No comments about The Beehive Metaphor : From Gaudi to Le Corbusier.

4 comments about Undesigning the Bath.

1. This is not for the intrepid house remodeler. Instead, it is for contemplation of the act of cleansing and renewal: how preparing for this act affects one's personal space: and how the bath creates and reinforces important social functions.
   
   Reading the book requires some energy. I suggest that you read the footnotes and view the photographs as you read.
   
   You will be exposed to ontology, epistemology, and axiology of the bath for a very reasonable price.
   
   It is likely that your choices about plumbing will be influenced by reading Koren.



2. Amazing photos of inspirational bathing environments. Highly recommended for sublime musings on the ideal bath--to built or take.



3. If you are looking for any kind of practical advice, you won't find it here. The author spends half the book telling us why arhitects can't design baths. The rest of the book is spent potificating on vague notions of the bath experience. The pictures suggest the ulitimate bathing experience comes from various outdoor, earthy, natural baths. If you have a desire to create a mud-pit bath in your backyard, read this book. Otherwise, forget it.



4. When my architect was beginning to design my new bathroom, I gave him a copy of this gem. He said it provided the inspiration for mine and every bath he's designed since. I've given copies to few other friends who were in a similar architectural process. I've received profuse thanks. If you're planning to build an unusual bath, I think this book is a must read.

5 comments about Lost Chicago.

1. The well written story and photos of Chicago are great. It was amazing the number of outstanding architectural building that were built and torn down in such a short number of years.
   Having grown up in Chicagoland during the 40' & 50's, I found myself depressed to see such destruction - only to be replaced by glass and aluminum boxes. Even efforts to save the outstanding and much beloved main lobby at the Chicago and Northwestern station failed in the name of the almighty dollar!



2. First of all...Mr. Lowe obviously has a deep rooted love for our wonderful city of Chicago. Most importantly...he is ensuring future generations and historians the ability to reference so many facts. This simply said...is an incredible work of love and a dedicated effort.
   Thank You Mr. Lowe...my children's children will know what an important part that Chicago has played as our nation grew and prospered.
   
   L. Curt Erler Author of "Southside Kid"



3. Stunning photos of a beautiful city. This book is truly a step back to a time when buildings were built to withstand centuries, although tragically these examples did not. Chicago has some of the most impressive examples of architecture in the country and this book is a powerful archive of not only what the city was, but what it is today. I wish there was a similar book on the buildings of Detroit, many of which are sadly slipping into oblivion.



4. 
   
   There is much to enjoy here even if one does not have a special interest in architecture. As a lifelong Chicagoan, I especially liked the photo of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church (p. 79) which occurs in the formerly Polish neighborhood that I grew up in. I also enjoyed the old maps of the Chicago area from the 1600's.



5. If you care about the history of Chicago and/or American architecture, you will be blown away by this photographic treasure trove of the Windy City's lost legacy. Through fire, ignorance and greed many of the country's most beautiful buildings have been lost. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the merchant princes and the stockyards, George Pullman and Hull House's Jane Addams, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, the Columbian Exposition. These people and events shaped what few would neglect to identify as one of America's architectural centers.

   This beautiful book is filled with more than 200 black-and-white photographs of buildings, bridges and other structures tragically allowed to fall into disrepair, destroyed by natural disaster, or bulldozed for parking lots and malls, repeated testaments to the Gordon Curve, predicting that a building is valued most when it is new, that it is least valued and most likely to be razed at approximately 70 years of age, and that if it makes it past that nadir it will begin to rise again in value as a relic and monument.

   Each chapter is preceded by several well-written and accessible pages, and each photograph is accompanied by informative paragraphs and quotes. The author delves into Chicago's beginnings as a frontier fort and its rapid growth into a bustling mercantile hive, along the way outlining the history of the peoples and policies of various times from 1803 to the 1970s, organized into ten conceptual and functional groups such as residences, hotels, railway stations, churches, arthouses, The Fire and the fairs.

   The photographs are wonderful, many I've never seen before, and each is described well, though the book would benefit by containing more maps. The book is constructed of good heavyweight paper and concludes with picture sources and notes, and a good index. It should be of interest to those with some connection to Chicago, architecture or American history, particularly of the 18th and 19th century.

No comments about Vernacular Modernism: Heimat, Globalization, and the Built Environment.

1 comments about Thirteen Ways: Theoretical Investigations in Architecture (Graham Foundation / MIT Press Series in Contemporary Architectural Discourse).

1. I wish I was clever enough to find 13 reasons to read this book, however it only takes one. It is the single most important that one can read to critically investigate the environment(s) that we live, work, and practice in. The author masterfully articulates 13 ways of doing, without limiting himself to style or functionality of space/ place. In a word it is brilliant!

