‘What if you could peek into the notebooks of some of the most celebrated architects working around the world today?’ Well you can, and Moleskine – the legendary manufacturer of those mini notebooks we all love so much – is offering just such a glimpse.

Back in late 2011, Moleskine debuted Inspiration And Process In Architecture – a new series of monographs, exploring the design process of international architects, beginning with Zaha Hadid, Giancarlo de Carlo, BOLLES+WILSON, and Alberto Kalach. Since that time, they have expanded the collection to include Wiel Arets, Cino Zucchi and most recently, in June of this year, Dominique Perrault and Studio Mumbai.

In a profession where the general public sees only the fully polished final result of what is often years of hard work, this Moleskine series delves into the extensive sometimes messy sometimes beautiful process architects go through in order to create something spectacular. While each book is as unique as the designer’s process it represents, all are broken down into two main parts consisting of writings (notes, interviews, biographies) and images (focusing on sketches and other hand works).

Creator of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris and of the Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, South Korea – world renowned French architect Dominique Perrault is the focus of Moleskine’s latest mini monograph. Instead of focusing on Perrault’s most celebrated works, this monograph delves into DPA Studio’s process in creating proposals for two international contests for museums. Through a series of sketches, scale models, notes and diagrams, the book tells a story that is virtually all process and in so doing, highlights the latent value of unfinished experiments.

 Interior of Dominique Perrault’s monograph.

  Interior of Dominique Perrault’s monograph (left). Interior of Studio Mumbai’s monograph (right).

Also making its debut last month, alongside Dominique’s monograph, was Studio Mumbai – a group of Indian architects and craftsmen headed by one of India’s foremost architects, Bijoy Jain. This book delves into Jain’s personal ‘mind-process’ while also highlighting the importance of collective dialogue through sketches made by both Jain and the carpenters he works with. There is also an emphasis on photographs the studio took on a series of inspirational trips, as this is a central tenet of Studio Mumbai’s design process.

 Interior of Studio Mumbai’s monograph.

 A peek at some of the other monographs in the Moleskine series.

Zaha Hadid’s monograph showcases her incredible artistic skill.

Each one of Moleskine’s hardcover Inspiration And Process In Architecture books measures in at a nearly pocket sized 5 x 8.25 inches and is priced at $39.95 (via the Moleskine shop) and about $25 on Amazon.

Photos via Moleskine & My Moleskine