5 comments about Architect? A Candid Guide to the Profession.

1. I recently finished my undergrad in business management, and have decided to return to school to earn an MArch. degree. This book has helped me in making this decision, as well as in knowing what to expect. If it does make you change your mind, then architecture is most likely not the career for you. If it's worth doing, it probably won't be easy. That said, it is not always as time consuming as people tend to think. My fiance is working on her bachelor's in architecture. While she is often very busy, there are times that she has a lighter load than I did in business school. It depends on the prof. and the project.



2. In this book Roger Lewis outlines the most important considerations in pursuing a career as an architect. I have always loved architecture, and have read extensively on the subject at the level of an interested amateur. When I was preparing for college in the 1980s, I wanted to pursue a five year professional architecture degree, but was dissuaded when I received a full scholarship in biology. That was an unfortunate decision in the long run, although I have been doing well professionally until recently, when my career field went into steep decline. I never forgot my interest in the subject, and while considering a mid-career occupation change, I have carefully considered returning to school and attempting to be admitted to a 3-4 year M.Arch. program.
   
   I am very glad that I read this book (and several others) prior to embarking on a career in architecture. The book is very honest about the rigors of school and the relative lack of money to be obtained in the field, unless you are uncharacteristically brilliant in design (and in selling your services). People like Michael Graves are definitely the exception to the rule. I appreciated Lewis' candor, and honestly the book has made me reappraise my desire to pursue this particular career transition. He repeatedly emphasizes that you should become an architect because of a love of architecture. I also have to be practical in considering that between three or four very expensive years of school and at least three years as an underpaid intern, it is at least seven years to becoming a licensed architect for me, and at this stage of my career that is difficult. Not impossible, but very difficult.
   
   I have not decided what professional avenues to pursue yet, but I will always appreciate the practical nature of this book in educating me about an architectural career. This is the most important book a prospective architect can read prior to committing to the arduous path leading to licensure.



3. I read this book when I was a senior in high school applying to colleges. It was helpful. I applied to architecture school and got into one of the best programs in the country. I graduated and got my dream job. When I was visiting my parents over Christmas I found this book on my shelf and read it again. This time I had an entirely different view after having gone to school and having worked for three different firms. This time it really hit the gut. I gave my notice at the firm and I'm going to pursue a different career for the next year. I'm not sure if I'm burned out on architecture and need to leave so that I can miss it and come back, or if I really don't want to be an architect. I have to say, the pay is bad. Really bad. That's what got to me. Expect to be paid HALF of what you're worth. That applies to the lowest intern all the way to the top partner. You just don't get paid what you're worth. Then again, it is a really incredible profession. It's a tough choice. So my advice is to buy this book and read it every couple years to make sure you really want to do this. Life is too damn short to do something you don't love with all your heart.



4. I have now been in the work force for 6 years having mostly worked in, now defunct, internet shops. Now I have a sterile job as a financial analyst working for a HUGE company. After being afraid to pursue my dreams again (after an earlier attempt in my mid-20's withered away...), I am seriously looking to get my masters in architecture although I have a liberal arts degree. I first read Cesar Pelli's "Observations" which inspired me. So I was afraid to get into this book knowing that many reviews here and in newsgroups claim it's harsh or may change your mind about architecture. Actually, it has strengthened my desire to pursue architecture. I won't be making as much money as I do now in my somewhat laid-back job, but there are other considerations far more important to me than working just for money. People who do not wish to be challenged to their fullest or work harder than they ever have worked before should not pursue such careers medicine, law, computer science, etc - architecture is no exception. I already knew architects are rarely rich, work very hard, go through a very tough education, and work in a very competitive environment. None of that came as a shock from reading this. Basically, I can conclude from this book that the field should only be pursued if one LOVES architecture despite all the difficulties. One can dislike medicine or law and not be as discouraged since the money can provide some comfort, but teh same is not true of architecture. Even if this book does talk many out of pursuing architecture, it's better that it tells it like it is. I'd rather know the good and the bad before making a decision. By the way, this book is not nearly as negative as some here have pointed out.



5. I like how it gives good information and advice for someone like myself who was considering the profession. It gave me an excellent idea of what to expect of the profession. I just wish I had listened even more carefully to his advice when reading the book, especially the advice about taking some time off between highschool and going to school to be an architect. One thing future architects need to realize is that if you are an architecture major, you will have no free time whatsoever outside of your classroom studio. So if you have any wild and crazy side to you that just wants to party, I suggest getting that out of your system first and then go study architecture. If there is any traveling you really want to do, do it first. Cause architects work hard and on average dont even make that much money. Anyhow this book contains other useful information for those who are certain they want to be architects as well. It gives you an excellent idea of what to expect, the types of jobs you will be doing, the skills you will need, ect..

