5 comments about Renzo Piano Building Workshop - Volume 3 (Renzo Piano Building Workshop).

1. As much as I like Renzo Piano's works, he can learn something from Norman Foster to properly produce his set of books. These 4 editions are nice size (not heavy like Foster's) so you can bring to your job site or office if you want to show some examples. However, each building is not well documented. the plans have no measurements or too small to read, no scale, and the details are not complete enough. Simply, there are no coherent base of each buildings. Furthermore, the different editions sometimes cover the same building (ex.edition 3 covers Kansai Airport (perhaps too much), but it is also covered in edition 2.
   
   Edition 2 seems to be a compilation of his works from the 80's but it is very difficult to figure out what exactly this book want to focus on. I recommend that Renzo Piano redo this whole editions of which he deserves.



2. As a set this is a great achievement. The books are wonderfully produced with glorious photography, lots of drawings and sketches (both of larger structures and details), stylish typography and a clear, rhythmic page layout. It's a genuine feast to the eye. However, I was slightly disappointed by the first volume's first section, in which Buchanan sets the scene for all that is to follow by providing us some conceptual and genealogical background on Piano's art. Buchanan's lead essay is repetitive, diffuse, conceptually thin and strays too far from the substance of Piano's architectural practice. The section on the 'spirit of the workshop' is really a missed opportunity: instead of a detailed picture of the collaborative dynamics in this complex environment, we get a rather glossy account of Piano's role of 'scout, actor and editor' in the design process. The pages on 'early influences' again are rather sketchy, with brief references to a series of mentors and to the role of the Genuese cityscape on Piano's mental map. From then on the book takes wing: I was grateful for the inclusion of the work in the early Studio Piano, the Piano & Rogers venture (Pompidou Centre) and particularly of the fancyful, but fascinating experiments in the Piano and Rice period. It gives us an idea of the rather exploratory journey Piano had behind him by the time the Building Workshop was established (he was 44 then). Volume I then goes on to document the early years of the workshop. Generally this represents an inconspicuous beginning: we see a lot of fine craftsmanship but there is relatively little that takes your breath away in terms of architectural vision. Compared to the later designs, we see a modesty that is approachable, refreshing and invites careful study. With its mix of full page photographs and thumbnail pictures, sketches and plans, colours and greytones the book never tires. And this applies to the whole series. A laudable example of serious and effective book design! As a whole I have no reservations in recommending this set to anyone remotely interested in contemporary architecture.



3. ...This book along with the previous volume are Fabulous!. Great photo's/details/extensive information about each and every project. Bravo Peter on a great series. Volume 3, is a bit iffy. Even though it continues with the tradition of the other Volumes, it devotes approx half the book towards the kansai airport (which im not particularly fond of). Volume 4 is on the list, those of you in OZ already know about Auora Apartments, an apartment building designed as only the Piano Workshop know how. I'm glad the Piano virus has made its way to Down Under.....Lets just hope its catching! - Check it out.



4. What else would you expect.....a book full of fabulous buildings/details and information bound to inspire ANY student or architect. If your not inspired don't mention your name along with architecture in the same sentence. Truely a GREAT MASTER of the 20th and 21st Centuries.



5. When we talk about prices we should have in consideration that this is a high quality book for a little price, i think is really cheap. Advice: if you like Renzo Piano recent work, just buy it!

5 comments about Living in Japan.

1. The book is a pleasure to read through and to look at the wonderful photographs. At the ~ $20+ sales price, it was a very good value. Of course the homes are not typical of the average Japanese home but rather something we all aspire to.



2. Saw this book in Tokyo and loved the photos of modern Japanese living. Great shots of modern architecture and interior design in Japan. Went back to the hotel and found the book on Amazon for half the price... it was waiting for me when I got back to the states. You can't beat that!



3. Great photos, a well picked and varied number of interiors and still... I can't rate it at five. It's so slick and gorgeous but I miss some smaller and perhaps more lived-in dwellings. And a little more gardens. But it is definetely worth getting and browsing. A small defect is the habit of re-using objects and motifs in some of the pictures, always annoys me when they do that. Top marks I can only give to the twenty-some-years old Japanese Style, but then you won't get the recent modern interiors.



