5 comments about The Architecture Pack : A Unique, Three-Dimensional Tour of Architecture over the Centuries : What Architects Do, How They Do It.

1. This book is a must for anyone interested in architecture and pop up books. What a wonderful learning tool. So sorry it is out of print. Actually having bought it through Amazon as a used book, it was in GREAT condition.



2. I had just discovered this out of print popup book by chance just recently and I regret it had not been in existence when I was deciding on a career direction when I had waffled between career disciplines my tender years. This adult geared book successfully demystifies some intimidating structural concepts and introduces the reader to the important historical references and people in architecture. Architecture/structural engineering concepts are best learned in 3 dimensions as with the astounding popups, not with a flat one dimensional media. I agree with another reviewer who hopes for a second edition with added CDRom/DVD media to match up with today's technology.



3. This is one of the most awesome books I've ever seen. Lots of cool things to do. Well worth the money!



4. If this book had met only 1/2 of my expectations, I would have been pleased. It exceeded them. Every page is a series of surprises and delights. Whether you're interested in Architecture, or just love classy gadgets, this is your book. I cannot imagine anyone who, getting this book as a gift, would not be delighted. Read the product description, and add 50%. The only down sides are the long delivery time, and the book's delicacy. One is torn between wanting to look at its contents repeatedly, and the fear that the book might be damaged by too much handling. Order two!!



5. Contrary to other architecture books that are muddled with academicians' essays, which in turn are filled with architecture terms that amateurs like myself wouldn't possibly understand, this book or pack is informative, playful, and easy to understand. Just say that it's a crash course into architecture rather having you going thru 5 years training in a varsity with working experience. The pack guides you to the fundamentals of architecture like the origin of architecture, when is architecture becoming a distinctive profession as in miedevel time, architect is a stonemason, sculptor all blended into one; the influence of Classicim, unavoidabability of learning about Palladio and Vitruvius; structure and form; new materials & shapes; art & architecture blended as one; the changing city, influenced mostly by our usage of cars; the process, with Richard Meier's Getty Centre as a case study. To top this pack off, there a booklet informing readers of prominent &/or infleuntial architects & architecure terms commonly heard & used respectively(quite concise); timeline stipulating the architecture breakthrough since the beginning of time & where does those famous architects stand in the passage of time; a model of Schroeder house for us to build. The journey through this pack is simply a revelation, surprises everywhere & never failed to bewilder me. I'm adamant that the pop-up buildings is an art in its own rite & what about the enclosed "Mission Impossible" glasses that enable us to see the inner structure and exterior structure of buildings so that we would appreciate architecture more? Before I forget, there's also a cassette narrated by the author. Believe me, you will spend hours and hours immersing yourself in this pack forgetting how time flies when you are enjoying yourself the most. Highly recommended for architecture enthusiasts. A note of caution though, due to the fiddly but fine detailing in this book, readers are urged to handle the pack with utmost care, & it would be wonderful to have a second edition, continuing on where the author has left off in 1997.

2 comments about The Architecture of New York City: Histories and Views of Important Structures, Sites, and Symbols.

1. This is a wonderful book that extensively covers the architecture of buildings in New York, from past to present. Full of interesting background information. I can recommend this book to anyone that is interested in New York architecture. Unfortunately, photographs are kept to an essential minimum. Other than that, it was everyting I hoped for.



2. I bought this book a few days before my first visit to New York City. However, just reading very first part of this book gave me good knowledge of both history and architectures of NYC.

   This book starts with the born of New York City in 17th century, and covers many famous (and not so famous) architectures with about 200 photos taken by the author. It covers Georgian influence of 18th Century, Greek revival of 19th century, the Chicago school...etc. The Art Deco Skyscrapers, such as the Empire State building and the Chrysler building are well described. A whole chapter is devoted to Rockefeller Center. The history of MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) is interesting...

