5 comments about Collage Discovery Workshop.

1. I am in a collage class at school and found this book a perfect supplement for all my collage projects. There is a variety of tricks- everything from different techniques for backgrounds and ways to transfer images to your collage. Plus the book itself is beautifully done. Nothing makes my heart twitter more than a fantastic collage...



2. . . . . there was paper and glue. This book is a "must" buy for the beginning artist who has decided to explore the world of collage. It has very simple explanations of incredible techniques that you can learn quickly and use over and over. You will find your favorites, but don't be afraid to try all of them.
   
   I also recommend this for "young" budding artists.



3. I just so love this book. It gets straight to the point, It is incredibly detailed plus for beginners like myself who are new to collage it makes perfect sense.



4. Book was in great conditon, but I purchased the book for a project and by the time it came... we were done with the project.



5. Without a question Claudine gives great advice and instruction in this book. Lots of ideas for scrapbooking, collage and just crafty folks. I would definitely recommend her other book "Beyond the Unexpected" as well. She also has DVDs that are awesome for those of us who learn by watching. She's a hoot!

5 comments about Architectural Graphic Standards, 11th Edition.

1. A standard reference work on building components and design considerations - with many excellent diagrams. Although the book has a technical focus, a little perspective on the constructability and suitablity of componets and systems for specific applications would add value.
   
   Also, some additonal treatment of new chemical related technologies that are now mainstream, such as chemical anchors and carbon fiber reinforcing, would be helpful.
   
   Choosing Project Success - A Guide for Building Professionals



2. The new version of Architectural Graphic Standards is an impossible book to use. It reflects a component approach to putting a building together instead of looking at the totality of a building. The Eleventh Edition omits basic information, for example, like the exhaustive catalogue of material and electrical symbols found in previous additions. The book now has an attitude that follows the mantra of the American Institute of Architects with regard to issues like sustainability and visitability. Any architect with a conscience incorporates these values into actual practice, so to have whole sections on these subjects is like preaching to the converted. The book is really an editorial snow job on the profession. The metal plate on the front cover is truly pretentious while the pages inside have been physically downgraded to an almost tissue-like quality.
   
   By changing the format of the book so radically from the previous organization (without any kind of cross referencing) of the construction divisions that guided the profession for decades, looking for information is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
   
   If, as a practicing architect with 30 years experience, I find the book problematic then I would not even want to fathom how a young practitioner could wade through this disorganized, inadequate mess. If Ramsey and Sleeper, the original authors, saw this book today I think they would be rolling in their graves.



3. For over 70 years, architects have been using a valuable reference book, "Architectural Graphic Standards."
   
   "Architectural Graphic Standards" (11th edition) is organized roughly per the UniFormat(r) classification system, i.e., by function instead of by product or material. This new edition has expanded and new content covering contemporary issues, such as LEED standards, green materials, sustainable construction, recyclability, new building systems, structural technologies, universal, and accessible design strategies, computing technologies including Building Information Modeling (BIM) and CAD/CAM, etc. It may take you a while to get used to this new format, but the information is still valuable and current.
   
   "Architectural Graphic Standards" has 1120 pages (9.7 x 11.6 inches large format) and numerous line drawings. It is a must-have for architects, landscape architects and urban planners, interior designers, engineers or any other building-related design professionals.



4. I'm really disappointed to find that my big, beatiful new edition of Architectural Graphic Standards does not contain everything that previous editions did. I was so happy to have my very own copy and now will have to also buy a 10th edition to get everything. Check it out before you buy!



5. I received the new Graphic Standards today. It is filled with lots of additional information. If one were to take the time and look through the whole book, they would find almost everything they are looking for. The layout is different from previous versions. All one has to do is re-familarize their self with the new layout and it won't be confusing. Oh yeah, and it gives great examples.
   
   Thanks!

5 comments about The Dock Manual: Designing/Building/Maintaining.

1. As a handyman I like to bulid my own things. This book gives you a lot of insight. It shows an easier way of doing things by using things you would not have thought of. It is an excellent book with a lot of ideals.



2. I've built decks and docks in the past and I find this text to be of immense value as I prepare to build a new system of decks and docks at a new location. I'd suggest this this one to anyone who was about to build near or on the water.