4 comments about Strawbale Home Plans.

1. I keep this book around on my couch for all my friends to check out and i go back to it, daily, in searching for beautiful ideas for my soon to be breathable abode! The people in the book appear so serene and i know why! what glorious fotos and floorplans this book provided! great work!



2. This product is short on plans but I love it anyway. It provides one diagram, or layout for each ofmany sterling examples of this construction method,
   A good value for that strawbale builder who finds themself somewhere between a dream and the plan coming together...or just wondering where to get started making the dream a reality.



3. i was very impressed, this book is beautiful, the pictures, and floor plans inside give us so many ideas for the home we want to build in the future, i recommed it even if its a coffe table book.



4. I bought this book seeking inspiration, and I was not disappointed. Evident here is the continuing evolvement of strawbale house design and construction. In this book, you can see what can be done with strawbale. Included are comments and suggestions from the owner/builder of each house. For anyone considering building a strawbale structure, these comments would be especially useful. One owner/builder in the desert, for example, says rain gutters should have been installed when the house was first built, not added later on. Photo quality is very nice, and the overall layout and design of the book is quite good. The title of the book is a bit misleading, and I would have liked to see more in the way of actual plans (all you get is a floor plan), but overall this is a nice book, and offers much in the way of ideas.

4 comments about Constructing Architecture: Materials, Processes, Structures; a Handbook.

1. Excellent book, everything you wished to know about construction, it's there explained, in theory, in in technical drawings, and with images of contemporary buildings.
   The way it is organized is very straightfoward, good index, with all themes and sub-themes making sense.
   One of the buys of the year for me...



2. I have reviewed many attempts at a comprehensive description of the complex subject of architecture, and this is the best. This book is far better than the exhaustively recommended Francis Ching (all due respect), and even better than Unwin's Architectural Notebook, which is also excellent. This is the very first book I would recommend for any serious architecture student. It covers tectonics and construction in elegant detail but, even more importantly, this book delves into the conceptual intentions behind the tectonics, at every scale. Telling examples, well chosen, illuminate the ideas, and the case studies feature some of the finest contemporary architecture in the world today. Simply the best.



3. The English title might be misleading--this book is not about 'construction', but rather about what the Germans call Baukunst, the art of construction, or the art of 'putting buildings together', considering the spatial order as an inseparable part of that putting things together.
   The book provides a structured approach to the basics of contemporary architectural composition, several essays introducing fundamental concepts and giving you the bibliography to go into them in detail (the key part is making them all fit into an overall framework, and pointing at the sources that normally take years to discover), and illustrate several remarkable buildings in remarkable detail, with excellent descriptions reaching a depth and quality of analysis unfortunately missing in typical architectural publications.
   Andrea Deplazes, the editor and author or co-author of many of the articles, teaches at the Zurich ETH (and I would guess the same must be true for the authors of most of the other articles), which for well over a hundred years has been one of the few true schools of architecture in the world. The book glows with the power of this accumulated knowledge developed in a true academic environment since the times of Semper. It also gives a glimpse at how the ETH consistently produces first class ordinary architecture, and for that matter first class extraordinary architecture too.
   This book will be of huge value to every architecture student, teacher, and architectural designer. I bought it by a fortunate mistake --I thought a construction book from the ETH was sure to be an excellent reference book on technology, and the mail delivered a treasure trove of architectural knowledge instead.



4. I purchased this book for a construction class and as an architecture student, I find it very helpful. The book is not a construction how-to and the images are not very detailed nor are any of the images in color, but it is a compilation of a variety of architectural examples that use different or innovative construction methods. A great supplement to a studio course for inspiration and incorporating interesting structure into projects.

5 comments about Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms : 1600-1945.

1. This book is set up in a way that is simple to flip through and pinpoint details on buildings.



2. Excellent pictorial coverage of styles combined with clear definitions of criteria



3. While other "field guides" to American architecture provide more details or bigger/better photos than this one, a key part of what makes 'Identifying American Architecture' so good is what it DOESN'T tell you. That is, it focuses on naming basic (and often not-so-basic) architectural elements in a broad range of styles for you, without the encyclopedic details of each style's history and genealogy, which can be researched elsewhere.
   
   This pinpointed, in-the-moment approach is VERY helpful when you're walking around an area with a rich mix of architectural styles, as in Boston, Chicago, New York, Nashville, San Francisco, and other major cities established 150-300 years ago. In Boston, for example, you can easily find yourself looking at a 1790 Federal-style townhouse one minute, a Richardsonian church from the 1870s the next, and a Second Empire government building (circa 1890) a minute after that. With this easy-to-carry guide in hand, you can quickly identify the differences, point them out to friends, make notes, and move on.
   
