No comments about New Restaurant Design.

3 comments about 50 Great Bathrooms by Architects (By Architects).

1. I got both 50 New Baths and 50 New Kitchens.
   Each is a nice little book but neither offers much
   in the way of fresh ideas for contemporary spaces.
   The photos have almost no accompanying text, which
   might be acceptable if the photos were less stingy.
   These books are OK if you can get 'em cheap,
   otherwise, they're both rather disappointing.



2. I've been an architect for many years and bought this book to show clients some ideas from it. Good book. good photography. Worth the cost and more.



3. This series of books, two so far, the second of which is of similar title dealing with kitchens, is a poorly and sloppy attempt at presenting the works of contemporary architects' approach to design. The choices selected for the books are of such poor caliber that the we have to wonder about the qualifications of the author. It appears that this book was assembled by the writer to capitalize on the current market trend of the educated home buyer who is more receptive to a modernist approach to minimalism in a contemporary setting.
   There ought to be some sort of a standard barometer that individuals should meet before allowing them to publish.

No comments about New Urbanism and Beyond: Designing Cities for the Future.

5 comments about Theoretical Anxiety and Design Strategies in the Work of Eight Contemporary Architects.

1. In this deceptively thick volume, Moneo presents a compilation of lectures he gave during the early 90's while at Harvard's GSD. Digging into his archives, he reassembles slides and text specific to the work of eight individuals that Moneo believes to be among the most influential contemporary architects of the late 20th century.
   
   Don't let the title intimidate you. Moneo is simply referring to the mechanisms, operational strategies, formal devices and procedures that architects utilize in their design process and their unwillingness to reveal those systematic theories of design. Rather, he believes that the current architectural discourse assumes a more reflective or critical posture rather than revolving around the process of design.
   
   Moneo manages to reveal to varying extents the working process of each architect by analyzing a body of work over the course of their career, identifying key changes in strategies. As an architect, learning the working process of such significant architectural figures is quite useful, allowing one to locate themselves (or others) within the greater architectural sphere. Here, connections begin to reveal themselves and linkages to architects past and present become evident.
   
   The project images are often a bit too small to be incredibly useful especially since Moneo often refers to specific features within the drawings and photos to explain his thoughts. However, this remains an excellent and recommended read.



2. In architecture, everyone at one point fantasizes about becoming a well known architect. Rafael Moneo challenges the current leaders method of praticing. He investigates each architect individually, delivering insight to their logic in practicing. Moneo constantly refers back to each architect he discusses and compares the diversity of architecture logic in practice. Although I believe he was attempting to expose the potential failures or faults in most successful architects, whom we usually appraciate but hardly challenge.



3. I purchased this book because I was interested in only
   two architects. One was Siza and the other H+Dm. Going over again
   Stirling/ Venturi/ Rossi was just too much and I wasn't interested in the rest of three architects. But thanks to Moneo's great writing, I was able to read all of the architects with great interest and enthusiasm. Reading Siza was like reading a poetry. Moneo constructs that mood by comparing Siza with a Poet Pesoa. Due to their contemporaneity, analysis on H+Dm is still on going. But Moneo explains well on the foundation of H+dM's work. Like the comparison of Siza to Pesoa, it is interesting to read H+Dm's relationship/influence with conceptual artists such as Joseph Beuys. In terms of Venturi and Rossi, unlike crash courses in architectural history, Moneo delves into more on their individual projects than on the theoretical manifestos of their books. I gained most reading Koolhaas and Eisenman. I never liked their writings (one being too sarcastically light and the other being too narcissistically heavy) and I hated their buildings. Moneo actually helps overcome these misreading. Overall, the book really stimulates thinking in that every line in architecture has a meaning. Moreover, it helps to see the landscape of contemporary architecture. As the title suggests, the book really is a theoretical anxieties. And like all anxieties do, I guarantee that this book will stir the stagnation of your spirit; as it did mine.