4. I bought this 'coffee-table' book as a gift for a friend, but when it arrived, we were so impressed with the extensive collection of photographs that I had to purchase a copy to display, re-visit, and share with future house guests. The authors have managed to capture the rare and simple beauty of Japanese architecture and design through history. An impressive tour!



5. I am a big fan of Alex Kerr and this book did not let me down. It contains a many images that aren't normally seen in most traditional print, and thankfully none of the babbeling of authors that only spend a week in Japan and white about the "true Japan". The last thing I am looking for is another tatami mat or Japanese screen.
   
   I have already begun a home re-modeling plan with some of the ideas in this book. I also got the idea from another one of Kerr's books, and began to collect old Japanese lumber to re-use in my own home.
   
   Thanks Alex!

1 comments about David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings.

1. Nice book! Not as rich as 'David Adjaye houses'. This is common for a lot of effort in editing and producing a rich pallette of projects for the first publication.
   
   This book is not as rich with information as the first but examines a method and approach to public space and tectonics.
   
   I think its worth the read!

1 comments about Corridor Ecology: The Science and Practice of Linking Landscapes for Biodiversity Conservation.

1. I highly recommend Corridor Ecology for anyone who is interested in corridors, land fragmentation, and species conservation. It is the most comprehensive literature I have come across in terms of the role of corridors, corridor design and implementation. As a current graduate student working on a corridor project, this book has been incredibly helpful in planning my field work in ground truthing Least-Cost path corridors. Especially the chapter, Corridor Quality: Continuity, Composition, and Dimension. It has really helped me understand better how to evaluate potential corridors. My advisor has been so impressed with the book that she is going to order some for the library and a biodiversity center that is being set up at campus. I also feel that this would be an excellent text for conservation courses as it covers issues such as metapopulation theory, edge effects and focal species considerations. The book also covers issues and potential problems that need to be dealt with when designing a corridor, which is very valuable. I also think this would be a excellent source for land management agencies and the Department of Transportation to utilize. The authors do an excellent job in bringing together all aspect of corridor ecology by utilizing the most current literature, valuable study cases along with their incredible field and research experience.
   
   Tanya Diamond
   M.S. Candidate
   San Jose State University

5 comments about Painting Watercolors That Sparkle With Life.

1. I was looking for a book on how to do watercolor portraits, and I came across the cover of this book, whose realism drew me in. I bought the book at an extremely reduced rate, although it is worth every penny of its original price. The author/artist does incredible work. She included many color pallets, which are quite helpful, and she shows the steps she went through to create some of her paintings. This was EXACTLY the kind of book I was looking for.



2. If your subject matter is pets, portraits and home scenes, Cindy Agan's "Painting Watercolors that Sparkle with Life" will be a valuable guide for how to render these subjects in transparent watercolor.
   
   The book covers how to paint faces, especially children's faces in great detail, from sketching from photos to painting flesh tones. Pets are also discussed, from how to paint fur to making the most of a bad photo of a pet (the painter can get rid of those glowing night eyes that show up in flash photos of cats and dogs--the retinal lining of nocturnal animals flashes yellow or red and you as the painter can fix that!)
   
   There is a section also on still life subjects of metal, glass and fabric and how to use masking. The demonstrations show the paintings in progress and you can see the author's sectional approach. She paints in detail section by section rather than over an entire area in layers of washes. By this I mean, the base of a crystal lamp would be painted in sectors from left to right rather than build up from the entire base with wash then darker detail. This is instructive.
   
   One thing that is not dealt with; the tendency for paintings done from photographs (portraits) to look distorted or somehow odd. The camera does get a child or pet to stand still! That does help to get a good, realistic sketch, but I can always tell if a painting of a live subject is done from a photo. There is a sort of weird angle or other odd look to it that, as an artist, really bothers me. I can go into any gallery or look at someone's work and pretty much tell if a photo was used in studio. Not the least of which also is the rendering of the depth of field --the fuzziness of background subjects. While this is attractive in some paintings, again, you get a distorted look. If you like this look in your paintings, I'd say it's fine, go for it. But for me, I have to find ways to make photographs in studio look less "studio-ized." I use several photos to get a variation in the pose, as if the model were moving. If you don't sketch from life, at least some of the time, you will have this problem. This is the only issue I have with this book and for you, it may be no issue at all.
   
   Great reference for the painter of realism and ultra-realism in water media.