   Likewise, this book is a good, easy access reference to have on hand when reading any book -- fiction or non-fiction -- featuring a lot of architectural description. Again, it doesn't have deep details, but there's enough to help you picture and/or understand scenes better. Students and writers also find it helpful in knowing their pilasters from their parapets when writing descriptions of historic buildings and neighborhoods.
   
   In addition to offering at least 4 examples of each architectural style, with the various elements all enumerated clearly, this book also features an alphabetical index of primary architectural elements that make up classic buildings. That's then topped off with a Pictorial Glossary of Terms, where many of the architectural elements that make up classic architecture are shown and denoted in just enough detail to be useful and clarifying.
   
   All in all, for a 128 page book, this one has A LOT of very useful information, presented in an even MORE useful and accessible format. Worth every nickel.



4. Well, it's not the worst field guide I ever saw but as a previous reviewer said, it has some serious flaws. Most notably, I struggled to focus on the wee tiny numbers that identify the architectural characteristics.
   
   Man, those are some small numbers. And sometimes they get so clustered together, you're not sure which number goes with which architectural feature.
   
   The long, thin layout of the graphics works against this book, too. The pictures of houses just don't fit well in this format.
   
   And (sadly), I agree that some of the photos are a little washed out. With all that said, I do believe you can learn something from every book and this book does contain a wealth of information.
   
   Rose
   author, The Houses That Sears Built
   and co-author, California's Kit Homes



5. I have been collecting field guides to American domestic archiecture for many years and beyond a doubt this is the very worst guide that I have come across. This guide has many strikes against it.
   
   First, it is too short to give the reader any real understanding of the different styles of American domestic architecture. Many styles are ignored and the styles that are covered are done so superficially. As an example, the section on the International Style of architecture only has two washed out black and white photographs. The few details that are explained are done so in the most superficial manner.
   
   Second, the quality of the printing is very poor. The quality of the paper and binding makes the book look like it was produced int he 1970's. Worst of all, the photographs used to show the different styles are washed out. A revolution in publishing has happened in the past twenty years and this publisher has missed out in the opportunity to produce a modern looking guide.
   
   Finally, there are some wonderful field guides in current production. Don't waste your money on this guide. Check out the guides produced by Lester Walker and Virginia McAlester. Those are the types of guides that can inspire the reader to learn more about history and American houses. Avoid this guide!

4 comments about Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative.

1. First off, Eisner does a great job of combining visual elements with his text in this book. The whole thing is illustrated with cavemen working on their storytelling technique, and I have to admit that the cavemen illustrations were great fun and always helped to clarify the how side of what he was saying in the text. Beautifully done. (Yes, I know, this is like saying, "Hey, y'know that Hemingway guy? Some of his stories were really good.")
   
   Does it have any issues? Yes. It's 164 heavily illustrated pages. You can read it in an afternoon. And some of the illustrative pieces feel over-long for the point they are trying to prove. I hit the point on a couple of them where I found myself saying, "Yes, I get it. We needed the X in the beginning so we would understand Y now. Can we move on?" I also felt that, at 164 pages, he didn't really have the opportunity to go into depth on some areas. There's a point where he provided two bad examples of a comic script... and no good example. Aaaaah!
   
   Even with those issues in mind, I have to give the book 4 caped crime-fighters out of five. It's well-written (though there are also some grammatical gaffs that make me want to scream), it's engaging, and it's instructive. Worth the read.



2. Eisner is one of the old pros who helped create the way sequential art is done. This book demonstrates the thinking that goes into producing sequential art, how to pace and create emotions in your audience. A must have for film artists, storyboard artists, comic and graphic novel artists and it opens new ways of thinking for illustrators and painters.



3. As a veteran comic book illustrator (You can find my work here on Amazon.com; I am the CO-creator and artist of Transmetropolitan), I am often asked to recommend books to aspiring professionals in comic book illustration. In that case I always enthusiastically recommend any of Eisner's instructional books as essential reading for anyone serious about their craft and dreams of getting into the industry.

   From the earliest work of his career, Will Eisner was an innovator in writing as well as illustration. Even in his twilight years the man is still a vigorous and creative artist producing work that pros as well as fans can't wait to get their hands on.

   These books display his genius in an entertaining and easy to follow method, and if put to practice will inspire and reveal hidden keys to making your work truly professional grade. A great companion book to Eisner's "Comics & Sequential Art".

