This is a unique reference tool for finding images of approximately 7,000 architectural works reproduced in more than 100 books likely to be available in libraries with architectural collections. The index is international in coverage; includes a variety of architectural, engineering, and planning works; and covers most historical periods and styles. Citations to reproductions of exterior and interior views, plans, sections, and elevations are provided, and access is enabled by building site, architect, type of work, and name of work indexes.

The index is organized into four parts. Part I, the Site Index, is the principal index and lists architectural works alphabetically according to specific location. For each work, the following information is provided, if available: name of work, alternate names, date of work, architect(s), and citation information organized according to exterior view, interior view, plan, section, or elevation. The Architect Index, Part II, lists alphabetically the architects, engineers, planners, and others responsible for works cited in Part I. A typical listing provides the name of the architect, other names by which he or she is known, life dates, and the works listed alphabetically with their sites. The third part organizes the works according to particular type of building or structure. Part IV, the Work Index, lists names and alternate names of works and parts of works, as revealed in the indexed sources. The books indexed for this unique reference work were selected to form a representative survey of the major periods of architectural history. World Architecture Index is a unique reference and research tool that will be welcomed by students and scholars of architecture, art history, civil engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, urban planning, and world history.