3. Very thorough. Just the information I needed to determine what type of dock to build on my lakefront property.



4. Yes, this book provides a well-illustrated overview of approaches to dock building and choices of materials. But it doesn't go far enough if you have a significant tidal range or if the wind blows. What's missing is any introduction to engineering. How to make sure the ramp doesn't fall off your float when the tide goes out. How to figure the static forces on your dock caused by 4 knot currents. How to estimate the wave heights and dynamic forces in 80 knot winds. And how to design a dock that will survive this abuse. You might want to involve a professional engineer in these situations, but that can be true of pretty much anything to do with docks. A book with this title should at least introduce you to these subjects and provide references for the gory details. Like some others, the author believes books like this should be peppered with jokes. Personally I find this annoying, but I must admit his jokes are above average. So if you want a funny introduction to building docks in gentle places, this book is for you.



5. I gave up trying to find any useful information on dock building and then happened across this book not long ago. Max Burns has written a very comprehensive reference book that covers almost any imaginable dock/shore situation including the one I was looking for . If you're thinking of building your own, add this book to your library!

4 comments about Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature.

1. Every once in awhile you find a book that becomes a new favorite. That happened recently with the arrival in our Livable Communities Coalition offices of this fabulous book by Doug Farr. Not long after receiving and beginning to read it, I had the pleasure of facilitating a workshop for the development of a "sustainability element" for the master plan for an intown Atlanta neighborhood. We are now organizing the outcome of that workshop for consideration by the neighborhood and the city. It feels as though Farr has handed me the answers to a final exam before I have to take the test.
   
   Farr's book combines passionate, compelling arguments for design reform with more than 100 pages of short essays. The essays explain how to implement sustainable urbanism and present case studies to illustrate his points. The book has given me a logical framework for organizing and connecting concepts and recommendations. And with just the right amount of detail - enough to get the point across, with where to go if you need more.
   
   Reduced to its most basic tenets, Farr's sustainable urbanism is walkable and transit-served urbanism integrated with high-performing buildings and infrastructure. As Farr puts it, high-performing infrastructure is an emerging field that combines many strains of reform: smart growth concerns about the financial burden imposed by new infrastructure for greenfield development; the New Urbanist's desire for humane, pedestrian-scaled infrastructure design; and the green building movement's focus on resource "greening" and consumption efficiencies.
   
   If smart growth, sustainable development or healthy communities interest you, and especially if you also work in the nonprofit or for-profit arenas for these causes, buy and read this book, and buy another and pass it on.



2. Doug Farr shows a comprehensive understanding of sustainability rarely seen in this movement. Too often different professions work on greening their product in isolation. While they may be doing wonderful designs they are not linking with other elements and professions to make these improvements complimentary and exponential. A LEED Platinum building built on farm land miles from the city center is not a comprehensive solution (and should really not be able to get a platinum rating.) Mr. Farr shows how to create an integrated approach to building where the "green" structure is consciously tied into the communities' transportation, utilities, culture, and work life creating a truly sustainable environment. Every public official and city planner should read this book.



3. Thank god for the current trend toward the generalization of textbooks.
   
   I don't mean generalization in the sense of broadening or watering-down of subject matter, but rather in writing: many more texts in relatively technical fields are being written so that they can be appreciated interdisciplinarily, but professionals in related and sometimes even slightly-unrelated fields, and other folks who may simply be interested in the topic. It's good marketing, too, of course - it opens up much larger markets both academically and professionally, and as long as the book contains enough authority to convince instructors and professionals to purchase (or trust) it, it's a win-win situation for the publisher and author as well as the audience.
   
   Douglas Farr's Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature (Wiley, 2008; foreword by Andres Duany) falls into the category of win-win for everyone. A very well-illustrated primer on the subject, it appeals to planners, architects, landscape designers, engineers and other folks interested in integrating their work into the larger natural environment.
   
   Duany - the great architect and urban planner whose work with Arquitectonica shaped what we think of as "Florida modern" and whose current firm, DPZ, has become a de facto leader of the New Urbanism movement - suggests that the problem with such books is often that they most often fail to engage the reader in any kind of dialogue by simply being too technical, or by failing to instruct by simply being too exhortative and dogmatic. Luckily, Farr gives more than enough data and instruction in the dozen linked essays and case studies to instruct - but never loses sight of the fact that he's along with us for the ride, not talking at us but at our elbow, learning along with us, sharing both successes and failures and an honest interest in building communities that complement, rather than exclude, the unmanufactured world.
   
