Book Review: The Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century Architecture

THERE ARE SO MANY GLOSSY coffee-table books about contemporary architecture that, for anyone with a casual interest, it's difficult to know where to start. They usually fall into one of two categories: focusing either on pretty interior shots or on images and drawings that are difficult to decipher, accompanied by dry or conceptually focused text aimed strictly at professionals.

It's rare to find one that does both – a book that can capture the imagination of the recreational reader and speak to architects (and tell them something they don't know) at the same time. The Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture (formerly known as the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary Architecture) does just that. A 15lb design bible packed full of some of the very best architecture from every corner of the world, the new edition of this modern classic is, quite simply, the only guide to contemporary architecture you'll need.

Stubborn, heavy, enormous and unwieldy, it demands space and time to devour its contents. Refusing to fit on a bookshelf, it demands to be out on display like a much-loved piece of furniture. In short, it is a perfectly designed piece of architecture in itself. Sure, it might have proved more manageable in several smaller volumes, but there's a purity to its sheer mass (for those with puny arms there is a smaller, travel version available, and you can even download it to your mobile phone).

So, where to start? Well, this is a reference book, a guide to more than 1,000 works of architecture built since 2000 by 653 architects in 89 countries. Divided into six world regions, it gives information on everything from countries' carbon footprints, to the number of architects per 100,000 of the population (54.1 in the UK compared to 165 in Denmark, for example).

2,100 line drawings and 4,600 colour images do most of the talking, but small chunks of carefully composed text fill in the blanks. Plans and sections communicate what photographs cannot, and the square footage of each building is given as well as the cost, the name of the architect and its location.

It is also entirely meritocratic. There are works by some of the world's biggest architects as well as by complete unknowns, often working to tiny budgets. Richard Rogers's 4.3 billion Terminal 5 at Heathrow is in there, as is a community learning centre in Indonesia costing 3,430. There's even a teahouse in Japan that has a floor area of just 67 square feet.

And it's bang up to date. None of the Scottish buildings that appeared in the first edition (featuring buildings completed since 1998 and published in 2004) hang around for the new one. Where we had the Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre, we now have the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness. Where we had An Turas, the ferry terminal on Tiree, we now have the Scottish Parliament. There's a recognition that, while there's an inherent permanence to architecture, it's constantly evolving, and so too should our definition of the best "contemporary" architecture evolve.

Practically speaking, it's great if you're travelling and looking to explore an area's built environment beyond the generic offerings in your guide book (although best to commit it to memory beforehand – even the travel version isn't really one for your hand luggage) and with projects indexed by building type, it's equally useful for the professional searching for inspiration.

Architects I know see this title as a cornerstone of their offices' libraries; personally, I'm happy to flick through it on my (sturdy) coffee table. But whether for professionals or enthusiasts, this title is indispensable.