3. Having bought many watercolour books over the years and not getting far due to poor instructions I decided to paint in a more forgiving medium. Then I saw the cover of Cindy Agans book. I was blown away with the painting on the cover - it looked so realistic. I couldn't believe it was watercolour. So I decided to have one more go at watercolours. In this instance you can definately tell a book by its cover!. Cindy Agan has obviously put her heart and soul into her book - sharing all she has learned, by trial and error over many years (being self-taught) she holds nothing back from the reader. Her colour swatches, hints and tips alone are worth the price of the book. I've been able to follow all the demonstrations with ease. I am so pleased with my end results and feel confident to now paint portraits, animals, flowers, etc. This book is my 'Bible' - I love to read parts of it every day. I highly recommend this beautiful book. Cindy Agan - Thank you!! Please, please write another book a.s.a.p. You have brought joy to my life.



4. I have owned this book for over a year, and it is a mainstay for me, which I constantly refer back to again and again. The author is a tremendous teacher (and an inspiration with her beautiful work), and her approach is easy to understand in her step-by-step demonstrations. I therefore strongly disagree with Pricilla Goodwin's critique that this book was unhelpful, and left out essential steps in the painting process. You can tell by the many other critiques that readers have used her step-by-step process to paint a subject successfully for the very first time, and that says everything to me.
   The author covers all of the challenging subjects in this book from fur to grass to flowers, to backgrounds, as well as covering techniques such as glazing, masking, and feathering among others. She also discusses the emotions an artist must deal with when facing criticism when presenting their work, which can be a tremendous challenge for many. I cannot think of a single point that the author did not cover in this well-thought-out book, and I have been painting and studying watercolour seriously for the past 6 years. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who wants to achieve realism in their paintings. My only disclaimer is this: as with any book, you can buy it and let it sit on your shelf, and it won't do anything for you. That's usually when people blame the book instead of themselves for not achieving their desires of improvement. However, if you buy this book, read it, and practice from it you will be very pleased with the results you have achieved with the help of this gifted artist. I hope that we will see more books from Cindy Agan in the future!



5. Being entirely new to painting (I joined an Art Class in Sept2004) I bought this book in November and to my delight found the step by step instructions clear, concise, & totally comprehensive. My first project was to follow the demonstration of painting the Black Cat, which I adapted to copy a photo of Penny once a member of our family. When a friend of an artist saw it she exclaimed "You feel you can reach out and stroke the fur". This book has been so useful to me and is one I can refer to time and time again.

5 comments about Julia Morgan, Architect.

1. This is an outstanding book on Morgan's life and work. Well written text, detailed history, biographical information, and quality photos of the many buildings are just of few of the book's strong points. Morgan designed hundreds of buildings during her over 50-year career, and the author deserves credit for covering so many of them. Of course, she is most famous for the projects she did for Hearst, such as the "Castle" and Wyntoon, the Austrian/Bavarian style estate near Mt. Shasta in northern California, but she created many other important buildings also, which get discussed in detail in this fine volume. Also included are scans of the original plans. Out of all the books on Morgan, this one is by far the best, and well worth your time and money.
   
   A little side note here, I've done five different tours of the Hearst Castle over the years, so have had an opportunity personally to view one of her most important works. During one of the tours, the guide said that a few years ago they had a 6.4 magnitude earthquake there, but except for a few tiles that came off here and there, the castle sustained no damage. That's because despite the delicate looking surface ornamentation, underneath the building is steel reinforced concrete, with even thicker walls than necessary. As a result, the entire Hearst Castle sustained almost no damage during the quake, and no structural damage, and the only really dramatic thing that happened was the guide said that the quake shook things violently enough so that a lot of water sloshed out of the big Neptune pool. :-)
   
   One of the guides said some interesting things about Hearst's wealth. By the standards of the time, he was certainly very wealthy, earning $50,000 a day back in the early 30s. But compared to the most wealthy people of the day, such as Rockefeller, who made one million dollars a day, this was relatively modest. Hearst was the 42nd wealthiest man in the U.S. at the time, his father, George Hearst, being 32nd, if I remember right. He spent 9 million dollars on the Castle, approximately one half a year's earnings, so percentage-wise, it was not that much money for him. But compared to the super-wealthy of the day, such as the Morgans, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, etc, apparently it wasn't much. :-)
   
   Back in the financial panic of 1905, J.P. Morgan, one of the wealthiest men of his time, lent the U.S. government 20 million dollars of his own money, back when that was a lot more, so it could temporarily keep operating. When Morgan died, Rockefeller commented, "He accomplished a lot for a man who wasn't that wealthy."
   
