5 comments about The Inner Harmony of the Japanese House.

1. Badly written, disorganized, minimally illustrated, far less poetic than the subject matter. More historical than harmonious.



2. On of the few architectural books that is actually a pleasure to read, simple and direct, explains with no fuss the characteristics of a Japanese Home. This book is indeed a Bible on the understanding of the Japanese architecture's historical evolution. This book would be almost perfect if it had better pictures and more examples, all photos are black and white, and very few. In spite of the lack and quality of images, the book is a pleasure to read, let's hope the editors reconsider their inclusion of more examples for a future re-editions.



3. Bought the book thinking it would show ideas on how to decorate with Japanese furniture and art. All the pictures are in Black and White. Gives more information on "What a Japanese house is", then decorating ideas.



4. What a fascinating book. I bought it because I am interested in Japanese architecture, but found so much more. The reasons and explanations of the construction gave me a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.
   I liked the book so well that I bought it for my daughter, who is also a
   lover of Japan.
   
   Diana Van Vleet



5. The original title in japanese was "The Japanese and the house" and that should have been the English title. Don't expect a sales-advertisement trying to sell you japanese architecture as the world's most perfect, showing you only the most perfect examples, like most books on the subject do; this book was written by a Japanese for the Japanese, so it's not trying to fool anyone. Instead, it addresses the good, the bad and the (very) ugly of Japanese architecture in the 1970s, and gives a lot of recommendations for future development. In this sense, this book feels a lot like "A Pattern Language", from Christopher Alexander.
   
   I finished this book in a weekend. Unlike many other translated books on Japanese architecture, it is written in clear English and talks about daily life issues anyone can understand, and does it with a good (sometimes hilarious) sense of humor. It does not go high on insipid philosophical discussions, but goes deep into the roots of current day virtues and vices of Japanese architecture.
   
   Don't expect color photographs, floor plans or sections; this books was not illustrated by the author, but by the editor. The original work is text-only. Even if it were to be stripped from the b/w photos it has, it is still a very entertaining book, that reads almost like a novel, and will make you learn a lot of things about the realities and problems of Japan while having some good laughs. It's really refreshing to find a book on architecture that talks about real life needs instead of difficult-to-understand philosophical concepts.

5 comments about Architectural Graphic Standards for Architects, Engineers, Decorators, Builders and Draftsmen.

1. Through 3 years I had this book while in school, it was an invaluable resource. As many of you know, the work done in arch. school is very design/idea based, and not necessarily rooted in a feasible final product. However, I strived to include as many true-to-life elements in my design, and this book got it done for me. Many standards and sizes, etc. that had my classmates scrambling around on the internet or looking through dozens of books to find were easily found in the index of this book. It eventually became a class resource for a couple semesters until people bought their own.
   
   As a professional, many people's firms have a specialty or three. For instance, I work for a healthcare firm at the moment. However, as a student, you can run the whole gamut of different building types. Despite how far-out some of my designs were, the fact that they were rooted in current, workable building methods and systems that were detailed out helped me immensely when applying for jobs. Knowing the details and showing them in your design is not only good for your reputation, but good for ability as an architect.
   
   I'd recommend this to many arch students if the price is right for you. I happened upon it at a time with the book (no CD) was around $80 or $90. Of the dozens of textbooks I still have, this is one resource book I know I'll be consulting for a while.



2. Great book. Really Highlights the shortcomings of the modern addition of this book. I highly recomend this book for students and practicing architects.



3. For over 70 years, architects have been using a valuable reference book, "Architectural Graphic Standards."
   
   "Architectural Graphic Standards" is organized roughly per the CSI Masterformat divisions, including general planning and design data, sitework, concrete, masonry, metals, wood, thermal and moisture protection, doors and windows, finishes, specialties, equipment, furnishings, special construction, conveying systems, mechanical, electrical, sports, energy, history preservation, etc.
   
   "Architectural Graphic Standards" has 1072 pages (9.6 x 11.8 inches large format) and numerous line drawings. This new edition has expanded and new content covering contemporary issues. It is a must-have for architects, landscape architects and urban planners, interior designers, engineers or any other building-related design professionals.



