1 comments about 21st Century Office.

1. This was a visually impressive book on modern office fit-outs. The book did however lack evaluative criticism of the workspaces. Working in the industry myself I continuously have to deal with defective fit-outs, so an evaluation of the space with feedback from staff would have been great. Having said this though, the book shows some stunning designs and talks about the process behind the artistic decisions. A pity there are not many Asian/Pacific offices looked at.

   Definitely one of the best office design books. Great for the office or coffee table.

No comments about Teach Yourself Auto CAD 2007 (Teach Yourself).

2 comments about Architectural Models: Construction Techniques, 2nd Edition.

1. Even though this is meant for graduate level and professionals, I ordered this book for our jr. high-aged homeschooled children, who are very interested in architecture and building models of their plans. I am happy with the way this book presents things simply and clearly, but does not restrict itself to only foam core board constructions. It introduces other ideas and techniques for models that my kids are excited to try. This book fulfills my wish to find a resource that will be of use to them for years and years...no matter how far they go into the field of architecture and model building.



2. A good insight into the diffreent types of materials available for the construction of several types of architectural models. I particularly liked the way in which the book is divided and the several practical hints wihch the author gives to the beginner -- a good book.

No comments about 1000 Turn-of-the-Century Houses: With Illustrations and Floor Plans.

5 comments about Make It Bigger.

1. I ordered this book late November in 2006. It was not in stock, so expected to ship sometime in February. Every 3 weeks I received another email notifying that the expected ship and delivery dates were pushed back another month or two.
   There's NO reason that this should happen - so I googled the book and eventually found a publisher's site to order from.
   
   Great book, but BOO amazon.



2. A great read for anyone who is ready to make the jump from art school to working clients. Scher goes into excellent detail about working with illustrators, the structure (and politics) of agency work, her strategies/approach to design. She also shares good insight on how to work most effectively with clients who may not know a whole lot about design. I found this very practical, and a very easy read. I am also a big fan of her work, which spans several decades.



3. Paul Scher hit me. No, literally. On a student tour of the Koppel/Scher offices, I was standing by a closet--Paula flung the door open and I provided the rubber stop. Though it's been a struggle, the last 12 years have softened my emotional pain. Make It Bigger provided some very necessary closure.
   Also, trust whatever Randy Silverman (a previous reviewer) says about anything, especially anything concerning design. Frighteningly insightful.



4. I have to say I'm not a big "fan" of Paula Scher's visual style, it's far too "horsey" and "big-boned" for my taste, but I am a fan of what she has to say about the design profession and her experience in it.

   This book is an excellent reference/story book on the frustrations of dealing with clients (which are many, as I can relate) who have poor taste or are just clueless. I agree with everything Paula says here and enjoyed the grain of salt with all that's said. I can feel the frustration and exasperation Paula speaks of as anyone worth their blood has designed something great, only to have a client with tunnel vision ruin it. Sigh.

   Any serious designer should read this book, or already has. I would have no problem calling anyone who hasn't read it a poseur in this profession!




5. Too often designers see their own result(s) and design solutions without the knowledge of the 'client process' . . . a truly remarkable reality in this business. ALL design students should be made aware of this aspect of the profession, possibly even before seriously considering if one wants to be a designer. There is so much more to it than having an 'AHA' on one's own. Ms. Scher has presented this in a manner both pictorially and honestly with examples and explanations . . . and, of course, with much experience in the real world of design (which must also include some humor). I have been a designer for thirty years and would recommend this as part of required reading from the start for future "wannabes" and for all of us who need that reassurance that this is indeed how it works.

5 comments about Green By Design: Creating a Home for Sustainable Living.

1. This introductory guide to sustainable living will give you new ideas for building your home in an environmentally-friendly way.



2. I agree with Bill below - this book is outdated. The author seems to miss the concept of ecological footprint. The first two houses she features in her book are 3,300 sq ft (for three people) and 3,000 sq ft (for two people). Another house is 4,175 sq ft.
   
   Even if people use green materials and building practices, the houses aren't green if they're using excessive materials and space.
   
   There are a number of better green books, but one that specifically focuses on minimizing environmental impact is Little House on a Small Planet by Shay Salomon.



3. I am a SoCA tract homeowner getting ready to relocate to the mountains of northern Utah. My husband and I are committed to building a home that is environmentally responsible, but the "green" concept is absolutely overwhelming. Green by Design is a terrific overview of the concept of sustainable living. Through the several case studies we learned that we would not have to be locked into an ugly straw box or uglier geodesic dome, and this book gave us just what we needed for next steps. If you already have expertise in this area and are looking for a how-to, I'm sure there are more appropriate books to help you build your home. However, if you want an introduction, this book does a great job.



4. This book uses a lot of buzz words and offers very little substantial advice when it comes to actually designing your own house. It touches a little on straw bale and reused materials and barely grazes cob/clay/rammed earth. It doesn't even mention geodesic domes as far as I can tell. The book advocates on one page (p.72) that people should live in small humble buildings, only having the square footage they absolutely need. Then a few pages later (p.79) it shows a 4000+ sq. ft. home, with the title "an excersize in efficiency." I fail to see anything efficeint about a 4000 sq. ft. home, especially when it's a standard A-frame building (granted, it's for a family of 6, but then again there's nothing "green" about having 4 children).
   
   It does cover some good stuff like gray-water use, rain collection, alternative heating and cooling, but it glosses over all of this and takes up a lot of space with strange-angled shots of rooms and floor plans. I KNOW the floor plan I want, and there's very little that a floor plan has to do with green building (it's more about orientation to the sun for passive solar use). What I'd prefer to have seen was simple diagrams of how the systems of the house work. There's a spot that explains how one house has the pool hooked up to the AC such that the hot exhaust from the AC heats the pool. Now THAT's something I can get into, but I want more than a couple sentences about it. That deserves a diagram!