4. There are Architects who write eloquently about Architecture, but whose built works disappoint, then there are those whose buildings inspire and yet seem unable to communicate clearly about their ideas, but Rafael Moneo is the rare architect who appears in easy command of both realms. A colleague who studied under him said that Moneo could look at a project and tell exactly how it was designed, and this book seems to substantiate this ability to understand both method and reason behind the work of some of the most important Architects of the last third or the 20th century. Moneo's prose is informal, yet studied, and this book serves as a once in a lifetime conversation with a master Architect.
   His ideas seem better defined when dealing with James Stirling and Aldo Rossi, and more speculative when dealing with relative newcomers like Koolhaas, and Herzhogg+DeMeuron, but the book is always insightful. Moneo comes across as someone who loves his profession and who, despite earning international renown, approaches the work of his colleagues with the same fascination of a brilliant student. This fascination is contagious, and the book is a worthy addition to the library of anyone who loves contemporary architecture.



5. This collection of essays on contemporary architects reminds me of why I love great contemporary architecture, and why I will continue to work as an architect. The text demonstrates the wonderful diversity of the times we live in and the recent history which has formed these times. Read these essays and you will recognize the lineage of form and theory which has led to any building built or published today, from any suburban house to the Freedom Tower.
   
   A reflection on 50 years of history, this book could only have come together now. Moneo's observations of his peers are dead on and written with the clarity of a historical text while still managing to to provide the insight of a work of architectural criticism. This is the book I wish I had as a student in the 1980's but know that in the throes of theoretical debate at the time that the history was too fresh for hindsight. As a direct result of the debate around "modernism", more than at any other time in history we are able to recognize how theory affects our design strategies. In collecting these transcripts of lectures and essays on these architects Moneo codifies what we know we knew about how we got here, but had not yet put all together.
   
   I only wish I could have been there to hear his lectures. At times the text seems to stradle the grammatical form of essay and transcript of a discussion on a particular slide. But perhaps it is that sometimes awkward format which energizes and saves the book from becoming "text"book. To actually see slides and drawings rather than the somewhat small and at times poor black and white images that dot the text would be of great benefit. As a result this is probably not a book for the casual reader of architecture not familiar with the work of these architects and who does not have the time to look for better images. Mr. Moneo has in this book nthe raw material for what could be a very powerful multimedia publication, either CD or web based.
   
   I recommend that every student of architecture today read this book. It offers the critical tools to recognize where from what you do comes and in doing so opens the possibilities of where you can take your work.

No comments about AutoCAD 2009 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)).

4 comments about SolidWorks 2007 Tutorial.

1. SRES:
   
   It is a book what do not can buy in any librery.
   
   It have four examples very good explain.
   
   I am wraiting with the autores looking for have this book in spanish and meabe i can be co-autor.
   
   Tranquilino Acosta



2. Im new to Solidworks, and after going through the book, I feel pretty comfortable using the software. In the exercises the book covers, you build various parts and sub-assemblies. At the end of the book, you put it all together and end up with the assembly shown on the cover of the book. So basically, you'll be able to do that when you're done with the tutorial. Nice book, I only wish it covered Importing from AutoCAD. It completely ignores the subject. Other than that, I was happy with it.



3. This is a great step-by-step book for the SolidWorks user who is a beginner. I've been using SolidWorks for approximately three months. The book provides a solid foundation and a straight forward logical procedure to follow. The enclosed CD-ROM is priceless. The CD provides a solid foundation to learn the fundamentals of SolidWorks. Read, watch, learn, and do. Great book.



4. I`m a Mechanical Design Engineer by profession. I have over 20 years in the CAD industry primarily with AutoCAD, SDRC, and Pro/E, and the last three years using SolidWorks. SolidWorks, by far is the most intuitive 3D CAD package out there today!
   
   A few years ago, I decided to leave industry, and I now teach at a mid size college in Texas. I teach four freshmen sections of SolidWorks, along with evening and weekend SolidWorks classes.
   
   I, like many instructors who are teaching a software class review numerous books, for potential classroom text and lecture notes. Last year, my local VAR recommended the SolidWorks Tutorial book by Planchard & Planchard. The book provides an excellent foundation in a timely step-by-step procedure with numerous illustrations to clearly enforce the chapter desire outcomes and objectives.
   
   The book is suited well for a classroom / learning environment. It is also great as a self learning tool either for a student or an adult. The material is clearly presented, in a very logical manner. It starts with the SolidWorks Interface, moves to 2D sketches, and then progresses to 3D features: Extruded Boss/Base, Extruded Cut, Extruded Revolved, Loft, Swept, etc. The features are then applied to build parts, assemblies, and drawings.
   
   Part, assembly, and drawing fundamentals and foundations are addressed. This is a great book for the beginner in SolidWorks.