4. I got this book for my cousin who just became an Architect in Ecuador. The cover was a bit damaged, but he was able to fix it my "making" a new cover. He is very pleased with the book. For the price paid, it was worth it.



5. The reprsentation was not clear this is a reproduction of a 1935 published book. This is not usefull in todays building enviroment.

No comments about Engineering Analysis with ANSYS Software.

4 comments about VB.NET Programming for AutoCAD Customization - Level 1.

1. The book is well written, has tons of code snippets and provides a template so you can use the Express version of Visual Studio to work with AutoCad references.
   
   Met the author at AU, liked his teaching style and realized he is one of the people that actually knows his subject.
   
   Never made the .Net upgrade from VB6.0 and as Autocad enters the 64 bit enviroment, realize it is the best programming enviroment to work with Autocad. This book specialises with the intricies of effectively programming AutoCad.



2. I'm a .net programmer with no autoCad experience. I was recently assigned a project that required autoCad customization with a future of being web-based.
   
   I purchased this book hoping that it would give me the staples needed to understanding how .net works in conjunction with .net. Since purchasing this book, it's done that and more.
   
   The author, Jerry Winters, does a great job of incorporating all the essential basics and more. He clearly explains how to set up .net so that it can communicate and have access to the api .net libraries for autoCad. He also provides a template that ... when installed, makes creating new projects a breeze.
   
   I've been able to learn and now understand basic concepts such as how to call my .net sub from autoCad and how to create an interface that will allow the user to interact with the application.
   
   I've also been able to create polylines and blocks with code. Jerry's book comes with a snippet for each segment he features in his book which allowed me to go through the book at a much faster pace and step through the code (debug mode) which really helped me to understand what was really going on. I've also been able to really use several of the snippets in my current project.
   
   This book truly is a useful tool and I would recommend it to anyone.
   
   R Proctor



3. This author has written several of the VBA books for AutoCAD and they are excellent. He also has done an excellent job presenting at AU. Where my issue is...is with this author's customer service. I ordered this same text from his VBCAD website and I am still awaiting the delivery of this said text after six weeks of waiting. If you don't mind the long wait periods, then this guy is for you, but if you need the text in a hurry, it appears you will be out of luck. Have a look at the BBB for reference.



4. If you're looking for truly useful information on customizing AutoCAD with VB.NET, this book is the only place to go.
   
   The solid, clearly written example code shows you how to interface with the user, the AutoCAD database, and the VB.NET gui.
   
   This book has a prominent place on my desk.

1 comments about Building Type Basics for College and University Facilities (Building Type Basics).

1. The book I read is called "The Wish" and for me this book was Great! The book is about a ordinary girl named Wilma that everyone thinks is a slut, and to make her life even worse, her L.A teacher reads her embarrassing imaginanation essay out loud that turns out to humiliate her. All the popular kids tease Wilma and all she wants to do is cringe into a corner. But that changed when an old lady asked her for a wish. Wilma wished the wish she would always want, to become popular. The next day when she goes to school her life has become popular. Now forty boys asked Wilma to the Grand Night Dance and she doesn't know which to chose until Jared and her become real Good Friends! But she doesn't know how long this spell of popularity will last hopefully she will still have a boyfriend and hopefully it wont vanish before the dance or graduation! Will Wilma's Fairy tale dream end shortly or will it last forever?

2 comments about Principles of Roman Architecture.

1. A very well written book, introducing its material in an argumentative order. Taken from various regions of the roman world, archeological examples are considered in order to prove -or disprove- theoretical arguments. The arguments themselves are ordered by complexity, making the reading easier.
   The point of view is clearly architecural for the analysis, while the material data are checked for archeological or static pertinence.
   If the bibliography is wide ranging, it suffers from its division following the chapter order: if it is easy to follow during a first rading, it is more difficult to come back to it after closing the book.
   Manar HAMMAD



2. I had always wondered how the Romans calculated the ratio of width to height when designing their columns. This book treats the matter in detail with excellent diagrams and details far beyond just columns. Mouldings, orders, temples, markers, baths, etc., are all covered lucidly and with enough depth to interest both the architectural professional as well as the dilettant.

