2 comments about Victorian House Style: An Architectural and Interior Design Sourcebook (House Style).

1. This is a terriffic source book on Victorian Design. Every page is crammed with photos & sketches covering interior and exterior design, with lots of ideas for Victorian (exterior) Trim, decorative fences, tiles, furniture, architectural styles, interior trim & detailing. Great book!



2. This work focuses mainly on the details associated with the victorian period in England. Linda Osband uses an even mix of beautiful photographs and detailed sketches to illustrate the many design elements of the period. She includes a list of suppliers in the U.K., USA, Australia, France and Germany for those wishing to restore their current home. Inspirational and informative

1 comments about Public Transportation: On the Move 1.

1. First.. this book is wrongly credited to Roger Yee. The actual editor is Marc Wortman, PhD.
   
   Are you in the market for a commuter bus?
   Do you design, buy or influence decisions for municipal transit systems for a living?
   Are you a transit equipment geek?
   
   If so, you might like this coffee table book of U.S. light rail trains, busses & transit facility projects. It is organized alphabetically by vendor (e.g., Sasaki & Associates, Inc., Siemens Transportation Systems, Inc.,.. etc.,) and is filled with examples of mid late '90's/early 2000's transit stuff... but only in the United States (with only one exception that I saw, a train in the U.K.)
   
   If you're looking for a more global assessment on transit or a book of urban transit theory or of contemporary transit case studies, you might look elsewhere, like Robert Cervero's The Transit Metropolis: A Global Inquiry or Hank Dittmar's The New Transit Town: Best Practices In Transit-Oriented Development. That is not to say the book does not have its place. It just was not exactly what I expected when ordering it.
   
   "On the Move" is more like a big sales brochure for the companies included in the book, which makes sense since editor Marc Wortman is described on the dust jacket as marketing and communications consultant "for several leading architecture and planning firms."
   
   Here's the breakdown of what's included::
   -Early 21st century U.S. (not North American, just United States) transit equipment & vendors. Is this a full list? I don't know.
   -Good general but brief descriptions of the features of the products/designs included.
   -Fairly good color pictures throughout.. some obviously slick professional marketing shots (even one including John Madden in front of his MCI bus).. a few are grainy or amateurish and should have been replaced with better shots.
   -There are some conceptual drawings, renderings and plan drawings from the design firms, but not a lot.
   -A couple of odd additions are a description of a highway bridge and interior design of shops in a train station.
   
   This is a book to be flipped through to see some interesting U.S. transit equipment and projects and read a bit about them, but because it is organized alphabetically by vendor, and not by topic, you jump from busses to light rail engineering firms to transit system designers, back to busses, etc.
   It would have been better to organize by topic.

No comments about The Danteum.

2 comments about Pools and Spas: New Designs for Gracious Living.

1. The projects in this book are out of the reach of most budgets, but the ideas are incredibly inspirational. It's like looking through Architectural Digest for pool designers. I found incredible ideas for my new pool and spa installation -- many things I never new existed and that the contractors I talked with never mentioned. A pool and spa is a major investment. For me, this book was insurance that guaranteed I would get the aquatic paradise and related amenities me and my family wanted. Plus, it's looks great on the coffee table in our new pool house!



2. POOLS and SPAS

   A coffee table book! If , like me, you want to learn more about the technical side of swimming pools, give this one a pass. In spite of the promise hinted in the promotional text of giving insights to "design details" this book doesn't even come close. Most of the pools are out of reach except to those whom money is no object starting with a pool costing $700,000. If for instance, you want to be educated on the pros and cons of vanishing edge pools, the Author tells us, "they have been overused and misused"-no clarification, no explanation, no examples. Of course none of the beautiful pools pictured in this section fall into either category. Design details? Each very beautifully photographed pool describes the multi-million dollar surroundings, the size of the pool pictured, construction i.e. Gunite, finish-Plaster. This scant, mostly irrelative information hardly qualifies as "design details".

   If you want to show your pool contractor the kind of pool you have in mind and hand over a blank check, then this is the book for you. You'll get no feel for the typical cost of the pools depicted (except the one for $3/4M) nor will you be guided as to any of the unseen but extremely important mechanical components required.

