1 comments about Residential Windows: A Guide to New Techonologies and Energy Performance, Third Edition.

1. I used the first two editions of this book to educate myself about modern windows. This knowledge was used to design and build a passive solar house at 7300' in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, where the winters are often severe. The design was successful since the heat has been left off for more than three years, yet the house stayed comfortable year round.
   
   Residential Windows is written at a semi-technical level that is ideal for builders, architects, and home owners. I have given several copies away (including this third edition) and recommended it without reservation to many others. All the issues pertaining to windowing are explained lucidly and are well illustrated. Other than a Consumers Union style review of named makes and models (which it scrupulously avoids doing), you could hardly ask for more.

No comments about Frank Lloyd Wright, 1867-1959: Building for Democracy (Taschen Basic Architecture).

5 comments about Architectural Drawing: A Visual Compendium of Types and Methods.

1. People say design cannot be taught. However, drawing tools and drawing types & techniques can be learned. In fact, they are essential for designers to understand and apply them so that they can visually communicate their ideas effectively. This book includes introduction to drawing tools and comprehensive drawing methods & techniques, like sketching, shadowing, perspective drawing, and rendering, etc.. I think students and beginners will find this book extremely helpful in transforming their design thoughts into visual drawing formats. As a young architectural professional and intern, I find the abundant and creative presentation formats and rich graphics in this book being good references for projects. I also gain insight into the differences and diversity of the book's architectural illustrations from students, professors, and architectural professionals from around the world. In addition, with globally renowned architects' drawings as examples, this book is also an incredible source of inspiration to architects of all levels.



2. This is one of the best recent books on architectural graphics. Rendow Yee's book is replete with illustrations from successfull architects as well as students which turned out to be an excellent way of presenting design work of various levels and generations. I would recommend this book as a reference for both professionals and students.



3. An excellent process driven guide to architectural graphic presentation; supported by great examples from students as well as practicing professionals. I use this book constantly as a reference on all projects.



4. This book is fantastic. I use it as my architectual Bible. It is not only good for educating Architects, drafters, and artists, but it is also a great book to use as a reference.



5. Easy to understand, thorough examination of a range of methods used for architectural drawings. Clear, concise descriptions as well as clear graphics depicting methods and processes. Extremely detailed reading while avoiding the mash-up of other technical manuals.

No comments about Riverscapes: Designing Urban Embankments.

No comments about Unified Design.

1 comments about The Architectural Uncanny: Essays in the Modern Unhomely.

1. "Brilliant...Anthony Vidler is a conceptual conjurer of formidable skill." - J. Mordaunt Crook, New York Times Book Review

   "The Architectural Uncanny presents an engaging and original series of meditations on issues and figures that are at the heart of the most pressing debates surrounding architecture today. Anthony Vidler interprets contemporary buildings and projects in light of the resurgent interest in the uncanny as a metaphor for a fundamentally "unhomely" modern condition. These essays are at once historical and theoretical, opening up the complex and difficult reltionships between politics, social thought and architectural design in an era when the reality of homelessness and the idealism of the avant-garde have never seemed so far apart."

   "Anthony Vidler has proved himself among the most lucid of contemporary architectural historians,always writing with vigor and clarity, and allying perception with structure...There is wit, intelligence, and a host of shrewd observations." - Peter Blundell Jones, Architectural Review

2 comments about Successful Restaurant Design.

1. This book is great - it is broken down into logical sections, all with incredibly practical advice. The interviews with professionals at the rear are particularly helpful, as are the case studies. The case studies are a wee bit outdated now in terms of style, but the information is still relevant. Its great that the book establishes the need to do market research, as this is an area often overlooked.
   
   Note that this is not a glossy coffee table book - most of the pics are black and white and it is definitely a resource book for learning the basics.
   
   I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in hospitality design.



2. With 27 years of restaurant experience I know the importance of design to the success of a restaurant. What is often overlooked, however, is that the kitchen and dining spaces have to work together. The authors of Successful Restaurant Design are the first to point out the importance of a holistic approach to restaurant design. Their insights into the design process are a must read for anyone planning a new restaurant or renovating an existing facility. The chapter of interviews offers readers design tips from leading designers and restaurateurs. And the case studies offer a straighforward way of understanding simple solutions to complex issues. This book belongs in the library of every restaurateur and designer interested in keeping up with front and back of the house design.