1 comments about New Perspectives: Cafes, Bars and Restaurants (New Perspectives).

1. That's a good picture book for architects. The best bars, cafes and restaurants of the world, with cool pictures.

1 comments about Architectural Principles in the Age of Humanism.

1. Already recognized since 1949 as "a masterpiece in scholarship" in its field by several eminent architects, the 173 page tome: ARCHITECTURAL PRINCIPLES IN THE AGE OF HUMANISM, 4th ed. (1971) by Rudolf Wittkower; had, incidentally, also provided an in-depth explanation on proportion and ratio as they differed in usage between architectural procedure and Boethian mathematics.
   Of special importance is part four 'The Problem of Harmonic Proportion in Architecture' (p. 101) where the author made the salient point that "Although the Pythagoreo-Platonic concept of the numerical ratios of the musical scale never disappeared from mediaeval [sic], theological, philosophical, and aesthetic thought, there was no over-riding need to apply them to art and architecture" (p. 159).

   Rudolf Wittkower unknowingly provided in part four the distinction between an elite Quadrivium education containing Boethian "mathematical arts" while "the 'liberal arts' of painting, sculpture, and architecture were regarded as manual occupations" (p. 117). The author explained "That the high Renaissance architects shunned theory" and "that they were practitioners rather than thinkers" (p. 30). And further "Italian architects strove for an easily perceptible ratio between length, height, and depth" (p. 74). So then according to this author, all of the Renaissance architects conception of architecture was based on a "commensurability of ratios" (p. 108).

   Rudolf Wittkower indicated "that the [Renaissance] architect is by no means free to apply to a building a system of ratios of his own choosing, that the ratios have to comply with conceptions of a higher order and that a building should mirror the proportions of the human body" (p. 101). In developing the centrally planned church, Renaissance architects faced the dilemma of the pragmatics of church construction combined with the belief in divinity and the acceptance of Roman Catholic dogma.

   The Church was to provide the "easily perceptible ratio" with the simple logic that "As man is the image of God and the proportions of his body are produced by divine will, so the proportions in architecture have to embrace and express the cosmic order" (p. 101). That cosmic order and harmony are contained in certain numbers Plato explained in his TIMAEUS.

   Assigned to the architects, a Quadrivium trained Roman Catholic friar and musical theorist, Franchino Gaffurio (1451-1522) "in a truly Platonic spirit he regarded this principle of harmony as the basis of macrocosm and microcosm, body and soul, painting, architecture, and medicine" (p. 124). It was under this famous Renaissance musical theorist in 1525 that "the old belief in the mysterious efficacy of certain numbers and ratios was given new impetus" (p. 102). "It was Pythagoras who discovered that tones can be measured in space. What he found was that musical consonances were determined by the ratios of small whole numbers. If two strings are made to vibrate under the same conditions, one being half the length of the other, the pitch of the shorter string will be one octave (diapason) above that of the larger one" (p. 102). "Thus the consonances, on which the Greek musical system was based - octave, fifth, and fourth - can be expressed by the progression 1:2:3:4. One can understand that this staggering discovery made people believe that they had seized upon the mysterious harmony which pervades the universe" (p. 103).

   "The musical consonances are determined by the mean proportionals; for that the three means constitute all the intervals of the musical scale had been shown in the TIMAEUS. Classical writers on musical theory discussed this point at great length. An exhaustive exposition is to be found in Boethius' DE MUSICA, first printed in Venice in 1491-92, and of very great importance for the doctrine of numbers throughout the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance" (p. 111).

   Yet Boethius's DE MUSICA was de-emphasized by Renaissance architects in recognition that the "harmony of the universe which Plato had described in the TIMAEUS on the basis of Pythagora's discovery of the ratios of musical consonances" prompted the "application of Pythagoreo-Platonic system of harmonic ratios directly to architecture" (p. 125). As it turned out (not surprisingly) "Gafurio [sic] was regarded by his contemporaries as a critic in architectural matters" (p. 125).

