead weighted and stayed at other points.

The bulk of this book is taken up with pictures of Calatrava's work and those sculptural forms photograph beautifully, whether as whole buildings or down at their details.

The text insightfully covers many aspects of the man himself. He went to art school until he saw a book by Le Corbusier which persuaded him to switch to architecture. He studied that to degree level before going on to do a masters in civil engineering.

His work has combined all three disciplines and the balance between them is described here. As Calatrava says; while his work is scultpural, those forms are "always based in the rough business of mathematics". But to show just how multi-skilled and engaged he is, the book contains watercolours by Calatrava, which recall the work of Matisse.

At only 55, Calatrava has completed a remarkable body of work, from his bridges to buildings, which soar up from solid cores into 'wings', 'trees', 'dinosaur backs' and 'eyes', a recurring motif.

"The eye is the real tool of the architect," says Calatrava, whose zoomorphic and botanical influences are examined here.

Dublin's Calatrava bridge is not featured (except in a list of works at the back of the book) and I have never had any luck finding mention of it on the practice's website: I wonder why? The upcoming Macken Street bridge gets no mention in the book either, although there is a similar one featured, in the revitalised port area of Buenos Aires, Argentina, completed in 2001. One Irish-linked project that does get good coverage, though, is the proposed Chicago tower by Garrett Kelleher of Shelbourne Development.

1001 Buildings You must see before you die  General Editor Mark Irving  Cassell Illustrated, €29.60

Well, how long have you got? These 1,000-plus buildings crop up in 105 countries, although places such as Serbia, New Zealand and Guyana just feature one building while others, such as the US, France and Germany, have scores. And, as with all books of this nature, readers will find omissions and gluts.

A good place to start both geographically and literally is in Ireland as the first building in the book is Newgrange. Ireland has a total of 12 buildings in here plus two in Northern Ireland, which gets its own category.

The book is in chronological order, hence the Newgrange kickoff (built in 3200BC and substantially rebuilt since which this book fails to mention), rather than split into countries, but this works in that you can compare just how styles borrowed or differed from each other in the same era and also how styles grew, for instance the path of Romanesque into Gothic.

This reference book will be perfect for flicking through during lulls in the Christmas break - although an index of architects would have helped; instead there is an index of countries and building names, and while it may be easy to identify well known buildings such as the Uffizi and Skellig Michael it is less clear what Sheep Farm House might be.

The book includes an interview with architect Peter St John, of Caruso St John Architects, who warns about where some architecture is at. "Architects are now working on projects where they may never visit the site or see the building completed. People come from the other side of the world looking for architects who will give them a picture of a building without worrying about how to build it."

Wood Houses Ruth Slavid, Laurence King, €44.20

Contemporary Irish buildings are incorporating more and more timber, yet many people are still jittery about the material, fearing that it will burn in a jiffy and rot beneath our damp climate.

By beginning her book with a reference to Noah's Ark, Slavid demonstrates just how long timber had been around for (and how it can withstand water!).

Wood was the main material in many homes in ancient times, with stone and brick later being used on more monumental structures (with house building following suit). With the arrival of Modernism, steel, concrete and glass took centre stage although Humanists - such as Alvar Aalto - continued to wield wood beautifully.

As well as covering the history of wood buildings, Slavid discusses concerns about using the material, such as fire damage, and shows how the prevention is in the detailing and type of timber chosen.

Timber's time has returned with our new eco-awareness. It has back-to-nature connotations, hence its use in many holiday homes such as US log cabins, and wood appeals to our basic instincts through touch, smell and sight. This book contains many examples of wooden buildings which show just how versatile the material is: Scandinavian modern, animal shaped extensions or a tree house? They are all here.

Architecture of the Absurd - How 'Genius' Disfigured a Practical Art John Silber

The Quantuck Lane Press, €24.25 This is a great idea for a book, to soothe the brows of all of those architects who are trying to create work with integrity that fits well into its surroundings while watching those who are creating crooked, curvy towers bask in the limelight.

The enticing blurb says: "Have you ever wondered why the Guggenheim is always covered in scaffolding? Why the slashes on the exterior of Libeskind's Jewish Museum, supposed to represent Jewish life in pre-war Berlin, reappear, for no reason, on his Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto?"

The trouble is that the author is a little too angry and, while Gehry and Libeskind come in for criticism so do lots of their predecessors, including Le Corbusier, Josep Lluis Sert, Louis Kahn, and Stephen Holl.

Silber is professor of philosophy and law and former president with responsibility for overseeing building work, at Boston University. Much of his architectural knowledge came from his architect father who trained in Berlin in the Beaux-Arts tradition, and it is that more classical tradition that Silber the younger turns to as a benchmark.

He relates plenty of stories about architectural mishaps, such as IM Pei's tower in Boston, from which external reflecting glass panels dropped off. He feels that architects can become arrogant and says of Frank Lloyd Wright: "He often ignored the science of engineering or the Beaux-Arts expectation that a building should be impervious to rain and free from structural flaws."

This is a quick read - and Silber does make some good points - so while you won't agree with all of it, this can be your 'bah humbug' Christmas book.

Beyond Bawa David Robson Thames and Hudson, €55.95

I first came across Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa when reviewing a house in Kent, England, designed by Knox Bhavan Architects. That firm's credited reference to Bawa was a roof cantilevering beyond the sittingroom over an outdoor pool. Sasha Bhavan, like Bawa, has a Sri Lankan father, and she and her partner Simon Knox (of Knox Bhavan Architects) are one example of an architectural firm who have gone 'beyond Bawa': creating elegant, people-friendly homes that combine contemporary design with vernacular tradition.

But rather than just heading beyond Bawa, this account starts with the man himself in an interesting, well-written biography of his life growing up in Sri Lanka, going to Cambridge and becoming a lawyer in England.

His brother Bevis wasn't so academically minded and left school early to run his mother's rubber plantation after the death of his father. He spent much time transforming the house and garden that came with the job into a creative haven. His home became a hub for artists and designers (including the fascinating Oz artist Donald Friend). Watching his brother create aesthetic environs inspried Geoffrey to study architecture and he headed to the AA (Architectural Association) in London where he studied under Maxwell Fry and Peter Smithson among others.

The author ties in the influences Bawa gained from architects that he worked and studied alongside (and under) and knits in what was happening in architecture at the time. He then ventures beyond Bawa to the work of those who were influenced by him.

This is a lovely book to take to the sofa with, and you will come out knowing more about Tropical Modernism, Bali Style, Modern regional Architecture and Contemporary Vernacular - along with Bawa's work - all absorbed easily and enjoyably.

Books to order from most bookshops. 1001 Buildings is at Waterstones, Dawson Street, Dublin (where it is half price). The other books are in stock at the RIAI Bookshop, Merrion Square (open until 8pm on 13th December).