5. My 50's Florida ranch style home is in the design stage for major remodel. In the the first "case study" in Green by Design the owner's took a 50's style one bedroom home in Utah and incorporated the foundation and concrete masonry shell into the new design. Exactly my plan. The author uses 14 green design homes as case studies with wonderfully insightful pictures and just the right text to accompany the pictures and to explain "process", "design", "site", "materials", "space", "energy"- all concepts I can use to make my newly remodeled home a certifiable Florida Green Home.
   
   Building Green is NOT about the latest designs and materials as the previous reviewers would have you believe. It's about designing for "sustainable living". Go to floridagreenbuilding.org to find a 5 page checklist of features required to build a green home in Florida. Nothing will get you more points (other than a small home) in this 5 page checklist than not having a permament irrigation system. In fact not having a swimming pool, not living on a natural body of water and not having an attached garage all count toward living "green" in Florida. If you want an up-to-date and "exhaustive resource" buy the latest edition of the "Greenspec Directory"-$89.00 here on Amazon. However the last 5 pages of this book is a list of resources, including the Greenspec Directory and 5 local green building programs. With Florida's now you have 6.
   
   The ultimate green home is a SMALL HOME! In Florida, a 1000 sq. ft. home will get you 50 points (out of 200 required minimum for certification) and a 2000 and above sq. ft. home will get you 0 points. Over 50% of the case study homes in this book would have recieved extra points if they would have been built in Florida. Which brings me to the regional focus of this book. Most of the homes featured where located in western states ( a few were in the northeast) and normally that would disqualify most books for a Florida resident, but not in this case.
   
   I highly recommend this book if you are serious about designing a home for sustainable living.

2 comments about Plan and Section Drawing (Landscape Architecture).

1. Plans and sections are very important drawings in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design and planning. They are used in schematic, design development and construction phases of projects. When properly drafted, they can convey a lot of information to the clients and governing agencies and project team members.
   
   "Plan and Section Drawing" introduces useful process and skills in producing various kinds of plans and sections, including presentation graphic and process graphic, design process (regional maps, vicinity maps, site information maps), analytical drawings, conceptual drawings (bubble diagrams, conceptual diagrams, conceptual maps), design drawings (final site development maps, preliminary maps), plan graphics (architecture, vegetation, trees, shrubs, ground covers, overlapping and shadows, water, pavement, etc.), elevations and sections (vertical exaggeration), sections graphics (graphic vocabulary, architecture, vegetation, human figures, ground, annotation) and computer graphic.
   
   Thomas C. Wang is very talent and he has good artistic hands. He not only shows you nice drawing samples, but also the process to produce them.
   
   "Plan and Section Drawing" has 144 pages and many well-done interior black-and-white line drawings. It is a valuable book for learning some of the most important skills for your career as a design professional.



2. although i am a newly graduated architect i found this book very useful in the field of arch. presentation and drawing as it learns you how to draw plans and section in an effective and easy way , it concentrates on pencil drawing more than colors as it is the baisc drawing machine in addition to some colored examples , Very recommended for new arch. students ....

3 comments about From Eco-Cities to Living Machines: Principles of Ecological Design.

1. I found the book to be very informative. It was specific enough to understand his work even if you aren't a biologist yet tied together nicely with an holistic paradigm that wasn't overdone. His vision of the ideal future for urban planning seemed reasonable and worth aiming for.



2. While I find Dr. Todd's work inspiring, this time around I was disappointed by this particular book. There isn't much new in it since the 1985 publication of Bioshelters, Ocean Arks, and City Farming: Ecology as the Basis of Design. For example, Eco-Cities lifted at times the same paragraphs and sentences from Bioshelters when describing the Cape Cod Ark, the Margaret Mead sailing boat, the Lindisfarne Hamlet, and rooftop gardens.

   If you haven't read the 1985 book, then I could see how Eco-Cities deserves a throrough reading. If you have read Bioshelters than I would not purchase the new book, Eco-Cities, but take a glance at it at your local library instead.

   I'm currently trying to organize an association in Paris, France to build an apartment complex using the ideas found in both Bioshelters and Eco-Cities. But I'm finding it difficult to gather concrete examples, blueprints, or even contact numbers for architectural firms with the experience to do so. I'd like to encourage the folks at Ocean Arks International to publish a book like Eco-Cities but move past concepts and give us a technological guide for actually creating eco-cities.




3. Dr. Todd presents us with clear, easy and very logical ideas of how we should live and build our cities. This book should be a required reading for most professionals that deal with development. I would like to see a second book with more hands on examples.

2 comments about Treehouses: Living a Dream.

1. I bought some books on tree houses cause I want to build one. This was no help. Nice pictures (and ideas, maybe), tough.
   If you want to look pictures and dream, buy the book. Otherwise don't.



2. There are an awful lot of 'pretty house' books out there. Some of them offering quite unusual house designs. But nothing I've ever seen compares with the designs in this book. ==I've seen houses built on poles because they are located in a flood plain. Of course the Swiss Family Robinson and the Ewoks of StarWars fame lived in tree houses. I had one as a kid, and when my daughter came along, she had one (she could pull up the ladder and keep her brother out).
   
   In this book however professional architects from all over Europe, Tasmania, and the U.S have been used to design houses that live up in trees. The houses are mostly not the entire living structure but are offices, retreats, studios, and some of the most exciting entertainment areas imaginable. The results are unbelievably striking.
   
   The integration of the advanced design with the natural look of the trees gives a feeling of working together that I wouldn't have expected. This is true if the tree house is ultra modern, traditional, or some that I guess I'd just call unconventional. A surprising book.

No comments about Barns and Outbuildings: And How to Build Them.