   For me, this book seems to have some small shortcomings. This book lacks "up to date" information. (This revised edition was first published in 1994.) Also, as a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, I hope Guggenheim Museum have been covered more.

No comments about New Public Spaces.

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.

1 comments about Designing Community: Charrettes, Masterplans and Form-based Codes.

1. If you seek a global overview of ideas in contemporary architecture, then Walters offers some relevance. He explains trends that have been expressed in urban designs throughout the developed countries. Mostly since World War 2. Most of the examples are drawn from Britain and the United States.
   
   The ideas are varied. Always, there was a desire to create as attractive a region as possible. Often for mixed use, residential and commercial. You can compare the results shown, to see how successful these might have been. The perils of urban blight are shown. Where housing "estates" ended up being bleak areas of high crime and hopelessness.

4 comments about New York 1880: Architecture and Urbanism in the Gilded Age (New York).

1. This book is the very definition of comprehensive, this book really hashes out beautiful Guilded Age New York. It is to be lamented that so many of these gorgeous buildings are no longer extant, but at least these wonderful archival images are available. As you walk around NYC today, you see glimpses of the grandeur that once pervaded the city, but this book conjures up the ghosts of an Age of unimaginable wealth and unparalled craftsmanship. High recommended to one and all.



2. With over 1100 pages, this book was so difficult to handle physically, that it hampered my enjoyment of this epic-length volume. On the other hand, the book is a bargain in terms of cents per page! Photos average more than one per page; however, the quality of photographic reproduction is frequently very disappointing (even when compared to Stern's 'New York 1900,' which also uses very old photographs). There are approximately 75 floor plans, with most page space used for the less-than-rivetting text. Chapters are divided by building type. A surprising amount of page space is consumed by illustrations of entries in architectural competitions (Union League Club and Cathedral of St. John the Divine).



3. This period was covered in New York 1900, which provided background material from 1876 and before. Although New York 1880 is longer than New York 1900, it seemed to me to be a padding of what had already been said in a more succinct and more readable way in the first book of the series (NY 1900).As for the length, New York 1880 badly needs an editor.



4. While it is too heavy to lug around, NY 1880 is an eye popping journey into New York of 120 or so years ago. There are over 1,200 photographs and 99 pages of footnotes. Anyone interested in seeing what this wonderful city was like a generation before the First World War is strongly urged to grab this book. So much of what this book is about is no longer standing - churches, synagogues, clubs, apartments, etc.

   Buy it!! This is the best of the 4 books in the series (NY 1880, NY 1900, NY 1930 and NY 1960) with NY 2000 to come in a few years.

2 comments about The Yokohama Project.

1. This book engages this one specific project, its an exceptional book that's deeply routed in the ethics and practice of architecture.



2. The book is an inspiring and surprisingly honest account of the design and the construction of the Yokohama Terminal. The most optimistic part about it is the rather obvious fact that it was conceived and managed by a few academically rigorous but professionally inexperienced architects. The enormity of the project, the complexity of the structure, the problems of circulation, security, fire safety, seismic performance, etc. should all have choked the project before it even had reached the competition entry boards - the fact that it did not is an early tell-tale sign of the fresh naiveté, which must have fueled the design team.

   The true merit of the team (and the story as whole) is the fact that the designers decided to go through with it. They moved to Japan and spent over two years and 23.5 billion yen supervising the project through construction administration. The writers talk as openly about their greatest successes and their worst failures.

   The very extensive photographic documentation of the design and construction show the amazing story of the metamorphosis of an architectural idea into a material form. As I was reading thorough the text I saw myself picking favorite parts of the design and browsing impatiently ahead to see how they resolved themselves in the actual construction - sometimes I agreed with the chosen solution and sometimes I did not. The point is that the process of decision-making is revealed very clearly.

   I would like to finish with a quote from the book, which offers a most delightful message to the youthful talent in all of us:
   
   "This is where amateurs have advantage over pros. A pro knows what he can deliver and rarely goes beyond it. An amateur has no concept of his limitations and generally will go beyond them."

