Read from our edit of biophilic architecture and landscape design books that affirm the importance of natural connection.
The Library: Architecture and Landscape was originally featured in both issue 49 of est magazine, Force of Nature, and issue 52, Nature of Design.
Saddle Peak Residence by Sant Architects | Photography by Dan Preston

Rock the Shack: The Architecture of Cabins, Cocoons and Hide-Outs
S Borges & Sven Ehmann
Rock the Shack: The Architecture of Cabins, Cocoons, and Hide-Outs explores weekend homes, cabins, and retreats designed to bring us closer to nature. With a curated selection of innovative structures, this book captures the allure of secluded hideaways and the peaceful escape they provide, blending contemporary architecture with the surrounding landscape to create spaces ideal for unwinding in nature.

Life Unhurried: Slow and Sustainable Stays Across Australia
Celeste Mitchell, Krista Eppelstun & Katie Gannon
Life Unhurried: Slow and Sustainable Stays across Australia showcases 50 environmental design destinations across Australia. Featuring sustainable and thoughtfully designed properties, this book highlights hidden gems where guests can reconnect with nature and embrace a slower pace of life within Australia’s most relaxed landscapes.

Living in the Forest
Phaidon
Living in the Forest showcases exceptional contemporary global homes, each designed to merge seamlessly into their forest surroundings. From lush jungles to snowy evergreen landscapes and Nordic fjords, this collection highlights diverse architectural approaches to woodland living, whether through ecological innovation or adapting to natural challenges.

Sublime Hideaways: Remote Retreats and Residencies
Gestalten
Sublime Hideaways: Remote Retreats and Residencies invites readers to explore secluded architectural marvels nestled by the sea, in forests, and across continents. Highlighting modern, innovative designs from the past decade, this collection captures distinctive homes that redefine remote living.

Oasis: Modern Desert Homes Around the World
iO Tillett Wright
Oasis: Modern Desert Homes Around the World captures the essence of desert living, showcasing homes that embody simplicity and a connection to nature. Featuring iconic structures such as Georgia O’Keeffe’s Abiquiu residence, Michael Barnard’s Solar House, and Casey Dunn's evocative photography, this book reveals the design elements that bring intentionality and ease to desert architecture.

How Much House? Thoreau, Le Corbusier and the Sustainable Cabin

Home by the Sea: The Surf Shacks and Hinterland Hideaways of Byron Bay
Natalie Walton
Home by the Sea: The Surf Shacks and Hinterland Hideaways of Byron Bay offers a look inside the inspiring homes of the creative community in Byron Bay, Australia. Featuring eighteen residences of designers, artists, and makers, this book shares the stories of those who’ve cultivated intentional, community-oriented living spaces that embrace the charm beyond Byron Bay’s natural beauty.

Cabin Fever: Enchanting Cabins, Shacks, and Hideaways
Gestalten
Cabin Fever: Enchanting Cabins, Shacks, and Hideaways explores a new wave of secluded retreats, from timber cabins on stilts to mirrored woodland retreats. Celebrating the blend of high-impact design and natural landscapes, the book reveals remote dwellings nestled in forests, perched above water, or exposed on mountain peaks that offer an escape from city life while still prioritising comfort.

Koichi Takada: Architecture, Nature and Design
Koichi Takada & Philip Jodidio
Koichi Takada: Architecture, Nature and Design is the first monograph on the Sydney-based Japanese architect, known for his seamless integration of nature into urban design. With photographs, sketches, and insightful texts by Philip Jodidio, this book features his recent projects, such as Urban Forest in Brisbane; the ‘greenest residential building in Australia,' to highlight how Takada’s work brings natural elements—light, air, water, and sound—into architectural spaces.

Nature Inside
Penny Sparke
Nature Inside delves into the history and rise of indoor plants, exploring their deep connection with architecture and interior design over the last two centuries. The book examines how urbanisation and the climate crisis have driven our desire to integrate nature into indoor spaces, discussing how the evolving popularity of different plant species reflects architectural trends.

Landscape for Architects
Gabriele Kiefer and Anika Neubauer
Landscape for Architects offers a comprehensive guide to landscape design, balancing both holistic and detailed approaches. Created in collaboration with Braunschweig Technical University, this multi-volume work explores key concepts through abstract and analytical drawings of case studies from the 20th and 21st centuries to address the full spectrum of landscape architecture, aiming to inspire creativity and assist in the design process.

Gardens of Eden: New Residential Garden Concepts & Architecture for a Greener Planet
Abbye Churchill, Robert Klanten & Andrea Servert
The Gardens of Eden: New Residential Garden Concepts & Architecture for a Greener Planet explores innovative and sustainable gardening solutions for urban living. Showcasing diverse and imaginative designs from around the globe, this book highlights the benefits gardens offer to nature and residents, encouraging a deeper connection with the environment while transforming urban areas into greener, more sustainable habitats.

The House of Green
Gestalten
The House of Green explores the fusion of nature and modern living, featuring architectural designs and interiors that bring the outside in. Examining the benefits of incorporating green spaces into homes and workplaces, The House of Green showcases how to achieve a balanced and sustainable environment amidst the demands of modern life.

Living in Nature
Phaidon
Living in Nature features 50 architect-designed homes, each with a unique connection to the natural world. From homes nestled in the earth to those perched among treetops, this book showcases distinct locations with extensive photographs of both interiors and exteriors to celebrate the harmonious relationship between architecture and nature.

Green Architecture for a Sustainable Future
Cayetano Cardelus Vidal
Green Architecture for a Sustainable Future presents a range of projects showcasing how sustainability can be integrated into architecture. Focusing on both measurable factors, like energy efficiency, and intangible aspects, such as harmonious integration with the environment and social sustainability, the book features projects that offer insights into the various ways architecture can contribute to a sustainable future.

Concrete Jungle
Gestalten
Concrete Jungle explores the intersection of exposed concrete and tropical environments, showcasing how raw materials like concrete can harmonise with nature. Highlighting the notion of tropical modernism—where functionality takes precedence over aesthetics—and how contemporary architects continue the legacy of mid-20th-century design by blending rough materials with the surrounding greenery, this book explores the dynamic contrasts between the natural and built environments.

Neeson Murcutt Neille: Setting Architecture
Anna Johnson & Richard Black
Neeson Murcutt Neille: Setting Architecture highlights the empathetic, context-driven design approach of one of Australia’s most renowned architectural practices. The book explores how their work thoughtfully integrates landscape, culture, identity, and history, creating spaces that reflect and respond to their surroundings.
Saddle Peak Residence by Sant Architects | Photography by Dan Preston




