1 comments about The Biblical Engineer: How the Temple in Jerusalem Was Built.

1. The Biblical Engineer: How The Temple In Jerusalem Was Built is the story of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, constructed by returning exiles from Babylon, discusses the master architects and builders who constructed the temple and accomplished an impossible job. Biblical and historical sources are used in the course of surveying spiritual concerns, architectural and engineering technology during this time period: the result is an intriguing blend of history and religious insight, not to be missed.

No comments about Building Structures: From Concepts to Design.

2 comments about Walls and Molding: How to Care for Old and Historic Wood and Plaster (Respectful Rehabilitation Series).

1. Call professional - author's suggestion. Bellow zero - simple raving without any experience!



2. If you own or work on old houses this book is a great reference. It explains how to research and repair the plaster and wood surfaces in your home. As a DIY old house renovator it was full of useful information, and gave me a lot of insight into the construction of my house. However, it is not always written in really easy to understand terminology, so it can be hard to follow.

1 comments about On and by Frank Lloyd Wright: A Primer of Architectural Principles.

1. "On and By Frank Lloyd Wright, A primer of Architectural Principles," is the most insightful book I have read about Frank LLoyd Wright's architecture. It is well researched and well written. I enjoyed reading it and did not want it to end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in architecture, design or Frank LLoyd Wright himself.

3 comments about The Rockefeller Family Home: Kykuit.

1. This is a wonderful book on an amazing house. The history of the home is very interesting and the text highly informative. The Rockefeller's are synonomous with money, so you expect their estate to me magnificent, Kykuit does not disappoint, the images of the estate inside and out are very well turned out. The estate is amazing in that it is huge, but somehow warm, it's not bombastic like the Vanderbilt palaces, it is somehow more human. There is an understated elegance about the mansion, I mean understated by the lofty heights of the great American rich of course. This is a nice testement to an amazing home and an equally amazing family. In the true philanthropic tradition of John D. Rockefeller II, the house is in a trust for all to enjoy. I highly recommend this book to anyone with the least bit of interest in quenticential american success stories and what can be created with such great wealth.



2. Perfection may not be attainable, but as a beautiful book and a model study of a landmark work of architecture and landscape architecture this volume sets a high standard indeed. The photography is superb, the book design elegant, the production sumptuous. The subject in fact might be somewhat overwhelmed by the presentation, were the subject merely the "Big House" at Kykuit itself. The building was somewhat of a compromise design, remodeled once, involving two architects and an interior designer (all first class, of course). It is not the architecture of the main building, if tasteful, that alone warrants this lavish production, but rather it is the ensemble--the magnificent gardens featuring an important collection of sculpture, the interior enriched by a collection of art and sensitive decor, the varied ancillary structures, including Japanese structures, and the intimate view of Rockefeller family life at Kykuit. The text is unpretentious but well crafted. One suspects that every detail has been carefully researched and considered for relevance to the general reader. The tone is apt. A very talented and skilled team has produced a well-neigh perfect work of art about an important work of art.



3. As early as the 17th century, Dutch New Yorkers built family compounds in the Hudson River Valley north of Manhattan. Completed in 1913 for Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller, Kykuit (the names comes from the Dutch, "lookout")has been home to four generations of Rockefeller family members. Now owned by the National Trust for Historic Sites, Kykuit has only recently been open to the public.

   The Beaux Arts estate, built by architects Delano and Aldrich, with formal gardens designed by landscape architect William Welles Bosworth, is a treasure-trove of rare antiques, fine furnishings, and invaluable artworks, most notably, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller's (the last family member to occupy the estate) unparalleled collection of 20th-century sculpture.

   Written by Nelson Rockefeller's daughter, Ann Rockefeller Roberts, and photographed by Mary Louise Pierson, his granddaughter, "Kykuit" provides intimate details of family life that breathe live into what might have been just another coffee-table book about the fabulously wealthy.

   "Kykuit" is a must-have for anyone interested in exceptional gardens, architecture and fine arts.

No comments about Kiasma - Steven Holl: Museum of Contemporary Art.

No comments about Mies Van Der Rohe: Crown Hall.

No comments about Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Extraordinary Buildings.

No comments about Architecture of the Off-Modern (FORuM Project Publications).

2 comments about Finding Lost Space: Theories of Urban Design.

1. I like this book which I though is the best one to describe the urban situation.



2. An interesting and practical book that will fire the imagination of anyone engaged in the design of public space.

   This book identifies the problem of 'lost space'--the left over and unstructured spaces of our cities. It then goes on to identify how to redesign these spaces for more interesting and humane cities.

   It finishes with some specific principles for the design of spaces and design processes.