flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

You can watch over 50 architectural documentaries on YouTube for free

Architects

You can watch over 50 architectural documentaries on YouTube for free

The Arts & Culture Bureau YouTube channel offers architectural documentaries about structures and works that span thousands of years and dozens of locations


By David Malone, Associate Editor | April 14, 2016

One of the documentaries offered by ACB focuses on the Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser at Saqqara (pictured), the oldest pyramid in Egypt. Photo Credit: Olaf Tausch, Wikimedia Commons

For anyone who is a fan of architecture and is looking for something to scratch that nagging architectural knowledge itch, a YouTube channel recently brought into the light of day by ArchDaily may just be your perfect backscratcher.

The YouTube channel ACB (Art and Culture Bureau) has over 50 documentaries (currently 53, to be exact) exploring and celebrating great architectural achievements around the world and throughout history. Each 26-minute documentary centers on a culturally or architecturally significant building’s creation and how its creation has impacted architecture as a whole.

Each documentary is narrated in English and is of good quality and surprisingly high production value. They present plenty of footage of the featured structure along with pictures, models to help visualize certain aspects of the structures, and interviews with some of the architects (provided the buildings are recent enough).

The films were produced by some of the most renowned European cultural institutions including ARTE France, Les Films d’Ici, and the Louvre and feature buildings such as The Vienna Savings Bank, The Paris Fine Arts School, The House of Sugimoto, and the Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser at Saqqara. As is made readily apparent by the buildings featured, there is no common theme among the documentaries in regards to time period or architectural style.

You can watch all of the documentaries here.

Tags

Related Stories

| Jul 2, 2014

Grimshaw's 'kit of parts' design scheme selected for Qatar sports facilities program

The series of projects, called the Al Farjan Recreational Sports Facilities, have been designed in such a way that the same basic design can be adapted to the specific requirements of each site.

| Jul 1, 2014

Peter Zumthor's LA art museum plan modified with bridge-like section across main thoroughfare

After his design drew concerns about potential damage to LA's La Brea Tar Pits, Peter Zumthor has dramatically revised his concept for the Los Angeles Museum of Art.

| Jul 1, 2014

China's wild circular skyscraper opens in Guangzhou [slideshow]

The 33-story Guanghzou Circle takes the shape of a giant ribbon spool, with the floor space housed in a series of boxes suspended between two massive "wheels." 

| Jul 1, 2014

Hyper-speed rendering: How Gensler turns BIM models into beauty shots in seconds

In search of a fast rendering solution, Gensler looked to the gaming and moviemaking industries for the next breakthrough tool: Octane Render.

| Jul 1, 2014

Sochi's 'kinetic façade' may steal the show at the Winter Olympics

The temporary pavilion for Russian telecom operator MegaFon will be wrapped with a massive digital "pin screen" that will morph into the shape of any face.

| Jul 1, 2014

7 ways to cut waste in BIM implementation

Process mapping, split models, and streamlined coordination meetings are among the timesaving techniques AEC firms are employing to improve BIM/VDC workflows.

| Jul 1, 2014

Winning design by 3XN converts modernist bathhouse to university library

Danish firm 3XN's design wins competition for a new educational facility for Mälardalen University in Sweden, which will house a library, communal spaces, and offices for 4,500 students and staff.

| Jul 1, 2014

Zaha Hadid's flowing Heydar Aliyev Center named Design of the Year for 2014

The Design Museum's Design of the Year award has been awarded to Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Center. Hadid is not only the first woman to win the top prize, but the center is the first architectural project to win the overall competition.

| Jun 30, 2014

Autodesk acquires design studio The Living, will create Autodesk Studio

The Living, David Benjamin's design studio, has been acquired by Autodesk. Combined, the two will create the Autodesk Studio, which will "create new types of buildings, public installations, prototypes and architectural environments."

| Jun 30, 2014

San Antonio green lights multimodal transit center

The new 90,000-sf development will principally service San Antonio’s growing network of city bus and VIA PRIMO bus rapid transit service, including real-time arrival updates, as well as become an iconic public plaza for the city.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021