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

Architects | Apr 10, 2017

New Bjarke Ingels documentary gives a peek behind the curtain

The movie takes a slightly darker tone than previous projects chronicling the starchitect’s rise to prominence.

Architects | Apr 4, 2017

Architect Howard Elkus dies at 78

Cofounder of Elkus Manfredi Architects, his career spanned five decades, and included a spectrum of major design projects. 

Building Team | Apr 4, 2017

Dispelling five myths about post-occupancy evaluations

Many assume that post-occupancy (POE) is a clearly-defined term and concept, but the meaning of POE in practice remains wildly inconsistent.

Structural Materials | Apr 3, 2017

Best of structural steel construction: 4WTC, Fulton Center, Pterodactyl win AISC IDEAS2 Awards

The annual awards program, sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction, honors the best in structural steel design and construction.

Green | Mar 29, 2017

Copenhagen Zoo and BIG unveil yin yang-shaped panda habitat

The new habitat will sit between two existing buildings, including the Elephant House designed by Norman Foster.

Architects | Mar 28, 2017

A restroom for everyone

Restroom access affects everyone: people with medical needs or disabilities, caretakers, transgender people, parents with children of the opposite gender, and really anyone with issues or needs around privacy.

High-rise Construction | Mar 27, 2017

Density and tall buildings

CRTKL’s Maren Striker examines Europe’s desire to build upward.

Architects | Mar 9, 2017

Watch Frank Lloyd Wright and Buckminster Fuller discuss architecture in animated video shorts

Given more time, Wright wanted to rebuild the country and change the nation.

Architects | Mar 6, 2017

Demolished Frank Lloyd Wright buildings get new life with photorealistic renderings

Architect David Romero recreated the Larkin Administration Building and the Rose Pauson House with detailed, fully colored renderings.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

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