3 comments about Switch-Mode Power Supplies Spice Simulations and Practical Designs.

1. Each simulation problem is well resolved with examples and a brief of theory is also included in each. Very good for Spice users but not to much useful for others simulation package users.



2. Christophe Basso worked very hard giving years of his life to produce the best Switch-Mode Power Supply book available, by far. I have a large collection of books on SMPS and although many are very good books, they are not nearly as complete or practical as Basso's book. He derives all his equations and then shows many real world example designs from start to finish. In my opinion and the opinion of many power electronics professionals and power electronics college students, the averaged switch model is the easiest to create and most intuitive to understand and use. Basso has digested the best information from the best references and then creatively enhanced many models and invented new SPICE models/sub-circuits you need for large and small signal analysis and simulations with the SPICE of your choice. His knowledge of creating analog behavioral models (ABM) that perform just like the real components or circuit functions, is amazing. He created ABM PWMs from individual ABM components. Everything he creates, he verifies. You buy this book at a bargain price and get a CD with all the models/sub-circuits you need to check your existing designs and start new designs with the highest confidence. Once you look at his ABMs, you will want to create some of your own because it is so much fun. In a short time, I've used his models/sub-circuits and his techniques with PSPICE to identify lack of or no phase margin in Switch-Mode Power Supplies for a huge corporation. I have many more power supplies to analyze/simulate and several new ones to design.
   
   I've worked as a power electronics engineer for many years and I'm so thankful to Christophe Basso for working so hard and smart to produce the best Switch-Mode Power Supply book ever written. Very thorough and very practical. Get this book and apply Basso's knowledge, techniques, and SPICE models/sub-circuits to your designs and you will never have another unstable Switch-Mode or Linear Power Supply.



3. Once in a while a book comes along that covers a subject in such detail and yet is chocked with examples that are easy to prove and use by students and designers in the field as this one. It is evident that Mr. Basso went to great lengths to make sure that users of different spice software platforms were included by supplying a CD with models and demos for all the major platforms. I don't know of another offering that deals with closing the feedback loop in the detail as this book does. I think any serious graduate program should consider including this book as a text. Money and time well spent; it is my second reference for serious SMPS work.
   
   Charles Denton
   Custom Engineering

5 comments about Simplified Engineering for Architects and Builders.

1. The book's title claims to be simplified engineering for architects and builders, members of the latter group often having no engineering training. As such, I expected the book to cover key structural and other building engineering issues in engineering terms in an appropriate tutorial format. Instead, the book is a collection of reference materials, distilled down. I majored in EE in college and took several semesters of static and dynamic engineering courses, and still had problems with this book because of the lack of contextual information to the presentation. This book does not at all deliver on the goal defined by its title.



2. GOOD: The book does an excellent job presenting steel concepts and is adequate in concrete.
   
   POOR: As an instructor for structures courses for architects, this book is simply disastrous. The wood section, also, is incomplete. Errors run rampant through the book's text, examples, and problem solutions through the book. Even within the same edition, book answers can vary book to book. Furthermore, current methods are mixed with the old leading to an incorrect presentation of the subject matter. In short, this book falls far short of the reputation which preceded it.



3. The book explains the fundamentals of structural analysis well, mainly statically determinate structures. The book also covers design fundamentals for various materials, mainly: wood, steel, concrete and masonry.
   
   I used an earlier version of this book many years ago, as an introductory book. The book is good for the beginner.



4. This Book is excellent. easy to read and understand. this book has given me all the info i needed and then some. i highly reccommend this book!!



5. This book explains the fundamentals of structural analysis (mainly statically determinate structures) and then goes on to the design fundamentals for different materials (wood, steel, concrete and masonry) followed by the design of the structural system for a building. I first used an earlier edition of this book when studying for my undergraduate degree as an introductory book before reading the course texts. The present edition maintains the "easy to understand" explanations of the earlier edition while adding new materials, expanding other sections and updating the design methods in line with the building codes. Emphasis is placed on understanding, the explanations given are very clear and there are numerous worked examples to illustrate the principles. The book is excellent for the beginner first getting used to structural analysis and design or for the practising engineer who has not touched structures for a while and wants to refresh his memory. However this book is only the first step and the undergraduate or practising engineer would do well to follow up on this with other more specialised books like Wang and Salmon's "Reinforced Concrete Design", Salmon and Johnson's "Steel structures: Design and behaviour", or Halperin and Bible's "Principles of Timber Design for Architects and Builders".