   Anyway, just a few perhaps irrelevant comments on some of the history of the wealthiest individuals of the time. :-)



2. Comprehensive with great photographs, this is a good place to start learning about Morgan's career.



3. I have always been interested in Julia Morgan's work but I have never been able to find enough solid and valuable information about her and her work. I own all of the Julia Morgan books, that is every book written about Julia Morgan. This, by far, is the best composition of the true character of Julia Morgan. Not only do you get an entire biography with incredible detail but you also get insight from hundreds of pictures, scans of actual plans Julia Morgan drafted and entires from other important persons. This book is a must have if you are looking for "the" book covering everything in Julia Morgan's life. This book stands alone among all the other Julia Morgan reads. I suggest that if you are looking for a book about Ms. Morgan, this is the best book, brings the greatest attention to detail that you will ever find about Julia Morgan.



4. A wonderful survey of a truly great Architect. Great photos. Original drawings. A detailed career history & biography. Most of the better known masters haven't gotten this kind of treatment; Ms. Morgan deserves it. GREAT book.



5. Beautiful book! Author does a lovely, sensitive job profiling Morgan, and her career as the first licensed female architect in the US. I also really enjoyed the socio-cultural, and artistic context of the early 20th Century. The extensive photographs are a wonderful addition - imperative in a book dealing with a visual art. One of the very richest architectual books I've seen in a long time, and a great addition to anyone's collection.

1 comments about The Architectural History of Venice: Revised and enlarged edition.

1. Mrs. Howard not only describes "the stones" of this city , but illuminate the soul with details of great historic relevance.
   Beacuse of her I learned about the Ruskin's classic book on
   Venice and the influence of the Arabs on the West.
   This is a very good start point to explore in detail
   (with books and travel) the architectural treasures of
   this dream surounded by water.

2 comments about The Complete Guide to Creating Heritage Scrapbooks (Memory Makers).

1. In my ongoing quest for more info on the how-tos of creating my Heritage Scrapbook, I purchased CHS. It is much better than Bev K Braun's book - CHS provides many intersting lay-outs which has given me wonderful ideas. But thank goodness I don't want to exactly replicate them because very few step-by-step instructions are offered.
   
   Overall, I would recommend this book as a basic in your library.



2. Memory Makers has once again produced an attractive, helpful guide for those of us wishing to expand our scrapbooking collectionl of page ideas. In The Complete Guide to Creating Heritage Scrapbooks, we are encouraged to tackle that most intimidating of scrapping tasks, the Family Heritage Album.

   The CGTCHS launches with an explanation of the importance of preserving our family's historical photos, stories, and memorabilia in an archival safe environment (aka, the scrapbook album). A short introduction to basic scrapbooking tools and techniques takes up a few pages. The main body of the book which follows is divided into six sections:
   Daily Life (documenting/preserving those "slice of life" moments in time);
   Celebrations (weddings, graduations, holidays, religious events, etc.);
   Wartime;
   Across the Generations (comparing people then and now);
   and Portraits and Family Trees.
   Each section is a collection of examples of pages dealing with these themes, and instructions on the process to recreate the page ideas presented. I found them to be very appealing, tasteful and well done overall. To help supplement one's journaling, there are nice year-by-year historical trivia timelines printed on the marginal sidebars thoughout the sections, dating from 1850 to 1975. Several of these ideas will end up in my own albums.

   However, a "complete" guide it is not. CGTCHS provides minimal information regarding researching family geneology, organizing one's search for information and a bare two page spread dedicated to the primary task of duplicating and restoring ancient photographs. I would expect these to be the first steps in researching a family history, but commentary on these subjects is scattered randomly. Also, to my way of thinking it was illogical to put "Portraits and Family Trees" last, as a family tree would be useful for keeping one's information correct as one completes other parts of the album. Readers who intend to put a serious effort into this aspect of their scrapbooking project will need to look elsewhere.

   Other things I would have found helpful would have been a guide to era-appropriate color schemes and decorating themes, and more on interviewing relatives regarding their own personal histories.

