2 comments about The Next Architect: A New Twist on the Future of Design.

1. The previous comment is actually more insightful than the book itself. As a student I found it insulting to my intelligence. Also, as the previous review hints, it is a criminal waste of paper. Literally, I have seen longer magazine articles but this somehow manages to cost more than a year's subscription.



2. First of all, with 144 pages (which really equates to 72 pages with text only on one leaf) the $40 dollar price tag is a way too steep. Secondly the 'new' insights and twists into the profession are really not all that new and groundbreaking. Here's a summary of the point's they bring up in the book. You be the judge.
   - Design is a team sport.
   - clients come first
   - the essence of design is in creating value
   - process innovation - bringing all the stakeholders into the project as early as possible. a.k.a. Integrated Practice. (most insightful point, however simplified)
   - faster and faster (chapter name)
   - Dynamic Decision-making (chapter name) Here's an italicized quote the authors pulled out of their text: "The ability to make a decision is the essential act of design" (By the way, the opposing leaf or every other page is dedicated to these 'salient' quotes from the text.)
   - Another quote, different chapter: "The next architect understands that money is a design tool"
   - Leadership (chapter name) Quote: "Without a conductor, no orchestra can function to its full potential - thus it is with team leaders of design."
   - The green machine (chapter name) - sustainability.
   - TCB: taking care of business (chapter name) - explains itself
   
   I guess unless you haven't practice architecture since 1901, a lot of these principles are not all that new. I guess my gripe with the book stems from not really delivering what the title suggests. If, however, you are a student just entering into the profession, the book would be a good source for a list of oversimplified tenants of what an architect does , but not really all that insightful into the ways the future architect will work.
   
   But that's just my opinion.
   
   
   
   -

No comments about New Glass Architecture.

3 comments about The Structure of the Ordinary: Form and Control in the Built Environment.

1. Habraken is essential for understanding and practising contemporary architectural design. He started out his career pointing out the limitations of the then (and often still) prevailing design approach towards housing and large buildings, and proposing methods for systems design meant to allow several levels of control, and changing configurations over time (this was extremely influential, and all relevant contemporary building and systems design is heir to his work directly or indirectly). He then went on to explore and explain the underlying order for architectural/urban configurations, and in this book he explains the orders of 'Form' (which could also be called construction), 'Territory' (boundaries, control) and 'Understanding' (shared patterns, systems and types) that make built environments be what they are, illustrating everything with perfectly selected examples. If you know the examples, the beauty is in the way he makes the underlying orders coherent and understandable. And you will not know a few of the examples, so the book is also beautiful as a pointer for further studies.
   
   3 other smaller books by him that develop details, or follow implications:
   - Supports, An Alternative to Mass Housing';
   - Variations, The Systematic Design of Supports;
   - <---- this is where 'The Structure of the Ordinary' falls chronologically;
   - Palladio's Children
   all by Habraken, all essential.



2. I found this book to be both insightful and ultimately very influential as to my own thoughts on sustainable design, urban planning, and the contemporary values and accustomed comfort levels which we, the western societies of the world, have come to take for granted when we think about our built environment. I feel that this book should be read by both students and practitioners alike. It's lessons are far reaching and all too relavent.



3. Though well produced and well illustrated I found this book to be disapointing. I thought it woud be more overtly rigourous in its analysis. Instead it offers only personnal insights into the structure of ordinary enironments. The back cover says that the book is the result of years of 'design research', yet I could find little evidence of this research in the book. Some people may find these insights illumating, unfortunately I did not, and without formal research to back them up I found the book disappointing.

4 comments about The Oregon Experiment (Center for Environmental Structure Series).

1. The good news is that this book is a short summary of what most people
   will find important when they apply patterns either in the field of architecture
   or in their own field of design. It provides insight into Alexander's theory
   of economics--a stance which caused him to be unfavorably labeled as a
   socialist when these ideas were taking form.
   
   Patterns, in this book, are almost a footnote to the broader ideas of
   design, of economics, and of socially coordinated construction that
   form the core of Alexander's exposition here. The economics form a
   compelling argument for a process of piecemeal growth. Alexander gives
   practical advice on how to administer the social process, including the
   creation of a community pattern board that oversees the introduction of
   new patterns into the community language, and the retirement of old
   ones. By putting the pattern mantra aside, this book helps the reader
   get beyond the point where they are looking for patterns in their own right
   to provide the answer to every design question, and pushes the reader
   to think at the level of the foundations.
   
   The bad news is that the book takes the reader into a couple of miscues.
   Alexander would later bitterly recant the role this book accords to the
   architect. Architects should be master builders rather than the font of
   design ideas. The architecture role emerged in the Oregon Experiment
   to lend the project an air of conventionality and credibility, a compromise
   that kept the project from achieving its goals.
   
