Best products from r/askarchitects
We found 4 comments on r/askarchitects discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 3 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
Depending on where your brother is from and whether or not he already owns it, I recommend getting him the book The Architect's Studio Companion: http://www.amazon.ca/The-Architects-Studio-Companion-Preliminary/dp/0471736228
If you want something a bit more lighthearted, I'd recommend this t-shirt:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/15/d2/b1/15d2b1d5a53f189143a82cab71c7c1a4.jpg
Also in the lighthearted category, I'd recommend the LEGO Architecture series:
http://architecture.lego.com/
No matter how much of my job is done digitally these days I still love getting good drawing tools as a gift. Good liner pens, good sketching pencils, sketchbooks, paints, perhaps a portable easel?
One of my most valued gifts that I received when I was a newly registered Architect was a really nice briefcase. One that has the capacity to secure a drawing roll is a bonus: https://img1.etsystatic.com/042/0/7188517/il_340x270.581550315_ccqf.jpg
Edit: I just re read your question and noticed you said "just one". Sorry for over-answering
Double edit:I feel like a fool. I just realized how old your question was. I suspect you've already purchased your brother a gift.
The first class I ever took was a mechanical drafting course in high school. We learned the fundamentals of drafting: orthographic projection, how to dimension a drawing, intro to CAD, etc. I still use those skills every day. So that's where I'd start on the - 'how architects communicate their ideas to clients, contractors, and engineers.'
Another aspect of architecture is learning how buildings get built. For this I'd recommend a book like Building Construction Illustrated. It's got a lot of info that will seem intense at first, but will become common knowledge if you go into the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) field. One way to get the most out of a book like this is to read a section of it and look up all the terms you don't understand or that interest you. You'll go down rabbit holes that never end. A lot of the knowledge in the construction industry is held by manufacturers and their trade groups. They publish reports, white papers, do testing, etc. on how to use their products. I reference this material constantly and I learn stuff every day.
There's also architectural history; fundamentals of design; sustainable design; structural, mechanical, civil engineering; there's a whole area of legal expertise surrounding architecture; current software being used (Revit, Rhino, Sketchup, AutoCAD, Grasshopper...); etc. If any of these topics interest you let me know and I'll point you towards some sources.
you can also go with Barefoot Architect, it's incredibly useful to figure out how houses are built depending on climate and available local resources.
https://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Architect-Johan-van-Lengen/dp/0936070420