   Despite these drawbacks, CGTCHS was a great resource for ideas and inspiration. I finished the book with fresh encouragement to start on my own family heritage album.
   -Andrea, aka Merribelle.

5 comments about The Inner Harmony of the Japanese House.

1. Badly written, disorganized, minimally illustrated, far less poetic than the subject matter. More historical than harmonious.



2. On of the few architectural books that is actually a pleasure to read, simple and direct, explains with no fuss the characteristics of a Japanese Home. This book is indeed a Bible on the understanding of the Japanese architecture's historical evolution. This book would be almost perfect if it had better pictures and more examples, all photos are black and white, and very few. In spite of the lack and quality of images, the book is a pleasure to read, let's hope the editors reconsider their inclusion of more examples for a future re-editions.



3. Bought the book thinking it would show ideas on how to decorate with Japanese furniture and art. All the pictures are in Black and White. Gives more information on "What a Japanese house is", then decorating ideas.



4. What a fascinating book. I bought it because I am interested in Japanese architecture, but found so much more. The reasons and explanations of the construction gave me a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.
   I liked the book so well that I bought it for my daughter, who is also a
   lover of Japan.
   
   Diana Van Vleet



5. The original title in japanese was "The Japanese and the house" and that should have been the English title. Don't expect a sales-advertisement trying to sell you japanese architecture as the world's most perfect, showing you only the most perfect examples, like most books on the subject do; this book was written by a Japanese for the Japanese, so it's not trying to fool anyone. Instead, it addresses the good, the bad and the (very) ugly of Japanese architecture in the 1970s, and gives a lot of recommendations for future development. In this sense, this book feels a lot like "A Pattern Language", from Christopher Alexander.
   
   I finished this book in a weekend. Unlike many other translated books on Japanese architecture, it is written in clear English and talks about daily life issues anyone can understand, and does it with a good (sometimes hilarious) sense of humor. It does not go high on insipid philosophical discussions, but goes deep into the roots of current day virtues and vices of Japanese architecture.
   
   Don't expect color photographs, floor plans or sections; this books was not illustrated by the author, but by the editor. The original work is text-only. Even if it were to be stripped from the b/w photos it has, it is still a very entertaining book, that reads almost like a novel, and will make you learn a lot of things about the realities and problems of Japan while having some good laughs. It's really refreshing to find a book on architecture that talks about real life needs instead of difficult-to-understand philosophical concepts.

5 comments about New Orleans: Elegance and Decadence.

1. This book provides a very realistic - as opposed to the usual touristic - look at New Orleans and inside homes. Of course, some rooms are highly individualistic, even eccentric, but that is what helps make the city unique. Few of the photos could have been shot from a tour bus, or in any other community. I'd guess that this book is owned primarily by New Orleanians & that they are all very happy to have it. I lived in the Crescent City from birth until retirement and these are the first photographs to make me homesick.



2. I have been to New Orleans millions of times and this is the best all around book. The author has really, really researched and pulled up ALL kinds of interesting tidbits.
   I think that Compass guides in general are the extra travel books one buys. I wanted more than Fodor's has because I already know all the best places to go. I think that she had good choices and you could use it as your only travel guide.
   I think some readers were disappointed because maybe they were taken back by the exorbitant prices hotels charge. Hotel-wise , you don't get much for your money unless you go in summer or during Christmas.



3. One of my all-time favorite books. The stuff of dreams and nightmares too.

   This is an utterly luscious picture book. Chock full of photos of real interiors. Real homes of artists and the creative. Homes of people who love peeling wallpaper and cracked plaster; and especially those who love living in the midst of art works, or deeply personal collections.

   The homes of people who love the humid haze, moist clay-scented New Orleans.




4. One of my all-time favorite books. The stuff of dreams and nightmares too.

   This is an utterly luscious picture book. Chock full of photos of real interiors. Real homes of artists and the creative. Homes of people who love peeling wallpaper and cracked plaster; and especially those who love living in the midst of art works, or deeply personal collections.

   The homes of people who love the humid haze, moist earth-scented New Orleans.




5. This book has great interior pictures of some glorious New Orleans homes. Unfortunately when I've been there, I didn't have the opportunity to go inside to see the many interior styles. This book gives me the opportunity to see the beauty inside, that I've only been able to view from outside. Great book for those of us who love and appreciate the city!