   I'd keep this book if there was just one piece of information that I could consider valuable advice. Thankfully, Amazon will take it back.

3 comments about Engineering with the Spreadsheet: Structural Engineering Templates Using Excel.

1. I was heartbroken when I saw this book for sale. Why? Because I wanted to write this book. Twenty minutes after I received and opened the book I realized that the opportunity is still out there. If an LED flashlight is considered an advanced and high-tech tool for light, think of this book as a flaming, wooden torch. In fact, the book itself would be most useful in starting a fire.
   
   Seriously, this book would only be useful for engineers over the age of ~40. If you're still new to spreadsheets it may be helpful. If you've been in college in the last ten years this book is a worthless waste of paper and ink.



2. This book is ok for engineers who are not yet familiar with excel, but one would be better of with a excel manual and a structures text book. This book pretty much gives you the basics of how to set up a spreadsheet but, with a little time spent playing around with excel someone could figure them out on there own. The provided spreadsheet, although well thought out and planed, are nothing special and don't provide the proper detail to be used in a design office. The author does not go into any of the uses or advantages of macros and other automated features of excel which allow for greater variability in the use of spread sheets. I would recommend this book for engineers have no experience with excel and want a quick crash course in the basic features of the program, reminding them not to expect too much from it.



3. The book (the spreadsheets) illustrates nicely that Excel works for a structural engineer, but thats about it.
   It starts explaining Excel from scratch focusing on features that might be important for the engineer and applying examples common to an engineer, which makes it a good reference book for beginners. Afterwards, most of the book presents examples of calculations applying the functions learned in the earlier chapters of the book. There are examples from biaxial concrete column design to storage tank design.
   The entire book was written using Excel and the accompanying CD includes all spreadsheets, giving the user the opportunity to revise formulas and offering a couple of handy spreadsheets.
   However, the emphasis of the book lies on presenting a lot of examples elaborated by the author for some projects (mainly storage tanks). It leaves the impression that the book serves mostly to present those specific sheets and the authors work.
   The layout of the sheets is awkward and the book itself proves that creating a book in Excel itself is not the best idea since the formatting of pages is a little bit difficult.
   The examples are elaborated based on various codes, where the author expresses repetitively his nonconformism with LRFD. This aversion to LRFD leads to my personal favorite statement, which seems to be a little bit misplaced in a book about spreadsheets for civil engineers:
   "And is Europe laughing at us because we still use old fashioned methods? Let them laugh. The way we do things has created a nation powerful enough to provide a defense umbrella and relative stability to Europe that has lasted 60+ years. Many Europeans can take a five week vacation because of our resourcefulness."
   Personally, I would prefer to use an Excel manual and a good book on structural engineering.

5 comments about World Trade Center: The Giants That Defied the Sky.

1. This book is the one to get, if you want fantastic photos, interesting prose, and just an overall great pictoral commemoration of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11.
   
   With the War on Terror continuing, sometimes it is good to be reminded of why we are fighting and what it's all for. This book will bring the memories (and the resolve) flooding back.
   
   An excellent tribute at a great price. Five stars!



2. The history of the WTC is traced from black and white photos and simple text regarding its design and architecture through the chilling events of 9/11. I have to say that the color photos of 9/11 capture the events totally and will leave you breathless.

   I have purchased 6 copies of this book for family and friends and think it is the best WTC book out there.

   I proudly keep a copy on my coffee table and leaf through it often and remember the beautiful buildings I once marveled at and loved.




3. I live in the Midwest (have never visited NY) but saw a review of this book on a website. I just had to have it so I ordered the book from Amazon.com. I received the book late yesterday afternoon. The pictures and information contained in the book are truly amazing. It is amazing to see what Lower Manhattan looked like before the WTC was built. The pictures of the various models of WTC that were built. There are pictures of the construction of the twin towers. The book has some very nice posters of the WTC and New York skyline. There are many pictures taken on September 11th and in the days following. This book is a must-have for those who are interested in the World Trade Center. It's truly a remarkable book.



