2 comments about People Places: Design Guidlines for Urban Open Space, 2nd Edition.

1. The book is excellent, but the extra $15 I paid to view the book online before it arrived was not worth the money. (only chapter titles and brief excerpts came up, or nothing at all would come up... disappointing)



2. I read this book as part of a research project I was doing about the design of college campuses. I found it to be extremely helpful in my project and I plan on refering to it in the future; I am pursuing a Master's of Landscape Architecture. What I liked about this book is two-fold:

   1. Each chapter is a self-contained guide to designing a plaza, park, campus, or playground with people in mind. This important to me becuase I try to focus my designs around the people who will be using them. Each chapter gives useful design tips and helps about the given topic.

   2. This book was academic while remaining readable. The authors refer to studies relevent to the topic at hand, but do not become bogged down in theoretical nonsense.

   I recommend buying it to anyone who would like a well-organized general design reference book. I would not recommend it to anyone who needs in depth information on any specific topic covered in the book. Check it out from the library if that is your intent.

2 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Stained Glass & Lightscreens.

1. I actually DID read this lovely book accentuated by wonderful pictures....just be aware that it is NOT a book of stained glass patterns although the pictures will surely provide ample ideas for you to adapt. It'll be difficult NOT to get excited about doing some 'lightscreen' projects around your home or office where you DO want want to see outside, unobstructed light and scenery with either full panels or partial panels. Am I glad I bought this book?...You bet!



2. This book has a fairly decent amount of photos of FLLW's glass designs, and the quality of the photos is decent also. I haven't read much of the book since I'm mainly interested in the photographs of his windows. There's not a lot of quality books out there for his stained glass (unless you want to spend $... on the Glass Art book), so this is a worthwhile introductory purchase.

4 comments about The Projective Cast: Architecture and Its Three Geometries.

1. There have been times when after reading an assignment from this book, my students will ask me how the subject-matter was pertinent to what we had been studying. I tell them: in no way. I just want them to read Robin Evans so that they can learn how to write. No one writes like Evans.



2. While Translations from Drawing to Building is perhaps Evans' more often referenced publication, The Projective Cast is even better.



3. This book is a must read for any architect interested in the geometries and shapes of buildings (which I hope is every architect) If you have second thoughts about buying it, buy it... it is informative, entertaining the diagrams and pictures are beautiful and it will take 2 (amazing) months to go through it.



4. Robin Evans has a knack of getting right to the point of many a subject with expertise. Extremely versatile and knowledgable, he uses this base to write profoundly. Evans takes criticism to another level by getting to 'the obvious' quickly, then building on pre conceived theory with frightening clarity to form an original alternative view. This is a marvelously laid out book with fantastic illustrations and plates from Renaissance history to Eisenman. He is not caught up in the hype of self-preserving discourse or traditional methods of interrogation. The book has a wealth of information that acts like a reference book. So easy to read and so refreshing in opinion. RIP Robin, this is a classic work.

5 comments about Oscar Niemeyer: Houses.

1. simple the best book of houses....for the modern architect as I am!
   Thanks amazon.. sorry now I must to go work!
   See you soon
   cordiali saluti
   Federico



2. This has to be one of the worst books I have ever bought. I was expecting inspirational works - what I got was some trashy looking houses.
   Maybe they are better when seeing them live, but this book does not inspire me to go seek them out. Out of the numerous houses/flat in the book I could say that only 2 or so were inspirational - the rest trash.



3. Detailed images to show Niemeyer's thoughts on living. Choronological spectrum of his works and constant re interpretation of his own architecture.



4. I saw some of his work in real, but the pictures of those that I didn't see are awesome! Houses designed by a communist, for the capitalists... But we don't care



5. This is a marvelous edition of a particular unknown facet of Oscar Niemeyer (Houses). He is a Brazilian architect that built an international reputation because of public spaces solutions. This book offers a detailed timeline view of private houses projected by him.

5 comments about Small Barn Plans for Owner-Builders.

1. It was a good book to prepare for a small barn building project.



2. Only basic info on planning a project and included plans are just a teaser to get you to purchase complete plans. There are much better general barn/shed books.



3. It's marginally useful with hand drawn, black & white diagrams. You do get a sense of what building a horse barn or shed is all about. There are other reference books out there that deal with the subject in a more polished way though.



4. I found this book to be an excellent source of information. It has greatly helped me do the planning for the construction of my barn.



5. The cover bills it as 'complete' plans for 12 different barns- actually, to get complete plans that would be needed to get building permit do construction or buy materials, you have to order a set form the authors website. The book has nice practical ideas about working with subcontactors, and the designs and sources are quite useful.

1 comments about Urban Planning Today: A Harvard Design Magazine Reader (Harvard Design Magazine).

1. URBAN PLANNING TODAY is part magazine, part newsletter, and part book report on the latest problems and debates facing urban planning. Here various contributors provide articles on projects from different backgrounds and goals in urban and regional planning, juxtaposing development strategies and issues with criticism and legal notes. Any with an interest in successes, failures, and evolving perspectives will welcome this addition to a college-level collection strong in urban studies.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

1 comments about Detail in Process: Detail in Process (AsBuilt).