1 comments about Olympic Architecture.

1. Having visited the Homebush site for the 2000 Olympic games, I was keen to buy a book that would explain all the reasons for the architectural features I had seen first hand. Patrick Bingham-Hall's book does this. Each venue is investigated and the architectural features of each are discussed. The photographs are superb and the wealth of knowledge inspiring. For any visitor to the Olympic games site, this book provides a lasting memorial to a truly vibrant and exciting Olympic park.

1 comments about Studio Works: #4: Harvard University Graduate School of Design (Studio Works).

1. This is an excellent reference for Architecture students around the world. See how Harvard students give high standard solutions to Design, Technical and Urban problems.

4 comments about The World's Greatest Buildings: Masterpieces of Architecture & Engineering (Time-Life Guides).

1. it's an awesome book for everyone; those who are interesting in architecture and for those who don't know they are. after reading that book and looking at the awesome photographs, you will be :) great for your book shelf.



2. GREATEST BUILDINGS lends itself to both private reflections and public discussion. It appeals to almost anyone interested in the subject of buildings or architecture from a historical, engineering or aesthetic perspective. The color photographs and structural renderings are detailed and wonderfully realized. Each building is covered in two pages with a background of sort along with any unique engineering or structural problem that was involved. The selections are a good cross-section of cultures.

   I have yet to see someone pick this up without perusing and making a comment or two. Color, extra long, thick paper.




3. This book covers 100 great buildings, giving each one two pages and a few images. There are all the obvious choices for great structures--the Great Wall, the Empire State Building, Versaille, etc. What I enjoyed the most was filling in the cultural gaps in my knowledge: 26 of the 100 structures/buildings were unfamiliar to me. I felt much more informed, and several of these places I plan to do a bit of research on, such as Krak des Chevaliers and Van Eetvelde House. I also enjoyed recognizing each of the 74 structures I was familar with and learning a bit more about some of these familar places as well. The book provides a quick list of key facts such as builder, date, style, material, etc. that makes this a handy book to have around for reference. The pictures are beautifully presented, but due to having only two pages, there are so few of them that I kept longing to go and reread other books or material on the great buildings that I loved, such as Fallingwater or the Alhambra. This is a good read that may inspire you to look for more detailed information on the buildings you find especially interesting.



4. This book is indeed a masterpiece and it is great for someone who is studying to be an engineer or is interested in architecture. It is fantastic and has everything from the Lovely Louvre to the palace at Petra, from the Great Golden Gate to the construction of the Chrysler. It shows fine examples of art deco, modern, classical, Greek, Islamic etc. architectural wonders. It not only explains and shows the construction of these great buildings, but for certain buildings it also shows their plan, it's legends, along with information about who built it, why did they build it, whom did it build it for, when was it built, and where it is. It also has sections showing the greatest styles of architecture ever used along with a series of historic sites in the world. All in all this is a fantastic and very useful guide to the masterpieces of Architecture and Engineering.

No comments about Victorian Architecture (World of Art).

3 comments about 200 Years of Rochester Architecture And Gardens.

1. This book has many wonderful photographs of Rochester's buildings. If you love architecture, or Rochester, this book is worth a look.
   
   As a previous critic commented, the book's primary weakness is a lack of insightful commentary. I suspect that the author is knowledgeable regarding Rochester's history, but for some reason was miserly when supplying text. (Perhaps the publisher argued for "fewer words and more pictures").
   
   As a minimum I would have liked addresses of buildings to be supplied (permitting the book to serve as the basis of a self-guided tour). More on Rochester's history, particularly as it pertains to the types of buildings constructed, might have been helpful.
   
   I was also disappointed that there were not even more photos - the Mt Hope section has so many interesting structures that were left out!
   
   Summary: Worth the price - but it could have been so much more.
   
   (And kudos to the preservation folks who have worked to maintain so much of this city's past!)



2. I eagerly awaited publication of this book and was not disappointed. Not only does it do tribute to Rochester's beauty, but it was also a pleasure reading the book. I have given copies to people in many countries and they've all been very enthusiastic.



3. If you're looking for quality pictures of many area landmarks such as the Eastman Theatre, County Court Building, University of Rochester, and the George Eastman House, than this is the book for you. if you're looking for in-depth historical facts about the sites and city or information on the architects and builders- you won't find it here. there's no information and the title is misleading since there's hardly any photos of gardens; not that rochester is a big garden town but cobbs hill, highland park and several other flower areas are not included. this is basically a glorified picture book and though they're really nice pictures, i don't think the book is worth the ... that both ... and local bookstores in the Rochester area are asking for it. if you have a birthday looming and are in a pinch to come up with gift ideas, then toss this book title out. otherwise you'd be better spending your money on a different book.