   - Darick Roberston




4. Whether you just love comics or intend to start writing some yourself, you'll probably need a helping hand. Will Eisner might just be the right hand for you. As a true pro, who's been in the field since 1930, he might just have the kind of hints, tips and interesting details you need to know as a beginner. Graphic Storytelling will reveal to you the world of telling a story in drawings and words combined, the art of comics and caricature. In my very humble opinion, this book is one giant step forward for you, on the way of expressiong yourself on paper. And hei, if Neil Gaiman recommends it, who am I to say anything else?

5 comments about Design Research: Methods and Perspectives.

1. A primer for all designers - this book contains many useful case studies that underpin the quintessential need for research before beginning any design process.



2. I enjoy some of her earlier work but this one is misleading, in particular for those wishing to study (methods of) design research. Laurel neither relates nor contributes to the discipline of design research in this book in a direct way. Design postgraduates looking for a good book on design research are better advised looking at Design Research by Peter Downton, which is more difficult to get but worth it and newer.



3. This book is an excellent, comprehensive collection of design-related essays and research studies. It is inspirational and practical (and doesn't hurt that it is well designed)!



4. Brenda's collection is still the most comprehensive collection of diverse design research methods I can find. I use her book to inspire, intrigue, and sometimes perplex students, exposing them to lots of new ideas. I use the book in combination with Kuniavsky's more practical how-to information in Observing the User Experience. He provides too much detail and not enough high concept. The combination ends up working very well.
   
   If I could choose only a single text, I would choose Brenda's design research book. I can fill in specifics about different techniques drawn from many books and web sites, but the creativity of methods and the clear belief in the power of design research conveyed in the book needs to come from real world writers, not just from the professor claiming it is so. Her book makes the case!



5. The varied opinions among the existing reviews suggests this is somehow a strange subject area. I can only report on my own response, and I think this is a cool book. Before thumbing through to the preface you'll encounter a neat symbol of good design - a two page spread of the what's in the book. A true "table of contents," whose rows represent various aspect of design research, and whose columns are the book chapters. Each table cell is marked if that chapter pertains to that aspect. Pleasing to the eye and enormously useful, especially if you wish to use this as a text or part of some focused study.
   
   Many chapters are authored by one or more designers who reflect on their own approach and experience in design. I found this to be a rich source of material for thinking about ways to create new things. I would think that nearly anyone whose job requires creative output will find here some interesting and useful tools to add to their collection.

3 comments about The Barefoot Architect.

1. This is the first English translation of The Barefoot Architect (TBA), which was originally written in Spanish in Mexico in 1982. Obviously written with a Third-World audience in mind, TBA nevertheless has a multitude of useful ideas that could be incorporated into North American buildings. At first glance this handbook's 697 pages are intimidating, but fear not - this tome is extremely user-friendly, as it employs only simple drawings and brief text to convey a wealth of handy ideas for laymen/owner builders and professional contractors alike. The only exception to that last statement is that TBA has a rather skimpy index.
   
   TBA starts off with a thoughtful design overview which shows how to situate your house, say, to take advantage of the prevailing winds, solar orientation, terrain, and vegetation on your building site. Subsequent chapters cover considerations and methods for building in deserts, jungles, and temperate zones. Granted, not many Norte Americanos will want to build their homes with bamboo, thatch or handmade adobe bricks, but there are plenty of examples of materials and construction techniques that I wouldn't hesitate to use where I live in Northwest Wyoming.
   
   The use of modern insulating, siding, and roofing materials that would be familiar and available to Americans is little discussed. Remember that the primary audience for this handbook resides not in North America/First World, but in the southern hemisphere, where most citizens don't have our economic wherewithal. I would not use a lot of TBA's suggestions in the building of my primary residence, but for outbuildings, walls, gardens, get-away cabins, etc., I would use this book in a heartbeat for my construction bible. Thoreau would have loved it. Perhaps in a post-peak oil world, TBA will become a must-have resource for those of us who have to live more simply and take advantage of the building materials close at hand. Most discussions in TBA readily stimulate one to think of practical uses for the natural resources that surround us all.



2. After my wife and I had finished writing The Straw Bale House and were beginning work in Mexico on a number of projects, we came across this book during our travels. We loved it so much we set out trying to find out where we could get more copies. The search took us to a bookstore in Mexico City where we bought several cases to bring back to the States. They were so popular with friends that we gave away/sold all of them in almost no time at all. It's just a marvelous little book with simple but very clear illustrations. Quite truthfully I'm totally amazed that Lloyd Khan the publisher came across this book and decided to print it in English. But then again, that's what makes Lloyd the entertaining publisher that he is.



