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!

No comments about Autonomy and Ideology: Positioning an Avant-Garde in America.

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.

No comments about Chicago Architecture and Design 1923-1993: Reconfiguration of an American Metropolis (Chicago Architecture).

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.

1 comments about Blobitecture: Waveform Architecture and Digital Design.

1. This copiously illustrated survey posits architect Frank Gehry in an unfolding evolution of a phenomenon described as "Blob." The book, 'Blobitecture', shows the antecedents to Gehry, and parallel movements that have spawned such notable industrial designs as the Eames chairs and the Apple iMac.

   Form-follows-function was a stringent dictate on designers for many recent years. Advances in computers and computation [not to mention composite materials] have allowed Gehry to visualize designs that would not, on the face of it, seem to hold up, and come to up with the means to make these buildings - drooping, swooping, and so on - stand.

   Waters notes that this style arose as something of an anti-machine impulse, yet it could not have occurred without machine technology, specifically the computer technology that could provide underpinnings for 'improbably fluid forms.'

   The author uncovers some things that surprise. A Disneyland Monsanto house of the future [which could be a happy home for Zippy the Pinhead], could not be readily demolished after its stay as a futurist grotto was at an end, Waters notes. The wrecking ball bounced off the [perhaps fiberglass] Monsanto house, and good old sledge hammers had to do the dirty deed!

   There have been a lot of movements, some that vaporize in the blink of an eye. Does Blob as a serious movement hold up to scrutiny? Here, Waters takes a journalist's tack, and leaves the final judgment largely to the reader and future historians.

   A different approach than the movie The Blob [from whence the movement gains its name it seems], where, as the movie trailer had it, "there's no stopping the blob [a "blood-curdling threat"] as it goes from town to town."

   Missing perhaps is a look at Gaudi, and Dali [especially the latter's work at the 1939 World's Fair] - two individuals that melted a building or two in their day. I guess I say this because I can recall when I first saw Gehry's now famous Gugenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain [depicted gloriously in Blobitecture], that's what I thought of. Waters does point to Eero Saarinen and his TWA Terminal as a potent precursor of Gehry, but photos he includes are of the Saarinen's St. Louis arch, to my mind less of a pointer to Frank. But the book on the main is quite generous in its illustration of things blob like.

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.