5 comments about Tudor Style: Tudor Revival Houses in America from 1890 to the Present.

1. This book offered plenty of ideas in my restoration and planning process of my tudor home. Great buy for the $$$



2. This is a very good book, the houses chosen are first rate and the text well researched and informative. The images are very well done, they are crisp and well presented. Some of the houses chose are amazing, frankly Tudor is not my favorite of the Eccletic styles, I really prefer Beaux Art and Georgian, but this book made me appreciate the beauty of the Tudor. I highly recommend this book, it made me fan of the style.



3. The photos and houses shown in this book are fantastic, both the old and modern dwellings. I have many books on Manor houses and old english houses but the photos shown in this book are the best I've seen. I was very interested to see the modern tudor style houses that have been built in the USA like the one shown on the cover. I bought this book from Amazon and it was delivered to Australia in top condition. A great buy and people visiting my place have picked it up and had a read because it captures the eye.



4. I caught a glance of the book on my architect's desk, and immediately ordered it the next day. I was not disappointed.
   
   Tudor Style gives an excellent overview of the English Tudor influence on architecture in the United States. I particularly enjoyed the narrative that accompanied the pictures throughout the book - very well written and researched! The picturesque neighborhoods and historic homes featured were inspiring examples of what truly draws people toward this style even today.
   
   An excellent book for anyone who appreciates timeless architecture and european-influenced design.



5. This book is long overdue. There's really no exclusive published works in print on American Tudor Revival architecture, except for this. It is a beautifully photographed and organized book, with nice fonts and well-balanced photographs. There are a few holes, though. Styles and geographic concentrations aren't focused on well enough. The section on Philadelphia Tudor Revival ingores a rich and very diverse Tudor variety in favor of a few French country houses. Also, the 1950s and 1970s mixes of ranches and split-levels with Tudor sensibilities are ignored, either out of distaste or pretension. The modern Tudor section is dominated by one very large McMansion with mock Tudor references. In all, the book is unfit for study but is basically a very pretty coffee table book.

5 comments about The Timber-Frame Home: Design Construction Finishing.

1. After reading the book I concluded I have zero hope of building one and I need to contact the author to build it for me. Brilliant brouchure for his company. I would take off stars for the flagrant selling but you know what it is just that good a book on the subject and the fact is its hard work and he is good at it. Hell just buy the book and have them build it.



2. This book contains wonderful pictures of homes that are mostly 5,000 sq ft and larger. With one exception it completely ignores fine smaller timberframe homes. I was reminded more of ski lodges than homes by the places featured. But the pictures are nice and if a 5,000 sq ft plus size house is what you're interested in I suppose this book has some interesting ideas.



3. Whether you are going to act as general contractor, or hire it all out, this book is a great over view of all of the aspects of building a Timber Frame. While not dwelling in great detail, it has lots of drawings, photos, and descriptions, to acquaint the reader with construction techniques, electrical and plumbing considerations, and room layouts in a typical Timber Frame home. Definitley another fine book from Mr. Benson.



4. This is by far the best of several books I purchased on building timber frame homes. I started with a list of questions about shrinkage, sound proofing, electrical, plumbing, etc. and found clear concise answers to all of them through text, drawings, and photos.

   I trust experts (like this author) who talk about the mistakes they've made and show me how to avoid them. He presents options and if you decide to pick the lower rated ones, he describes the likely consequences and how to minimize them.




5. This book is an excellent guide to the craft of timberframing and complete house design and finishing. I have just finished building my own red oak timber framed house in Tedds back yard here in New Hampshire and found many valuable hints and tips throughout this book, especially liked the sections on plumbing and wiring which can be a challenge in a timber frame house. I also agree with another reviewer that the quality of the book is excellent and deserves a place on your coffe table for guests to peruse. To top it all off Tedd is a very honorable and genuine person who espouses the inherent charms of living in a well crafted timber frame house better than any other books or articles I have read on the subject. Every day in my new home is a real delight and I never get tired of viewing the fine joinery throughout the house. Benson Woodworking also has an excellent web site to examine much of the steps in building a timber frame house. Also for those of you who enjoy the photos in this book , Tedd has a brand new book out showing dozens of homes they have built in the past in beautiful photographic form.