DAM Architectural Book Award 2025 for Ruby Press:

The Joinery Compendium wins DAM Book Award,

Lacaton&Vassal- It’s Nice Today on the shortlist

We are proud to announce that two of our titles successfully participated in this years Architectural Book Competition by the German Architecture Museum DAM:

The Joinery Compendium. Learning from Traditional Woodworking is among the 10 books that received a DAM Architectural Book Award. The book has now received double honors, having previously been awarded by the Stiftung Buchkunst for being one of Germany’s most beautiful books.

Lacaton & Vassal, It’s Nice Today: On Climate, Comfort, and Pleasure has been selected as one of the 20 best architecture books 2025 and has thus made it onto the shortlist of this year’s DAM Architectural Book Award.

A total of 258 publications were entered into this year’s competition by 93 architectural and art book publishers from all over the world. Based on criteria such as design, content, quality of materials and finishes, innovation and topicality, a jury of external experts and DAM representatives awarded 10 books the DAM Book Award and selected another 10 for an honourable mention on the shortlist.

The books were presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair and will then be taken to various exhibitions and fairs around the world.

The jury statement for The Joinery Compendium by Danny Alexander Lettkemann:

This book is far more than a simple manual on wooden joints, it is an encyclopedia of artisanal precision that impresses in terms of both its aesthetics and the content. With over 400 carefully documented ways of joining wood from all over the world, it stands out from the plethora of other publications on the topic. While thematically similar books often seem dry, this one has a refreshingly clear design that encourages you to leaf through it, think about the proposals, and try things out for yourself.

The introduction familiarizes the reader with the foundations you need in terms of types of wood and traditional tools – an invaluable basis for understanding the chapters that follow. Each joint presented is covered by a data sheet, while axonometric and two-dimensional drawings, supplemented by step-by-step instructions, convey a clear understanding of the construction, even for readers with no prior knowledge of the subject. The simplified graphic presentation makes the principle underpinning each joint immediately comprehensible, even if its actual realization of course requires a high level of artisanal skill.

The book boasts a convincing design with clear, consistent colors that run through the entire book. Sven Tillack and Steffen Knöll have done great work and created a visual language that is as informative as it is inspiring.

This compendium is especially important given the increasing awareness of sustainable construction methods and the need to preserve our existing built world. Historical wooden joints that require no nails or adhesives whatsoever provide great inspiration for reparability and longevity. While steel and screw connections have largely caused the construction industry to ignore such techniques, modern CNC milling technologies could bring a renaissance: Wooden joints that can be made swiftly, precisely, and cost-effectively could increasingly replace steel components going forwards – a benefit not only ecologically but also in terms of design.

For me, both having trained as a roofer and in my roles as a university lecturer on building construction and a practicing architect, this book by Daniel Pauli and Sascha Bauer is an outstanding work. It is not only a highly detailed documentation, but also a passionate plea to preserve the traditional artisanal crafts and to advance them using modern technology.