   There's so much more here than just part one's "Case for Sustainable Urbanism." Other sections focus on the type of leadership and communication strategies most helpful in implementing both small and large-scale projects; technical tools and special techniques for community involvement are also explored extensively. Other chapters discuss the role of density, how to approach corridor situations, diagramming neighborhoods and the various types of housing that complement specific types of neighborhoods, "biophilia" - including everything from designing walkable streets to integrating wastewater management - and extensive essays on high-performance buildings and infrastructure. The last section of the book is given over to case studies, which both illustrate the preceding chapters with easy-to-understand real-world examples of sustainable success stories & offer solutions for those of us slogging through similar projects or at an impasse with a particular audience.
   
   I recommend the book without hesitation to any planner interested in integrating sustainable projects in urban infill or exurban growth environments, as well as other aficionados of new urbanism topics. It's an entertaining read AND a necessary reference; it will replace several books on the already-overloaded shelves of a number of planners I know.



4. Chicago City Planning Consultant Doug Farr has written a great book, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature.
   
   Farr combines new urbanism with green development in a clear and logical manner. He believes that "sustainable urbanism" is more than designing new Leed certified green buildings. It also includes the creation of green sustainable neighborhoods, and includes plans for sustainable urban development. He combines the strategies and principles of new urbanism with environmental improvements very well.
   
   Farr explains the evolution of the design reform movement. He outlines strategies on how to lead and promote sustainable urbanism.
   
   Doug Farr did an outstanding on form based codes for our neighboring communities of Bloomington and Normal, Illinois, and in developing plans that enhanced the environment while creating new urban space. I strongly recommend this book.
   
   Craig Hullinger AICP City of Peoria, Director, Economic Development

5 comments about Hotel Design, Planning, and Development, New Edition.

1. I was assigned to teach at the Master Degree class on "Facility Management" subject focusing on Hotel Facility. I have gone through several books regarding hotel design. I think this book is the best of all. Any designer who reads this book back to back will certainly understand the whole concept. It is not only about how to design the hotel as an architecture piece, but the reader will also understand the hospitality business. This book also covers the design and management issues of related topics such as "Restaurant", "Entertainment Venue" in the hotel. It is the 'must have' for all architects who want to design a hotel efficiently. It can also be a good book for anyone who is in the hospitality business and currently in charge of renovating or upgrading the hotel space; or the hotel's representative who need to communicate with architects or interior designer. This book can be the great tool to evaluate the result of the hotel construction project or even to 'correct' it. The tables and formulas for space calculation in this book are easy enough for anyone to understand. This book can be of great use to all building design professionals. It can also be a valuable one for any people who is interested in hotel business.



2. The work of hotel design and planning is different from other architectural works; it requires an indepth understanding of hotel business. Therefore, the hotel architecture became one of the toughest job for architects. (Another job is the hospital architecture.)
   
   However, this book proposed design guidelines for a hotel fit to the business pattern. First, it explains various types of hotel properties. Second, it shows not only design guidelines for facilities but also planning approach methods for location selecting and size determination. Finally, if you read this book, you can consider efficient management system of the property from the early phase of design.
   
   Among numerous books on hotel architecture, I think this book is the most outstanding resource.



3. I am an Interior Design student and found this book very helpful in completing a hospitality design. It provides a breakdown of the areas of the hotel, the different types of hotels, and the type of customers that use them. It really helped me in laying out the floor plan. There are also some awesome color pictures of fabulous hotels in the world. I highly recommend for anyone interested in hospitality design.



4. This a book that be should always be close to you if you work in the hotel development industry.



5. I found this in the Rizzoli bookstore and had to slit the shrinkwrap to see what the book was like. Then sat down in a soft chair to browse through it but after a half hour decided it made more sense to just buy it and read it at home. Not disappointed. The book covers everything in great detail - lots of text - with pictures of hotels from the Chilean Andes to London and Paris and New York. A "must have" for people interested in travel and hotels and architecture.

No comments about Minimum Design Loads for Buildings And Other Structures: SEI/ASCE 7-05 (ASCE Standard No. 7-05) (ASCE Standard).

5 comments about The Timeless Way of Building.

1. The book was in fantastic condition. I received it very quickly as well. And so far has been a fantastic read. thank you!!