2 comments about Historic Preservation: Project Planning & Estimating.

1. This is a very useful book for anyone who has a role in a historic preservation project. It's the only book I've seen that looks at the whole project from feasibility and financing to contracts and construction.
   
   Not all of this book is riveting reading, but all of it is necessary to understanding what a large-scale preservation project might entail.
   
   The authors have vast experience in some of the biggest and most important (e.g. the Statue of Liberty) preservation projects undertaken in recent times.
   
   The only real flaw I noticed was in the discussion of using historic preservation tax credits: No mention was made of syndicating -- a process akin to selling -- tax credits so that nonprofits can take advantage of them.



2. The American construction industry has been waiting for this book for a long time. Its practical information can make this type of work a usual business practice, with profit for practitioners and retention of the public's cultural heritage. It can be done on time, on budget and still sensitive to original design and fabric, if the team has a well-rounded education.

3 comments about Baskets: A Book for Makers and Collectors.

1. To anyone embarking on the learning of the art of basket weaving, this book is a must have. As someone new to basket making, I wanted to make sure that I knew the various terms and techniques and exactly what they meant. This book fulfilled that desire for me. Since purchasing it about two months ago, I have made a number of baskets and cannot count the number of times that I referred to it for direction. Both the text and photographs of the various techniques leave very little to desire. In the last paragraph of the introduction, Ms. Sudduth notes that she hopes that one will discover the excitement and the extraordinary possibilities of baskets. That hope has been fulfilled. I thank her for sharing her incredible knowledge of this art.



2. Ms. Sudduth is a critically acclaimed basket artist and some of her work is displayed in the Smithsonian Institute. Her work is excellent and her teaching skills are perfection! This (hardback) book is 144 pages of serious instruction with many beautiful color photos of baskets from very talented basket artists around the world. Not only will she have you making a wonderful variety of baskets from the start... she includes several tips to help make your work easier (esp. how to correct mistakes and get rid of that dreaded "hairy" look).

   Inside you will learn (and also see colorful pictures of): Commercially available materials, found and collected materials, tools and equipment needed, preparation of materials, and storage. All of the weaving terms are well defined to be easily understood, and broken into sub-catagories of weaving variations, bases, ribs and random weaves. You will learn the basic techniques of start and stop weaving, continuous weaving, how to upset your stakes at the beginning and then how to bend and tuck them in at the end. How to add new weavers, carving and attaching a rim. All about adding rim and base fillers. Ms. Sudduth also teaches you everything you need to know about dyes from the equipment needed, safety precautions, the difference between natural, chemical, and fiber reactive dyes... plus how to store them.

   The book continues on to teach you stop and start plaiting, continuous plaiting, twined construction, start and stop twill, continuous twill, and ribbed construction; How to add surface embellishments such as curls, painting, stenciling, whitewashing, and adding other attachments.

   The remainder of the book discusses (but not instructs) the non-woven forms of construction: coiled, knotted, stitch, wrapped, and cast and mold. The back has a list of suggested reading, suppliers, Basket Association and Guilds, Craft Schools offering classes, metric conversion tables, plus the names of all the contributing artists.

   A very complete book, easy to understand, that not only teaches you - but will continue to inspire your creativety time and time again.




3. Billie Ruth Sudduth's book is a masterpiece. The color photographs (and the baskets themselves) are amazing. She showcases some marvelous pieces made with both traditional and unusual materials. She explains every aspect of the craft remarkably well, in easy to understand fashion.Even a beginner could weave a basket using her instructions. I was pleasantly surprised that she included so many of her basket patterns for baskets that are on display at the Smithsonian. Now, I will be able to weave a piece of art with her easy instructions.

No comments about Biography of a Tenement House in New York City: An Architectural History of 97 Orchard Street (Center Distributed).