Architecture & Design

Canadian Architectural Archives
Glenbow Western Research Centre, TFDL 2nd floor

• The largest collection of architectural drawings, business records, photographs, slides, and models related to Modern Canadian Architecture in the world - and it's part of our resources here on campus!
• By appointment (caa@ucalgary.ca)

See Spatial and Numeric Data Services 

• Searches often retrieve both architectural drawings of buildings as well as books on developing architectural drawing skills so analyze results to narrow them to meet your information needs.
• Together with more unique search terms, add the following to your search expression:
  • Architectural drawing or Architectural rendering or Designs plans in the SUBJECT field or in SEARCH ALL.
  • Search plans or elevations or sections in SEARCH ALL and then NARROW YOUR SEARCH to Architecture or Building Construction, etc.
• Books primarily on Architectural drawing and design are LC classed at NA2695-2793
• Note that we have technical books/software manuals in our e-book collections on architectural drawing computer programs such as CAD and Revit Architecture.
• Many architecture books will have selected architectural drawings which won't be mentioned in the library catalogue so there is no substitute for browsing books on subjects of interest

SELECTED TITLES:

Weston, Richard, 1953- Key buildings of the twentieth century : plans, sections, and elevations. New York : W.W. Norton, c2004.
NA2705 .W44 2004

Teague, Edward H., 1952- World architecture index: a guide to illustrations. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1991.
NA202 .T43 1991 9LT-REF

• A reference tool for finding images of approximately 7,000 architectural works reproduced in more than 100 books likely to be available in libraries with architectural collections. The index is international in coverage; includes a variety of architectural, engineering, and planning works; and covers most historical periods and styles. Citations to reproductions of exterior and interior views, plans, sections, and elevations are provided, and access is enabled by building site, architect, t ype of work, and name of work indexes.

• Interactive Room Finder on the campus map webpage includes some floor plans
• Architecture students requiring campus building plans/sections/blue prints for course assignments may find them on the Archives and Special Collections Built History of UCalgary web portal, or in the associated digitized records in Digital Collections.

Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals (1977-)

• The key architecture index
• Indexes more than 1,000 periodicals published worldwide on architecture
• Limit your search to the ILLUSTRATION field using the drop-down menu next to search box. 
  • Then enter applicable search terms, such as aerial, axonometric, chart(s), computer, det/details, diagr/diagram(s), drawing(s), elevation(s), ill/ills/illus, isometric, map(s), model(s), plan(s), plate(s), photo(s), port(s), secn/secns/sect/sections, site, sketches, table(s), view(s).  
  • Truncating the root of your search term with * is highly recommended as there are multiple abbreviations for each term in this index.  
  • Browse the index entries in the ILLUSTRATION field by clicking on Browse Index in order to see the multiple abbreviations and to determine terms used and variant spellings.

Great Buildings Collection

• Contains photographic images and architectural drawings

Search "architectural archives" on Google