2. We are in the process of designing a home. This book was recommended as being good food for thought in planning a future home. It is not an easy read but well worth the effort. It,along with another from the same author,is required reading for college students in architecture. This book establishes the "language" for describing all the elements inside and outside buildings, neighborhoods, towns, etc. "A Pattern Language" is the sequel which explains in great detail how to apply this language. I would recommend both to anyone who is planning a future home - especially a custom-built home.



3. In many ways, The Timeless Way of Building remains the best book by Alexander, as it is easily accessible to all readers and provides a wonderful, thought provoking look into building traditions. Alexander searches for examples of a more humane architecture that took its proportions from the nature of building materials and the context in which these structures were built. The book is evocatively illustrated with black and white photos and thumbnail sketches. It has a look and feel like that of the Everyman's Library edition of Tao Te Ching, and in a similar way represents the building blocks of architecture through an insightful series of meditations on place. Alexander built on this series with A Pattern Language and The Oregon Experiment, and has since come out with a new series of books on The Nature of Order, but for many this is all you need to appreciate the sense of balance and order Christopher Alexander finds necessary in the built environment.



4. He is a very whimsical writer. Take time to browse through the 'Search Inside' to see if you really need this long introduction. For content you can actually work with, check out his other book: A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series).



5. One of the most intriguing books I have ever read, The Timeless Way of Building is one part complexity theory, one part architectural and city-planning theory, and one part spiritual treatise. It makes a great contribution to any class on Aesthetics, and resonates with people far and wide. I wish this book were in every library in America.

5 comments about Idea Index: Graphic Effects and Typographic Treatments.

1. 
   
   You may be a design superstar, but you need this. If not now, you will eventually and it will be at 2am in the morning and 4 Red Bulls shy of an 8am deadline when you realize you should have had it, while all the local bookstores are closed and the one person awake that you know owns it lives one hour away, but your car is out of gas due to the money you're not making from the ideas you're not creating from the Idea Index you don't own and anyone else you think may own it is sleeping or competing for the same work and laughing at your naivety because they know they are going to win the job and raise their arms in ecstatic passion, kissing the boss's butt and laughing with an evil smiling scowl in a moment of unfair glory you are not a part of. Invest in saving your tail from that moment.
   
   The greatest designers and artists will tell you they don't always just "make it appear", but go to other sources for inspiration. Even if you don't think you need it, you need it just to give you a fresh perspective at times.
   
   I can't tell you the number of times this little idea factory will save your tail during a mind block! It has saved me many times and probably has resulted in thousands of dollars worth of design work won due to the ideas generated from it during a blank out. Just that alone should be enough to convince you to get it.
   
   This durable, vinyl covered gemlette is geared toward graphic design folks and is divided into two sections:
   
   1. Graphic Effects:
   2. Typographic Treatments
   
   What I really like about the Idea Index is that amongst its 300+ ideas, you will find multiple versions of each individual idea per page, not just one little instance. Also, the ideas use varying techniques, not just what the author may be predisposed to. The ideas are indeed simple in many cases and that is enough to spark that one little idea that will build and build, compounding the ideas until you have just thrown your hands over your head in ecstatic excitement over the design award you just won, after making all that money from that job you wrested from the hands of the other guy 4 Red Bulls shy of an 8am meeting at 2am who doesn't own this book. Uhh . . .
   
   Save yourself the drama. Just get it, my brain hurts . . . from all the ideas this book creates.



2. This is a great little source of ideas to keep in your back pocket. It is good to flip through when you need to work past a creative blcok.



3. I was happy to find this little book. It has two main sections, one for graphics and one for type treatments. In each section are several ideas explained in both words and visuals. There isn't anything ground breaking here. But it's awesome because there are so many ideas and approaches tightly packed in a small book. So when my brain is dead and and I need to pull out of my tunnel vision...it's there for me.



4. Sometimes I find myself a little stuck on projects but flipping through this book always gets me back on track. Just as he says it is useful tool to "get ideas stirring or later on, expand a page or two of thumbnail sketches." The graphical examples used in the book aren't finished, polished pieces but they are great illustrations of how to expand your ideas and speed the creative process.



5. Another book that is definately a "must buy", especially if you're a logo designer.Funny thing is, the publisher has released another book that is especially focused on logos named "logo index" but i find this "idea index" to be a hundred times more useful when it comes to logos.
   
