Books
The Age of Spectacle: The Rise and Fall of Iconic Architecture
(Windmill Books, 2017)
Exploring cityscapes from New York to Beijing, and from Bilbao to Portsmouth, The Age of Spectacle is both an examination of how twenty-first century cities and buildings work, and a manifesto for a radically new kind of urbanism. Our cities can thrive in the age of spectacle – but only if they engage us not just with dazzling structures, but by responding to the needs of the people who inhabit them.
“Engaging . . . The “iconic” building is the most obvious architectural phenomenon of our age yet, somehow, no one has quite done what Tom Dyckhoff does with The Age of Spectacle, which is to tell its story clearly and plainly.” (Rowan Moore, The Guardian)
“Unusually accessible [and] well argued.” (Evening Standard)
“Such an interesting book . . . I cannot recommend it enough.” (Lauren Laverne, BBC Radio 6 Music)
“A great storyteller . . . you would be hard pushed to find a more knowledgeable or entertaining [guide]” (Icon)
“First class. Finally, a book that nails the iconic movement – Tom Dyckhoff’s The Age of Spectacle is the book that I wish I had written.” (Simon Jenkins)
Sir Banister Fletcher’s A Global History of Architecture
From 2013 to 2016 Tom wrote the strategic editorial plan for the 21st edition of Sir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture (Bloomsbury), rethinking the content, tone, structure, purpose and digital future of this monumental, classic text - first published in the late 19th century - which surveys the history of architecture around the world from its origins to the present day. The 21st edition has been edited by the eminent architectural historian Professor Murray Fraser.
The Architecture of London 2012: Vision, Design, Legacy
(John Wiley & Sons, 2012)
Tom co-wrote the official guidebook to the architecture and design of the London 2012 Olympic Games. You can buy it here, though, be warned, so much of the architecture and spaces have changed in the past few years, it’s quite out of date.
London: From Punk to Blair
(Reaktion Books, 2003; Second Edition, 2013)
Edited by Joe Kerr and Andrew Gibson.
For this book of essays on the culture of modern-day London, now on its second edition, Tom wrote an essay on the rise and fall of warehouse- and loft-living in London, from the 1970s to the present day. It's a fabulous book about a crazy city.
Architecture, Tradition, Location.
Edited by Vittorio Lampugnani, Jöran Lindvall and Vladimir Slapeta
(DVA, 2000)
This book examines local identity in architecture. Tom wrote an essay for it looking at how modernist architecture was (and in some cases was not) adapted to British traditions in the postwar reconstruction of UK towns and cities. It’s out of print now, alas.