1 comments about Waiting for the End of the World.

1. I had the pleasure of discovering Richard Ross' latest photographic endeavor at Book Expo last week in Chicago, where it was prominently displayed in the Princeton Architectural Press' booth. The photographs are splendid; quirky, heartfelt, enigmatic, a combo Ross effortlessly seems to get into a lot of his work.

   How Ross also got into all these places is another amazing component of this project: he has to be one of the most intrepid, hard-working photo-artists presently at work.

   The book is at once a thoughtful reminder of a former era of nuclear peril, and yet the images have a contemporary resonance, faced as we are (once again) with the threat of a world gone nuclear. Congratulations to the author on this tour-de-force effort.

1 comments about History of Architectural Theory.

1. Though outdated in significant ways -- with the entire second half essentially eclipsed by Harry Mallgrave's stunningly comprehensive history of modern architectural theory (Cambridge, 2005) -- this is still worth owning and reading for the material from Vitruvius to Perrault.
   
   The enormous bibliography is, due to its cumbersome organization, rather daunting and not nearly as useful as it should be.
   
   Maddening as it is, it is still an essential volume for anyone even remotely interested in the rationale behind the stylistic appearances of our built environment.

5 comments about The Provencal House: Architecture and Interiors.

1. Wow, what a gorgeous book. We look at it again and again for indoor and outdoor inspiration. You will be completely delighted by this book which captures golden light!



2. Pure and simple, for most of us PROVENÇAL HOUSE is a coffee table book filled with exquisite detail found in several dozen homes in the south of France. Author, Joanna Thornycroft, has classified the structures Andreas Von Einsiedel photographed into `Town', `Manor' or `Country' houses. Short on text and long on photos, the premise of this publication seems to be a picure is worth a thousand words. Beginning with houses in the French Rivera and ending with Le Murier in hameau das Auvis, the author takes you on a trip through the land painted by Van Gogh and Pagnol.
   
   Some of the homes are "simple" cottages, others the more ornate domains of the landed gentry or super-rich movie star. My favorite shots were taken in gardens, and show flowers, pots and rustic gates across cobblestone walkways that lead to the lane or another room of the garden. Small details such as a decorative window latch covered with several centuries of paint, delft-like kitchen tiles, and a rooster weather vane, remind me of the land of the Cathars-those God-fearing people who lived in this land that once harbored them as heretics who may or may not have been far from God but who must have understood how blessed life can be when the sun shines.
   
   Architects may get some ideas from the recessed windows, the red tiled roofs, the stucco blue walls, and the marble bathroom fixtures, but the fabric-lined antique china cabinets, and nifty little accent touches in the various rooms depicted so lovingly make this book a must for interior designers and others seeking the "look" of Provence.



3. I can be critical of design and house books after seeing so many, so it's a relief to finally be able to give a book five stars. The photographs are authentic and detail everything from interior to exterior, including gardens. The essence of French provincal style is captured and distilled here. The writing is clever and concise, although you'll hardly notice it because the pictures are so brilliant. This is an essential book if you're trying to capture the French provencal look in house design or interior design. This book gives you an authentic source reference.



4. I'm an architect with the task of designing a "French" style home. This is one of several books I ordered to use as references. The appeal of this book for me is that it includes exterior architecture, interior design/decor, & gardens/landscapes. It is extensively illustrated with color photos & captions (my kind of book...). I can't critique the text because I have not yet had time to read it. But I can't get enough of the pictures!



5. I picked this book up from the table of new releases at a local bookstore, sat in a chair, and didn't move except to turn the pages for the next 90 minutes. In more than 200 color photographs, The Provencal House explores the beauty of 16 Provencal homes - interior and exterior details, uses of color playing off the landscape, curves and arches and doorways. It's a beautiful celebration of an architectural way of life rooted in the land and its traditions.