1 comments about Housing Ourselves: Creating Affordable, Sustainable Shelter.

1. I'm surprised that this is the first review here for 'Housing Ourselves', but if you haven't read this book already, you should buy it now. Or at least go to your bookstore and read it.

   'Housing Ourselves' essentially is a theoretical manual for the construction of affordable and sustainable rural houses; not to say that practical applications and examples are absent, or that the ideas can't be used on a suburban or urban lot, but I think Burnham himself makes the point that he's writing this book for the owner-builder out on the land.

   Regardless, this is one of the very few books I've seen written for the every-day family who wants to build well, sustainably, and for the future on a budget; in addition, it's an idea-rich and inspirational book for affordable housing in general.

   Read it as a how-to manual, read it as an essay on how to get back to affordable and sustainable design simply and for the long haul, but just read it. It's well-illustrated, well-written, and a good gift for your friends who want to build their own house.

   - George Oliver georgeolivergo@yahoo.com

No comments about Power Aware Computing (Series in Computer Science).

No comments about Programme entwerfen.

No comments about Bridge Builders.

1 comments about Assembly Modeling with SolidWorks 2008.

1. An excellent text with lots of illustrations for any SolidWorks user who wants to learn about top-down and bottom-up assembly modeling. It is very easy to read, follow and best of all to comprehend.
   
   The book is clear and succinct and deals with 95% of the key topics in assembly modeling namely; templates, custom properties, document and system option, SolidWorks Explorer, toolbox, blocks, layout sketches, two levels of configurations, (design tables, configure configuration and configure dimensions), assembly drawings (great section), SmartMates, mate errors, MateXpert and I can go on... In other words, it has a lot of great SolidWorks stuff on assemblies. Initial and final SW models in the book are included on the CD. This is a big plus.

2 comments about Towards Cosmopolis: Planning for Multicultural Cities.

1. This book is typical of planning theory books. They do not say much that is of any practical value. This book will tell you that it is important of build socially inclusive cities, but it will not tell you how. It has little of practical value. Rather than provide an alternative approach to city building that is socially and environmentally aware it does little more than rehash arguments against planning that have been around for 40 years.

   Though Sandercock goes some way to recognising the importance of design in city building she still can't bring herself to engage meaningfully with new urbanist proposals or to make any design recommendations.

   By concentrating on 'planning theory' it misses out on the rich traditions of planning practice. It has no photographs of real spaces or real cities, just words. Don't read this if you haven't already read "The Death and Life of the Great American City" or "A Pattern Language". Once you have read these other books you won't want to read this.




2. This book was for me an excelent discovering of the new planning from a multicultural approach. In some cases is repetitive, but have a very good selection of cases. I recommend it.

No comments about Architecture Reborn: Converting Old Buildings to New Spaces.

No comments about Geo-Space Urban Design.

No comments about Hyperbodies.

1 comments about Pro/Engineer Exercise Book.

1. I get two questions about this book.
   
   1: Will this ship to UK?
   2: Is this book for wildfire or 2001 or other version?