   The author of ARCHITECTURAL PRINCIPLES IN THE AGE OF HUMANISM provided the evidence that although the Quadrivium of the mathematical arts of music, astronomy, geometry, and Boethian proportion and ratio, was known to the Renaissance high architects, they preferred the 'harmonic proportion'; 'proportion of excess'; and the 'proportio proportionum'; derived directly from Plato's TIMAEUS and Pythagoras's three means (arithmetic, geometric, and the harmonic) over Boethius's DE MUSICA, though it was a substantial part of friar Gaffurio's ecclesiastical education. This resulted in "proportionally integrated 'spatial mathematics', which we have recognized as a distinguishing feature of humanist Renaissance architecture" (p. 26).

   In comparison, for the practical application of Boethian proportion and ratios, please read: THE PHILOSOPHER'S GAME (2001) by Dr. Ann E. Moyer, where the rules of Boethian proportion found in rithmomachia, had been clearly defined, though inadvertently, by Rudolf Wittkower.

3 comments about Studio at Large: Architecture in Service of Global Communities.

1. This is a great book for both those people who are interested in learning about or those people who are already familiar with environmentally friendly "green" building pratices used in sustainable architecture. Studio at Large specifically chronicles the achievements of the UW BASIC Initiative program that Sergio Palleroni and his colleagues created in 1995. It is fascinating and moving to see the impact this work has on the local and global levels in society.



2. Prof. Sergio Palleroni teaches the "art-and-science" of "architecture" the old fashion way--with leadership and passion! He's not affraid of rolling up his sleeves, soiling his boot and spending his summer vacations whith his students (the future leaders): teachong design, scheduling and building sustainable communities in the "developing countries."



3. Its good to see that the rural studios work is not unique but rather part of a movement, with other brilliant examples such as the work documented in this book. Beautifully illustrated. Probably the most in depth discussion I've read on the methods and challenges of work among the poor and underserved.
   A great contribution to architectures claim to relevance.

5 comments about American Dream Homes: Luxury Design : 50 New Glamour Homes.

1. I will never be able to afford any of the homes in this book, and even if I could, I don't think I'd want something that big. Regardless, it is fun to look



2. I bought this book to get ideas for a custom home we were building. I loved the full-page color photos, and found a few ideas I could incorporate in my new home, even though it is much smaller than these plans! I love Colonial, European, and Neo-classic styles, so there were only a few homes with touches of these styles (hence, only 4 stars), but I still found the book useful. For more classic, European style homes, I highly recommend "Villa Decor - Decidedly French and Italian Style" and "French Influences", both by Betty Lou Phillips.



3. The photos in this book are not exclusive, as they can be found in many other books and magazines. It is certainly a better value than "dream home" magazines that usually sell for $7 a pop at the newstands, but it pales in comparison to "Dan Sater's Luxury Home Plans". Sater's book is better in just about every way... larger format, larger pictures, thicker paper, a better selection of homes in my opinion (not to mention a few identical ones), and a lower price.
   
   You probably already know that the purpose of these books is to sell home plans. That's why they're so cheap. From a consumer standpoint, they're fun to browse through and you don't feel any buyer's remorse since you can easily spend more money at McDonald's.
   
   If you're looking for a book to get valuable ideas for your next home or remodel, take a look at "Home by Design" by Sarah Susanka.



4. I have bought house plan books before and normally only the first few are in full color and then the rest are black and white and don't show any interior photos. This book, however, has full color photos for every house plan featured. They show a few interior pictures for each, and it is by far the best house plan book I have found. Although, every plan in this book is quite large and you'd have to be a millionaire to be able to afford them.



5. Ok,I just read...well skimmed through this book,I just looked at the pics of all the gorgeous houses.My house is custom designed and I wanted to see some other interesting designs.Well I certainly got alot of ideas for my next house,I personally think i'ts a brilliant book that anyone that is fascinated with wealth should read!