Every year on April 23rd, World Book and Copyright Day celebrates the enduring influence of books on societies and individuals alike. Officially proclaimed by UNESCO in 1995, the date was chosen not only for its symbolic ties to literary history, but also to promote access to books, celebrate authorship, and protect creative rights in an increasingly digital world. Today, the event is marked in over 100 countries with public readings, cultural initiatives, and global campaigns to make books more accessible – particularly for young people and underserved communities.
At RMJM, we believe architecture and literature are twin disciplines – both rooted in narrative, memory, and emotion. Just as a novel can transport a reader, well-conceived design can move, comfort, and provoke thought. To celebrate this year’s World Book Day, our architects and designers have shared the titles that continue to shape their creative lens – books that have influenced the way they approach space, context, and human experience.
Ruba Saeed, Graphic Designer
Book: RMJM Inside Out Outside in: More Than Architecture
Reflection: This book resonates with me because it delves into the intricate relationship between architectural design and the lived experiences of individuals. By exploring RMJM’s diverse projects, it highlights how thoughtful design can shape and enhance our daily lives, reminding me of the profound impact architecture has on our communities.
Memorable Quote: “Design is a conversation.”
Link: https://www.amazon.ae/Rmjm-Inside-Out-Outside-Architecture/dp/1904772595
Kateryna Novoselova, Group Marketing Director
Book: Bad Taste, Nathalie Olah
Reflection: This book opened my eyes to how things like fashion, interiors, and even food trends are tied to class and power- not just personal taste. What makes the book so compelling is that it doesn’t just analyze trends – it questions the entire system and invites us to see beyond the surface, to notice how these subtle rules shape who gets included, who gets excluded, and why that matters. It’s a smart, provocative read that challenges us to rethink how we view culture, class, and the politics of aesthetics.
Memorable quote: “The concept of ‘taste’ is hollow and vain. Made up of rules, codes, and biases that reduce the complexity of preference and desire to the dichotomy of good or bad, the idea imposes a hierarchy of virtue based on consumer decisions and lifestyle choices.”
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Taste-Politics-Nathalie-Olah/dp/0349702268
Amina Meslem, Architect
Book: Modern Architecture Since 1900
Reflection: Modern Architecture Since 1900 explores the ongoing search by architects to define what architecture should be in the modern era—a question that extends beyond any single time period and remains relevant to architects past, present, and future. Architecture will continue to evolve in response to context, materials, and advancing technologies, making this inquiry a perpetual and essential part of the discipline.
Memorable Quote: “Each work of art, of whatever kind, must always contain a new element, and be a living addition to the world of art… Tradition was to inspire invention, but invention was also to keep tradition alive. The past must not be raided for its external effects, then, but for its underlying principles and processes.”
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Architecture-Since-William-Curtis/dp/0714833568
Ansam Al Taher, Architect
Book: Tadao Ando, Endeavors
Reflection: Contemporary Architecture is about creating spaces that evoke a profound physical experience. Design principles become a master when mixing natural elements like light and water with geometric volumes and materials.
Memorable Quote: “As all things artificial, buildings are destined to weather and someday disappear. One might even say that the history of architecture represents humanity’s will to resist that fate. Personally, however, what I wish to create are buildings that will live on eternally—not in substance or form, but as memories within people’s hearts.”
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Tadao-Ando-Endeavors/dp/2080204041
Bandar Alkayyal, Assistant Architect
Book: The Eyes of the Skin by Juhani Pallasmaa
Reflection: The Eyes of the Skin by Juhani Pallasmaa is a powerful reflection on how architecture engages more than just the visual sense—it should be experienced through the entire body. Pallasmaa argues that modern design often prioritizes sight, but true architecture must evoke touch, sound, and memory to create deeply human spaces. This book challenges designers to think beyond aesthetics and embrace the full sensory experience.
Memorable Quote: “The timeless task of architecture is to create embodied and lived existential metaphors that concretise and structure our being in the world. Architecture reflects, materialises and eternalises ideas and images of ideal life. Buildings and towns enable us to structure, understand and remember the shapeless flow of reality and, ultimately, to recognise and remember who we are.”
Link: https://www.amazon.ae/Wiley-Eyes-Skin-Architecture-Senses/dp/1119941288
Hamza Azmi, Junior Architect
Book: SITELESS: 1001 Building Forms by François Blanciak
Reflection: ‘SITELESS’ might resonate with you if you crave creative freedom, enjoy speculative thinking, or feel constrained by rules—whether in architecture, art, or problem-solving. Its 1,001 forms act as mental catalysts, pushing boundaries and asking: ‘What if?’ If you’ve ever doodled imaginary structures or questioned conventional design, Blanciak’s work validates that impulse, turning abstraction into inspiration. It’s less a book than a mirror for your own untapped ideas.
Memorable Quote: “The traditional sequence “program plus site equals form” is here intentionally inverted: as in ancient column orders, schemes are conceived prior to site insertion and subsequent relationships or adaptations.”
Link: https://www.amazon.ae/SITELESS-Building-Forms-Fran%C3%A7ois-Blanciak/dp/0262026309
Ala’a Gouneem, Project Manager/Resident Engineer
Book: The Click Moment by Frans Johansson.
Reflection: The Click Moment challenges the traditional idea that success is always the result of careful planning and consistent effort. Instead, it celebrates the power of unpredictability, intuition, and seizing unexpected opportunities — a mindset that resonates with the creative process in architecture, where breakthroughs often come from the most unplanned moments.
Memorable Quote: “Success is not a linear path. It is unpredictable, messy, and often hinges on those unexpected, seemingly random moments – the click moments.”
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Click-Moment-Seizing-Opportunity-Unpredictable/dp/1591844930