4. As a native New Yorker who formerly had a beautiful view of the World Trade Center, and now avoids looking at the painfully flat skyline every day, I have this fabulous volume to treasure instead. .............. While disappointed with the flood of tributes to the still unfathomable tragedy of 9/11, this book was a must have the moment I thumbed through for a quick cursory look. I was immediately impressed with all the gorgeous shots of the WTCs depicted in all the ways that I loved them. Shimmering in golden sunrise yellow, blinding in midday platinum steel, glowing in the ominously blue-violet dusk, and sparkling with the thousands of tiny lights that made the New York City skyline, the awesomely spectacular sight that so sadly, won't ever be the same. ................. The most wonderful thing about this book, is not only the terrific pictoral contents, with several posters included, but the informational text that accompanies it as well. If you are interested to know the complete history of the WTCs and New York City, you will see the city before the towers were built, how and by whom they were planned, the way they were built, when and why. Also covered, their effect on New York City, as well as their role in the media and Hollywood movies. Finally, you will get the brutally shocking photos of their horrible demise. Look no further for a truly complete tribute. Every single chapter goes into wonderful detail, and is accompanied by the most breathtaking photographic treasures ever seen, of these iconic masterpieces of lost architecture. Not only is this the absolute BEST book I've seen for anyone who wants to keep their memory of the WTCs alive forever, it's also one of the most reasonably priced. This volume offers a tremendous return for your dollar. It's all printed in sharp color, on thick gauge, glossy paper. There is not one page in here that will waste your time with filler. Author Pete Skinner, British born, but a longtime resident of Greenwich Village, had, like me, watched the birth of the World Trade Center, built and completed in 1973, and like me, watched it die. People all over the world felt the pain of this unprecedented loss, but those of us who were lucky enough to live among the Twin Towers for their retrospectively short lifespan, will treasure this book. ................... If you are looking for a book about the entire gamut of events that took place in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, you may not find all of what you're looking for here. However, if you are like me, a person who will forever mourn the loss of these twin icons of prestige and success that defined the great soaring spirit of New York City, as well as the tragic loss of many wonderful hard-working New Yorkers who loved to work at the World Trade Center once upon a better time, then you have found the perfect tribute to a symbol of New York that will remain, forever in the American heart.



5. As a native New Yorker who formerly had a beautiful view of the World Trade Center, and now avoids looking at the painfully flat skyline every day, I have this fabulous volume to treasure instead. .............. While disappointed with the flood of tributes to the still unfathomable tragedy of 9/11, this book was a must have the moment I thumbed through for a quick cursory look. I was immediately impressed with all the gorgeous shots of the WTCs depicted in all the ways that I loved them. Shimmering in golden sunrise yellow, blinding in midday platinum steel, glowing in the ominously blue-violet dusk, and sparkling with the thousands of tiny lights that made the New York City skyline, the awesomely spectacular sight that so sadly, won't ever be the same. ................. The most wonderful thing about this book, is not only the terrific pictoral contents, with several posters included, but the informational text that accompanies it as well. If you are interested to know the complete history of the WTCs and New York City, you will see the city before the towers were built, how and by whom they were planned, the way they were built, when and why. Also covered, their effect on New York City, as well as their role in the media and Hollywood movies. Finally, you will get the brutally shocking photos of their horrible demise. Look no further for a truly complete tribute. Every single chapter goes into wonderful detail, and is accompanied by the most breathtaking photographic treasures ever seen, of these iconic masterpieces of lost architecture. Not only is this the absolute BEST book I've seen for anyone who wants to keep their memory of the WTCs alive forever, it's also one of the most reasonably priced. This volume offers a tremendous return for your dollar. It's all printed in sharp color, on thick gauge, glossy paper. There is not one page in here that will waste your time with filler. Author Pete Skinner, British born, but a longtime resident of Greenwich Village, had, like me, watched the birth of the World Trade Center, built and completed in 1973, and like me, watched it die. People all over the world felt the pain of this unprecedented loss, but those of us who were lucky enough to live among the Twin Towers for their retrospectively short lifespan, will treasure this book. ................... If you are looking for a book about the entire gamut of events that took place in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, you may not find all of what you're looking for here. However, if you are like me, a person who will forever mourn the loss of these twin icons of prestige and success that defined the great soaring spirit of New York City, as well as the tragic loss of many wonderful hard-working New Yorkers who loved to work at the World Trade Center once upon a better time, then you have found the perfect tribute to a symbol of New York that will remain, forever in the American heart.