   Current tidbits of retrospective literature try to make sense of the experiment;
   some claim it succeeded (in spite of those aspects Alexander felt were
   wrong-headed) and some claim it failed. Grabow's biography of
   Alexander (Christopher Alexander: The Search for a New Paradigm in
   Architecture) features some choice words about the miscues in this
   experiment. Taken with the retrospective Grabow brings us, this book
   provides a perspective on patterns that is completely absent from the
   other books in this series. Some of these, such as the foundations in
   economics, are there for the picking. To reap some of the other insights
   requires study that goes beyond casual reading, but such study is
   appropriate to the depth of insight it will afford, and you owe it to
   yourself to explore it. These insights are crucial for making patterns
   work in a practical way in a social setting.
   
   If you want to learn about patterns, and you want to start with an
   Alexandrian book, I think this is the one you start with. Get the big
   picture first, in the context of the underlying principles, and come
   back for the pattern details later in A Pattern Language, and for the
   artist's artistic exposition of his art in The Timeless Way of Building.



2. The Oregon Experiment comes from a time when Eugene, Oregon was a capital for social and community experiments in the US. It's a practical, brilliant, gentle, idealistic proposal, without peer in modern literature. There are a few papers on the experiment after twenty years, available on the web -- the experiment basically had the life bureaucratized out of it. But this book remains as a shining, solid proposal, which any participatory experiment should look over very closely.



3. The Oregon Experiment is one of a series of influential volumes on architecture and social design published by Christopher Alexander and his colleagues in the 1970s. While the most well-known volume in the series, A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, and Construction, develops general principles for the design of social spaces at all scales, The Oregon Experiment applies those principles to a specific case: the campus of the University of Oregon.

   If you are looking for an example of a specific campus plan, however, you will not find it here. Central to Alexander's approach is the notion that communities should not create fixed master plans, but rather should develop a common pattern language, and then apply it organically, in a piecemeal fashion, as needs arise. The book talks as much about this process of planning as it does about individual construction projects. Whenever a need arises (expansion of a building, addition of a door, creation of a green) people consult their pattern language and build something to suit the space and satisfy the need. Because everyone follows the agreed-upon language, the new parts harmonize with those that already exist (or replace earlier, poorly-designed structures).

   If you have enjoyed studying Alexander's patterns in A Pattern Language, you will find here a collection of new ones that are specific to a university setting, including "University Population," "University Shape and Diameter," "Departments of 400," "Local Administration," "Classroom Distribution," and about a dozen more. Although he clearly draws on ideas from British universities in many cases, he unaccountably does not include one of the fundamental features of the British model, namely the residential college of 500 (or so) within the larger institution. (Although he does include aspects of this pattern under the heading "Small Student Unions.") As always, Alexander's pattern descriptions are clear, blunt, and thought-provoking.

   The question that most readers will want to have answered is, "Does all this really work?" When the volume was written, of course, the process was just getting under way, and so we cannot know from this book alone whether everything described was successful or has been sustained over the long term. From what I've seen of campus master planning in public universities, it often turns out in the end to have less to do with creating good educational environments than it does with kowtowing to the local chamber of commerce and lining the pockets of already-rich trustees. But just because something is difficult doesn't mean it shouldn't be made the goal. If Alexander or someone at the University of Oregon were to produce a sequel, "The Oregon Experiment 25 Years On," I'm sure it would meet with a warm reception.




4. As a software designer and as somebody who lives and works in buildings in cities, I find the ideas in some of Alexander's other books on architecture and design - The Timeless Way of Building and A Pattern Language - very interesting and appealing. They are a brave attempt to point to a more human, community-oriented way of doing things.

   I had high hopes that The Oregon Experiment would describe a concrete example of whether these ideas worked when they were put into practice. It does nothing of the kind. It describes an interesting thought experiment in participatory design and tries to present this as a vindication of the Pattern Language concepts. But nowhere does it even mention whether the design it describes was ever actually implemented, much less whether it worked from the inhabitants' point of view.

   It is very easy for a design team to get carried away with what a great design they have on paper. I've done it loads of times. That enthusiasm tells us nothing about whether a design is actually going to be a success.

   I know Alexander later moved from academia and started trying to put his ideas into practice on actual building projects. A book on his real experiences and how well the original ideas stood up to the cold light of reality would be fascinating and important. The Oregon Experiment isn't that book.

5 comments about Autocad 2006: One Step at a Time - Part I.

1. This item arrived quickly and in good condition. This book is for someone starting AutoCAD. You will quickly get past its usefulness.



2. Bought the entire series for acad '06 PartI,II and 3d Acad
   I studied Acad over 10 years ago but never really used it. when I decided to use it I had forgotten so much. (Although the memory of reading "Inside Acad" R12 by NRP Isbn:1562050559 left ALOT to be desired!) In fact I like the Part I book so much I went out and Purchased a 2nd monitor so I could read and draw at full screen.then came PartII and ... best 30.00 bucks I ever spent. Although I guess I could have spent 3 semesters in a Cad class at a local college. RIGHT!.... If you are a Self-taught kind of person? then these are the books for you.