3. I'm in the process of re-building the kitchen, bathroom, foundation and an addition to our home. Picking up this book to peruse made my imagination wander and provided tremendous insight into not only how to go about these significant changes but also provided new ways based upon sensible and older techniques. There are so many ideas, drawings and explanations that even if you thought you had everything at hand and knew just what you were going to do, this could very much make your work better. I very much recommend this thick and interesting book.

2 comments about 100 Houses for 100 Architects (Special Edition).

1. This book is not as bad as the previous reviewer makes it out to be. It presents a wide selection of architects houses, from William Morris in the Nineteenth Century to Francine Houben at the end of the Twentieth. The documentation of every house is quite decent and gives a good understanding of the spaces, with a good textual explanation, and the photographs are of great quality. Some houses have probably rarely appeared in print, as for instance those of Fernando Tavora, Christian Norberg-Schulz, and Jose Antonio Coderch. Besides, the book gives a great idea about these architects' conception of the 'home', as for instance in Coderch's case, who conceived his house in a vernacular mode quite different from the architecture he is known for.



2. There's nothing terrible about the book. But it is so easily beat out by other architecture books (including others by Taschen publishing) that there's no reason to get this book or waste your time reading much about it.

5 comments about Bungalow Colors: Exteriors.

1. Learn about the trends of home colors throughout history, and find tips for returning your bungalow to a shade from the period in which it was built.



2. It is a well thought out and researched book, beginning with a significant amount of history about Bungalows and their Craftsman cousins. From a historical perspective it is definitely worth the read, and contains many source images of homes from this era highlighting the different color choices and how they changed over time. I learned that dark window sash paint was prevalent until the 1920's, when it shifted to white (paving the way for ubiquitous white vinyl!).
   
   It then goes into the process of picking colors, including very helpful suggestions to work with various roof colors, period and real world examples, as well as specific details such as porches, steps and eaves. The book also has a short technical section on colors, very helpful to educate husbands in how to articulate thoughts about colors.
   
   My only real peeves with the book is the lack of references past 1930, and the lack of any Spanish styles, save the cover of the book. My house is (obvious by my peeves) a 1938 Spanish style bungalow. Even without a plethora of period examples for my specific need it helped me decide where I wanted to go with my house, and how to draw focus without detracting from the whole.



3. I was skeptical about this book after reading other reviews. However, I was very pleasantly surprised how useful two particular sections of this book were for me. The "Developing Your Own Color Scheme" section takes you through decisions for each part of your exterior. Not only is there the body of the house to decide a color for, but there are the trim and accent colors, the window sash, the roofing materials, and the foundation. In order for a color scheme to work and show off your bungalow's best features, all of these elements need to work together. The other section I liked is "Before And After," which shows how actual homes were improved by emphasizing or de-emphasizing certain elements of their exteriors. I even chose my own colors from one of the alternate color schemes the author suggests. Warning -- the color swatches printed in the book look nothing like the real Sherwin-Williams colors of the same name. If you see a color you like, take the book with you and find a similar color at the paint store.



4. As a Craftsman bungalow owner, I was eager to turn to this book for some direction in returning my home's exterior to its period. While there is a good attempt to address some of the questions of color, many of the photos are so poor (harshly contrasting sunlight, faded or inaccurate colors, etc.) that the "actual" examples are very disappointing. Further, the best photographed examples are from large A&C homes, not Craftsman, and not "bungalows," as the title implies. However, the color examples provided in the book (in "chip" form, rather than from photos) were helpful. In all, I got something from this book, but not as much as I'd hoped.



5. This is a wll researched book. I wanted to use it to help me pick colors for my house. The book features sherwin williams, not the paint I used. It did give my ideas on how to paint the trim in an original way, but did not really help me pick out distinct colors. Most of the colors used in their makeovers were light. I wanted to see more darker colors for the house body.

4 comments about Architectural Graphic Standards Student Edition: An Abridgement of the 9th Edition.

1. I am a fourth year architecture student and I use this book every semester. I keep it with me at all times. It is the perfect design handbook. If you don't have it, You need it!



2. The book was in great condition as expected. It was delivered during the expected time frame, but it was later rather than sooner. I purchase frequently from amazon and I recieve consistently good service from them.



3. Loaded with tons of reference data all good for Architects.
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4. This book is one of the best reference books an architect will ever use. It contains the necessary information for the beginning and advanced architect. Inside the 568 pages in this book one will find from the most basic to the highly complex architectural graphics. The book provides reference for the various arcchitectural plans such as the floor plan, elevation and perspective drawings. No other reference material can surpass the amount of information provided in this excellent book.