No comments about Dictionary of Architecture and Building Construction.

No comments about Office Design Sourcebook: Solutions for Dynamic Workspaces (Interior Design and Architecture).

1 comments about Forms of Constraint: A HISTORY OF PRISON ARCHITECTURE.

1. In 1949 the Federal Bureau of Prisons published Correctional Institution Design and Construction, a detailed "source book for planning and construction of institutions ranging in type from the small jail and short term detention facilities for juvenile delinquents to the maximum security type of institution." In the books introduction, James V. Bennett, the agency's director, wrote: "There are in the United States more than 300 state and Federal prisons, reformatories, and training schools. In addition, there are several thousand city and county jails and workhouses. This great diversity of institutions which house and handle convicted and accused criminals represents a tremendous investment in physical plants and human lives. Yet there is probably no other type of institutional construction in this country which has been devoid of intelligent planning and direction as has the construction of penal and correctional institutions."
   
   Since the publication of that book more than five decades ago, the United States has witnessed a phenomenal growth in institutional construction and, by necessity, increased attention to prison architecture, thus addressing some of Bennett's concerns.
   
   In 2000 Norman Johnston, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Beaver College, provided the corrections profession a comprehensive and compelling history of the evolution of prison construction and design in Forms of Constraint: A History of Prison Architecture. In addition to its historical value, the book provides guidance for the design and construction of future prisons.
   
   This is a scholarly, well-documented, and richly illustrated volume that represents a significant contribution to correctional literature. Norman Johnston's book adds value to the bodies of knowledge on prison history, institutional architecture, and the development of correctional policy.

3 comments about Gunnar Asplund.

1. College-level art library holdings will find much to recommend with GUNNAR ASPLUND, the only detailed monograph in print on the Swedish architect. Given that Asplund is hardly an unknown name in the world of architecture, it's amazing to note that this is the only such reference in print, providing a scholarly survey of all of his works both popular and lesser-known, and packing in new color photos along with sketches and drawings. Perhaps it's because Asplund's buildings don't neatly fit into architectural categories, and thus have missed extensive survey in genre-specific considerations - but they certainly deserve the depth GUNNAR ASPLUND provides, here.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. The influence of Scandinavian design in the United States, if not in the whole world has been immense. The clean simple lines of functional design pioneered over there have influenced more designs than have been built in Scandinavia. Gunnar Asplund is one of the lessor known (in the United States) architects of Scandinavian design.
   
   Born in 1885, he began his career in 1907 with a small villa. A few years later he won his first competition for a school which launched his professional career. From then until his death in 1940 he designed a range of structures that reach from small homes through large commercial/government/public buildings. They remain classics of their type.
   
   This profusely illustrated book is unusual in that it includes not only photographs of the buildings as they exist now, but also many line drawings that illustrate the original concepts. As such this is both a tribute to his designs and an idea book for designs being made today.



3. This is a beautifully illustrated, comprehensive monograph on the underrated Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund. Although Asplund's work is contemporary with Mies, Le Corbusier, and Aalto, it is of an entirely different current -- Asplund weaves together vernacular, classical and modernist influences in a way that stands solidly outside standard, official history of Modern Architecture. Like the Slovenian architect Plecnick, Asplund's work has always been tricky for historians to place in the march from Wright to Gropius to Mies that is the standard trajectory of early 20th c architectural history.
   
   While that fact may contribute somewhat to the neglect of his reputation, this is undeserved. Aplund's best projects, like the Snellman House, the Enskede Cemetery, or the Stockholm City Library are phenomenal masterpieces of 20th century architecture. The photographs of the work in this book are excellent, and fortunately plenty of line drawings are included too. Jones' summary of Asplund's career is lucid and solidly researched. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in early modernist architecture or Scandinavian design.