3. I gave this text five stars because of its excellent approach to teaching difficult material. The text makes me feel as though the author is right at me side while I go through the lessons. The lessons are quite thorough and broken into bite-sized chunks so I can follow them. What's more, I had a problem with the files (I entered the wrong address to download them) and when I contacted the publisher, I received a helpful response within 30 minutes!
   If all textbooks were this easy to use, we'd have a much better educated workforce today.
   Thanks Forager Publications, and good job.



4. Good book. Easy to follow instructions (really step-by-step as opposed to many books that claim to be). Saved me the money it would've cost for a class. Wish it had come in one volume, but no real problem. Author even helped me when I had a problem.
   Good job.



5. I used Parts I and II of the One Step at a Time eBooks to learn AutoCAD and was impressed with the books. Each topic begins with a brief explanation and is followed by easy to follow step by step demonstrations/instructions. Some more difficult topics (like the apparently new "block" tools) I doubt I could have mastered without the step by step approach, but this text made even the difficult manageable (it made the easy downright fun!).
   I'm not an easy student, but the author made me feel like one.
   A five star recommendation is well deserved and gladly given!

1 comments about AutoCAD 2006: One Step at a Time - Part II.

1. Bought the entire series for acad '06 PartI,II and 3d Acad
   I studied Acad over 10 years ago but never really used it. when I decided to use it I had forgotten so much. (Although the memory of reading "Inside Acad" R12 by NRP Isbn:1562050559 left ALOT to be desired!) In fact I like the Part I book so much I went out and Purchased a 2nd monitor so I could read and draw at full screen.then came PartII and ... best 30.00 bucks I ever spent. Although I guess I could have spent 3 semesters in a Cad class at a local college. RIGHT!.... Self teaching kind of person then these are the books for you.

5 comments about Cocinando!: Fifty Years of Latin Album Cover Art.

1. I bought this book on a friend's recommendation. It's pages are filled with great album art that spans the range of great Latin Jazz and Rock, from Desi Arnaz and Mongo Santamaria to Carlos Santana and Los Lobos. It is like a pictoral history of great Latin music in America, including a section on Brasilian music. Tito Puente, Poncho Sanchez....even Dizzy Gillespie (who helped introduce Latin Rhythms to America) is represented....all in glorious vintage styles that you forgot you loved!
   
   So if you love Jazz, buy this one.
   
   Now I need to add these albums to my record collection.



2. Other books have been written on rock album cover art: here's the first to cover fifty years of the brightest and best album covers in Latin music history - and those who fostered them. Using album covers over the decades, Cocinadndo is an artistic, visual treat of the best Latin record covers from all genres of Latin music, from congo and bassa nova to salsa. Cocinando! is a simply gorgeous, rich presentation with full-page color album covers packing every page.



3. Many people who love Latin music and vintage Latin album graphics will snatch up this book. Be forewarned that there are disappointments to be found inside. The author/compiler seems to look down his nose at the garish, exotic, sexy and sensational album sleeves from the '40s and '50s that we gringos adore, choosing for the most part to showcase politically correct, bizarre abstract art creations from the 1970s. No me gusta! It's not that there are none of the earlier variety of album sleeve on display here, but there are not nearly enough. What's worse, the author interprets "latin music" to mean Cuban, Brazilian and Puerto-Rican-derived product; if you're looking for reproductions of some great old ranchera, flamenco or merengue album sleeves, you're out of luck. The richness and diversity of Latin music is missing from this book. COCINANDO! is certainly a groundbreaking collection, but by no means is it definitive. I hope someone follows up this incomplete history with another that presents the Golden Age of latin music from a more unbiased viewpoint. I'd like to take the opportunity here to tout the collectability of vintage Mexican album sleeves; many of them are absolutely gorgeous, and they need to be recognized as the works of art that they are.



4. How wonderful that someone has at last collected and memorialized the music and musicians from the Afro-Cuban and Latino bands that too often went unnoticed in this country. I wish that the publisher had included a CD or two to go with the book, since many of the musicians represented in pictures are not widely available on disc any more to a public which needs to hear as well as see.
   
   In any case, gracias, Senor Yglesias - do it some more!



5. If you're going to be stuck some place without music - Bring This Book With You! This book swims with visual excitement and indepth analysis of an exciting genre that is poorly understood. Pablo Yglesias acts a curator Extraordinaire in this not to be missed work.

No comments about Architecture in Detail: Elements (Architecture in Detail).

No comments about Women and the Making of the Modern House.

1 comments about Garden Houses and Privies: Authentic Details for Design and Restoration.

1. Excellent collection of privies constructed from 1700 to 1875. The author has done his research and while the detailed drawings are the main focus, the text is interesting. I wish there were more of it as the subject is a bit off the beaten path. The book is a great resource for homeowners, architects or builders really interested in incorporating accurate historical elements in residential construction.