1. This is the second book in the new AsBuilt series. Its like the In Detail series with beautifully presented images and drawings, but because all the projects (many different building types) are built in North America, most of the drawings have units of measurement and terminology currently used in the USA, and include materials available for construction in the United States. There are also more kinds of drawings, models and renderings than the typical formats usually found in books about details, which gives the series a dynamic, contemporary quality. Highly recommended.

3 comments about Courtyards: Intimate Outdoor Spaces.

1. This book was recommended as a guide to developing sculpture gardens and outdoor living spaces. It is not. The photographs appear to be very dated as are the subject courtyards. It is a dull, unispired book.



2. Douglas Keister's Courtyards: Intimate Outdoor Spaces takes a rare look at the function, definition and purpose of a courtyard surveying courtyards around the world which grace both home and public establishment. Courtyards can be adapted to both large and small spaces, vary in greenery, stonework, and lighting, and are perfect additions for homeowners seeking to remodel with style. Turn a backyard into a courtyard setting or consider many options through the phone color exhibition of photographer Keister, paired with text which considers design options and successful examples.



3. The author has definitely done his homework. We are in the process of creating a courtyard in our back yard after having added a sunroom this past season. Our theme has been "New Orleans" for the sunroom ... even though we live in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, we have visited New Orleans many times and consider it our "home away from home". There are courtyards from New Orleans featured in this book - but many from other places as well. Whatever you are looking for in courtyard ideas, you will find it here.

1 comments about Integrated Practice in Architecture: Mastering Design-Build, Fast-Track, and Building Information Modeling.

1. The term "integrated practice" was quickly dispatched in 2007 when the California Council of the AIA presented "Integrated Project Delivery - A Working Definition" at the AIA National Convention - and for good reason. Integrated practice is an internal affair for each of the Owner, Architect and Contractor. Integrated Project Delivery brings all parties involved in the development of a project into the discussion. In addition, for the time being - and for some time into the future - any practice is going to involve both traditional and integrated project delivery. Finally, I found the book confusing in the way it tends to equate BIM with Integrated Practice, when the two are certainly seperable, if not independent. I don't know of a better book out there at present, but I wish I'd waited for one before buying.

3 comments about Old Barns - New Homes: A Showcase Of Architectural Conversions.

1. Since I own a barn and I want to convert it into a house I've scrutinized every text and every picture in this book for ideas. I expected to be amazed and inspired at what architects and designers have done to the old barns but this book left me confused and disappointed. But if you are looking for a book to occupy your coffee table, at the bottom, then this is the book for you. I felt cheated because it lacked the overall quality and professionalism expected in a design book. It seems like this book was hastily put together with limited resources and wasn't carefully edited. For example several captions of the pictures are misplaced or don't correspond to any picture shown on the facing pages. The books title is, Old Barns-New Homes: A Showcase of Architectural Conversions. So why is there an entire chapter about new construction (Chapter 6)? The only thing they converted was a new metal warehouse into a house. About half of the pictures are worth printing and the rest of them are dark, grainy, reused or just plain confusing. I'd expect old before pictures to be faulty but the after pictures should be clear and sharp. Cropping out a portion of previously used picture, then blowing it up to a bigger grainy picture and the caption tells me to see the details left me feeling cheated. Or even the "cut and paste" picture on pg 108 looks cheap, what no photo-stitch? Confused about picture on page 19? Turn the book sideways.



2. I was enchanted with this fascinating book on barn conversions. Barns are great relics from our past, conveying a sense of history, but many have been ruined by weather, time, and neglect. I didn't realize how many creative architects and owners have made barns useful for both residential and commercial use through renovation and restoration. The intrinsic character of these old barns brings an integrity and charm rarely seen in new construction. In many gorgeous illustrations, Rooney describes the history of barns, their adornment (who knew that it was all because of a 9th century pope that there are so many roosters on weathervanes?), and their use as gorgeous residences and fascinating commercial and establishments - including an architectural office, inns, and even a funeral chapel. One entrepreneur even used several to develop an office complex. If you love barns and if you like to see the past preserved in the present, you will love this book.



3. I must confess that I have always harbored a deep love of barns; maybe it simply out of a longing for a simpler time, and all that farms and their barns represent, or maybe because I am a habitual packrat and I'd love to have all that storage! Regardless of the reason, when I saw this book as soon-to-be-released, I got in touch with the publisher and was able to see an advance copy. The photographs took my breath away, and the wide array of barns and geographical regions of the USA that it showcased really drove home that these historic buildings not only need to be preserved, but that in doing so, we can truly enrich our architectural lexicon. It features every kind of barn known to man, from round barns and dairy barns to onion and tobacco barns, all of which have been loving reclaimed and restored into warm and inviting spaces for a new generation. This book should not only graxe your coffee table, it should be read cover to cover by anybody with a love for historic structures and Americana.