   So what kind of book exactly is it ?
   
   It's a book about design principles.In other words, the book consists of hundreds of instructions, guides and examples of ways to apply certain design principles.Every principle is illustrated with one or more examples, most of them being logos.While many of the principles do not reinvent the wheel, it's *the* book to have handy when having a "designer's block" staring at a white sheet of paper not knowing where to begin or just when you're looking for ideas to start.
   
   What makes this book so much more valuable than any of these logo collection books is that its focus is on principles, not nice logo examples only.In other words, this book helps you to develop your *own* ideas instead of seduce you into copying a logo you found in one of the collection books.
   
   It also does apply for not only logos but anything where good graphic design principles are asked for.It's a real workbook just as Cabarga's book "Logo Font & Lettering Bible" is (which i highly recommend as well) and i would not want to be without it.

2 comments about Spaced Out: Radical Environments of the Psychedelic Sixties.

1. Wow. What a gorgeous book. Full of trippy pix I have never before seen, from psychedelic lightshow images, Haight Ashbury crashpads, domes made from recycled car bodies, naked hippies holding bushels of grass and group hot tubs, communes, to inflatable environments and self built inspiring "green" homes and lots of peace and love. Accompanied by a fascinating accesible narrative that puts the period into a positive light, enlightening as if the sixties were the Renaisance of our time. Alastair Gordon definatively created a piece of historical value here, its a book that feels new and fresh and proves that those who try to make light, or even fun of the sixties are sadly misguided.



2. Alastair Gordon's Spaced Out: Radical Environments of the Psychedelic Sixties is a glorious fresh look at the intentional communities and unusual built environments that grew out of the 60s cultural revolution. The book itself is astonishingly beautiful, with fantastic photographs and illustrations from the archives of still-functioning utopian communities. Gordon's text reads easily even while conveying sophisticated cultural criticism. I recently heard Alastair speak and enjoyed his slide show (from images in the book). I have bought the book as a gift for friends; no one interested in this era could possibly be dissappointed by this book. But, more important, anyone interested in sustainable building practices, the new conservation movement or strategies for living lightly on the earth must read this book as Alastair details important pioneering efforts. Then thought radical, but increasingly today being reconsidered in light of climate change, dependence on foreign oil and degradation and depletion of the earth's natural resources.

5 comments about How to Draw Lifelike Portraits from Photographs.

1. This book is excellent if you've always been wanting to draw, especially if you thought you couldn't. It will prove that you can, and quickly. I literally went from stick figures to commissioned portraits in under a year. You will not be disappointed if you purchase this book!



2. i definetly would recommend this book,as well as another book by carol parks called secrets to realistic drawing both excellent tutorials and reading



3. If you want to learn how to draw pencil portraits from reference (photos), but you don't manage to do more than simple sketches almost always impossible of they be recognized (it was my case), this is your book. Suitable for beginners want to progress in days, what would usually take months for being reached, this book teaches step by step with 20 demonstrations, how you can draw portraits from photos.
   
   For me, good method is that that teaches you to draw better than you drew before, and this is with certainty this category. The method doesn't make you to lose time with theories that a lot of times only serve for thickening the book. It is focused from start to the end, in as to do a pencil portrait from photos. This was my objective when I decided to learn how to draw and in spite of me always be wanting to learn to draw better, today I can say that that objective was reached. For who wants to venture in learning how to draw pencil portraits, this with certainty should be the first method to invest.



4. I already had some drawing experience, but this book really helped refine my skills and give my portraits a professional quality.



5. Great book for building one's confidence in their drawing skills--young and old. The step by step excercises in Lee Hammond's book are simply amazing! It will make a believer out of you, "I can draw." I have never taken an art course but just had an interest, I checked one of Lee Hammonds books out at the library then knew I had to have one for my very own. For a begineer Lee's grid technique shows how to break down a photo into shapes and focus on one grid at a time.I am now able to render portrait proportions very easily. My friends are amazed (even my artist friends)and I sold one stetch so far and hope to sell more. I did one of a Mastiff dog and can hardly believe it myself, I started out by drawing what looked like a paint by number project then did the shading and blending. I definately recommend this book for anyone interested in teaching or learning (or, like in my case, drastically improving) how to draw.