Atlas of Never Built Architecture

A comprehensive global survey of more than 300 extraordinary unbuilt architecture projects from the 20th century to the present day

The Atlas of Never Built Architecture features hundreds of the most spectacular unbuilt projects of the 20th and 21st centuries in a comprehensive, geographically arranged survey. At times impractical or fanciful but always imaginative and ambitious, the projects included in this ground-breaking book reveal the incredible diversity of ideas that have emerged from the world’s most influential architects.

A vast array of imagery, from initial sketches and paintings to etchings and digital renderings, offers insight into how architectural projects are conceived and developed, and the book features a wide-ranging selection of projects, such as parliamentary buildings, museums, arts centers, skyscrapers, artificial islands, and city plans. Futuristic visions from the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Kahn, and Le Corbusier, sit alongside more contemporary proposals from talents such as Norman Foster, Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, Steven Holl, and Zaha Hadid to show how our built environments could have looked very different indeed.

As featured in New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, Evening Standard, Wallpaper*, Dwell, Architectural Digest , and  New York Post,

'Infinite parallel universes feel ever-present.' – The World of Interiors    

‘A pleasing mix of drawings, renderings and built models make for hourslong looking.’ – New York Times, Best Art Books of 2024, 'An attractively produced compendium.' – Wall Street Journal

‘A highly entertaining romp through what the world might have looked like, had fate chosen a different path.’ – The Guardian

‘A brilliantly researched compendium of 20th and 21st-century building projects that never left the drawing board.’ – The Times

‘Tells the story of the best buildings the world never got to see in the flesh – some 300 flights of fancy which were halted in their tracks by cost or  controversy (or both) and were designed but never built.’ – Evening Standard

‘Chronicles some of the world’s most incredible almost projects.’ – Architectural Digest

‘Interesting, grand, and architecturally and historically significant.’ – Dwell

‘Ambitious … An incredible source for discovering little-known architects who, by accident or design, are familiar only to insiders.’ – Bloomberg

‘Mesmerizing … A completely compelling collection of architectural images that run the gamut.’ – San Francisco Chronicle

‘Wholly fascinating.’ – Fast Company

‘Offer[s] glimpses into how some corners of the world could have looked.’ – Business Insider

‘Fascinating … Reveal[s] the pivot points that shaped the modern world, as changes in attitudes, cultures, and regimes consigned architects’ grand plans to history.’ – Wallpaper*

‘Packs a satisfying punch, with page upon page of often extraordinary schemes.’ – Architects' Journal

‘An invitation to both imagine what our world might have looked like, and consider the boundless possibilities of human imagination.’ – Harrods Magazine

‘Comprising paintings, sketches, and digital renderings of unbuilt projects by Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, and others, this survey highlights architecture at its most visionary.’ – Publishers Weekly

‘A glimpse into the present that might have been, a look at some of the most impressive ideas in architecture and just plain lovely to look at.’ – Parade,

‘Packed with gorgeous renderings and organized geography, this book becomes an alternative history of some parallel architectural world.’ – Fast Company, Best Design Books of 2024

• Format: Hardback
• Dimensions: 340 mm x 240 mm
• Pages: 368
• Illustrations: 500
• Brand: Phaidon
• ISBN: 9781840000000