No comments about Dartmouth College: The Campus Guide.

No comments about Club Design.

2 comments about Treehouses in Paradise: Fantasy Designs for the 21st-Century.

1. This book contains the submitions for a competition to design tree houses in a tropical climate. The best way to think of the designs is that they represent minimal shelter in a benign climate. There is a plethora of forms, mostly "experimental", some very imaginative and delightful. For the most part, the designs are not finished, in that they would need considerably more details of their construction to determine how practical they would be. That detail may exist, but it is not provided in the book, and there is no place to try to reference them. If these structures were built, they do not need to be attached to palm trees, but rather suspended by posts or anchored to walls. Think of the Dymaxion house as an example.
   
   Ignore the frothy accomnpanying text - it is full of hyperbole and general BS. Just examine the structural forms and think how they may be created. Despite the title, many of the structures would work quite well as summer structures in the US, although I shudder at the thought of getting permits if needed.
   
   Overall, this is a reasonably good book of ideas to stimulate the imagination. Now where are my tools...



2. This book is a coffee table book for Disney fans. While the creations are artistic they are not sound by any strech of the imagination. If you are looking for information that you can use look elsewhere. If you are looking for pretty pictures that defy logic and and engineering this is the book for you.

2 comments about Modern Rustic: Natural Ideas for a Contemporary Lifestyle.

1. From a beautifully crafted introduction, painstakingly researched and exquisitely presented, Hanan produces her opus.
   
   Detailing the demise of the rustic, and defending it from it's dictionary definition, she goes on to passionately explore every facet of our lifestyles and attempts to introduce the possiblity of natural fibers, crafts and textures.
   
   Unfortunately for the coffee table peruser, this takes place mostly in text, with a few gorgeously photographed pictures illustrating her points & chapters.
   
   The book contains 10 projects for crafting your own rustic accessories, such as patchowrk cushions, hammock, scented candles, soap and so on. Nothing earth shattering but a good touch.
   
   Ergo, do not buy the book for the pictures, there aren't enough for that purpose, but if you are interested in reading a well researched & thought out book, go for it~
   
   kotori



2. Great title, we thought it would fit our home style perfectly and give us lots of ideas. Upon arrival and perusal, I found it overweighted in text and very, very few ideas for us to use in our home. I was amazed at the paucity of photos. Dissappointing.

No comments about Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: Farrar.

No comments about The City, Seen as a Garden of Ideas.

3 comments about Originals: Lindal Cedar Homes.

1. I saw this book and got it for the pictures and the blueprints. I love looking at house plans because my goal is to design and build a home in the future so the more ideas I get, the more likely I am to create my "dream". Or I'll get confused. Either way, I love home design books. However this is also an advertisement for Lindal Cedar Homes so I'm sure they are highlighting their best work and not putting in their prices for a reason: I bet the homes are fairly expensive. Regardless I loved the multitude of color photographs and drawings. Perhaps I'll consider the company once I'm settled down to build a house.



2. Lindal Cedar Homes ORINGINALS not only has drop dead gorgeous homes in full color pictures, this "coffee table" book shares valueable information about the necessary steps required to have your dream home built. Information from the very beginning, the design process, to the end, along with beginning budgets and having your home grow with you.

   Everyone that has picked this book up from my coffee table "ooo's and ah's" at the beauty of incorporating a breath taking veiw of mountains and landscape in to the living space of these homes.

   In fact, I was to mail my sister my copy of this book, but just couldn't part with it. Therefore, I decided to see if my favorite book store (Amazon.com) had it. Of course, they did, therefore, I'm having them send her a book of her own as a gift.

   Elizabeth Hoyt




3. Originals by Lindal Cedar Homes is a truly wonderful book and is the perfect read for anyone considering bying a cedar home, looking for ideas on building a beautifully architectured home, or just wanting to have fun with the idea of owning their own home someday. The houses featured in the book are amazing, gigantic homes that anyone would love to dream about owning. After all, the planning process is half the fun!

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 Tropical Modernism.

1. What a disappointment! I was expecting something quite serious and thoughtful. This is like a glossy magazine of rich peoples homes. And how typically American- the author doesn't bother to go very much further than his own doorstep, as if the tropics ended at Mexico and the Caribbean.Nothing from Africa! Asia mentioned once! Oh and lastly my copy was unbelievably cheaply made, coming apart almost at once to reveal crude, plastic glue along the spine.

1 comments about The Anatomy of Architecture: Ontology and Metaphor in Batammaliba Architectural Expression.

1. This by far the best research I have read on the subject of architecture. Suzanne Blier takes a holistic and scholarly approach. The writing is clear with excellent references that have proven very helpful. The photography and illustrations are informative. Anyone with a serious interest in West African art, sociology, language, religion and architecture in general should read this book.