2 comments about Designing Small Parks: A Manual for Addressing Social and Ecological Concerns.

1. This book was listed as one of the top 10 books in Planning in 2006 by Planetizen and is a very useful manual. It's fun to read, inclusive, informative, and well-researched.



2. I am on a review committee for a local park, and got this hoping it would help. Unfortunately it is more of a text book that attempts to cover all bases without really advocating or advising on how to acheive good park design.

No comments about Construction Safety and Health.

2 comments about The Yokohama Project.

1. This book engages this one specific project, its an exceptional book that's deeply routed in the ethics and practice of architecture.



2. The book is an inspiring and surprisingly honest account of the design and the construction of the Yokohama Terminal. The most optimistic part about it is the rather obvious fact that it was conceived and managed by a few academically rigorous but professionally inexperienced architects. The enormity of the project, the complexity of the structure, the problems of circulation, security, fire safety, seismic performance, etc. should all have choked the project before it even had reached the competition entry boards - the fact that it did not is an early tell-tale sign of the fresh naiveté, which must have fueled the design team.

   The true merit of the team (and the story as whole) is the fact that the designers decided to go through with it. They moved to Japan and spent over two years and 23.5 billion yen supervising the project through construction administration. The writers talk as openly about their greatest successes and their worst failures.

   The very extensive photographic documentation of the design and construction show the amazing story of the metamorphosis of an architectural idea into a material form. As I was reading thorough the text I saw myself picking favorite parts of the design and browsing impatiently ahead to see how they resolved themselves in the actual construction - sometimes I agreed with the chosen solution and sometimes I did not. The point is that the process of decision-making is revealed very clearly.

   I would like to finish with a quote from the book, which offers a most delightful message to the youthful talent in all of us:
   
   "This is where amateurs have advantage over pros. A pro knows what he can deliver and rarely goes beyond it. An amateur has no concept of his limitations and generally will go beyond them."

1 comments about Driveways, Paths and Patios: A Complete Guide to Design, Management and Construction.

1. Driveways, Paths and Patios: A Complete Guide to Design, Management and Construction provides an excellent survey of how driveways and paths are constructed, packing over two hundred color photos and drawings with a step-by-step guide for any who would build their own. From basic driveway and path design to choosing proper materials, estimating costs and considering drainage, this is the book to turn to for any driveway or path project start to finish.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

1 comments about Corrugated Iron: Building on the Frontier.

1. An anonymous writer in 1833 called the public's attention to an architectural novelty that had appeared on the London docks: "Every observing person, on passing by it, cannot fail being struck... with its elegance and simplicity." What had brought this praise was the world's first building incorporating corrugated iron. One might think that the novelty of corrugated iron had surely led the writer into effusion about a subject otherwise unlikely to bring praise. And one might also think that a history of corrugated iron is one of the more unlikely subjects to be brought out in a colorful coffee-table book. There are many surprises in Corrugated Iron: Building on the Frontier (W. W. Norton & Company) by Adam Mornement and Simon Holloway, architectural historians who are enthusiasts for a material that provides shelter for millions and also is being used in upscale modern buildings with surprisingly beautiful effect. The authors say that corrugated iron has met diverse challenges of affordability, portability, utility, and strength, "but despite its many virtues, corrugated iron's contribution to society has rarely been acknowledged." Corrugated iron is everywhere, and because of this it has become invisible; this book is a handsome corrective to bring it back into view.
   
   Corrugated iron was invented by Henry Robinson Palmer, Architect and Engineer to the London Dock Company, in 1829. He foresaw that the material could be used both as cladding upon an architectural framework and arched to make free-standing spans for roofing. Corrugated iron had advantages that innovative architects could use. The brilliant engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel adopted it early, and designed London's Paddington Station to be roofed in the material, with the corrugations running horizontally. There are no tie rods and no longitudinal beams between the rafters, because the corrugations in the roof provide tensile strength. Corrugated iron was used on lighthouses, whaling stations, and agricultural buildings. Prefabricated houses were designed with corrugated iron roofs and walls, and there are many illustrations here from catalogues from which people ordered such houses. Here also are pictures of the houses themselves, many of which are still being used. Most corrugated iron dwellings, however, were meant to be relatively temporary structures. Gold rushes in America, Australia, and South Africa proved to be workshops for such use, when living in tents was just too temporary a housing solution. There is a whole chapter here on churches made from corrugated iron, showing many of them of rural simplicity, but others with some Gothic splendor. Corrugated metal was not restricted to buildings; it was used to build boats, and the World War I Junker aircraft of Germany had wings of corrugated aluminum.
   
   Corrugated iron will never escape completely its association with poverty. There are plenty of pictures here of shantytowns from all over the world, where corrugated iron is an architectural staple for improvised homes. There are other pictures of Nissan huts (the American version was the Quonset hut) used for wartime dwellings, and Buckminster Fuller used corrugated iron in a low-cost circular house called the Dymaxion Deployment Unit. The many pictures in the book's final chapter, though, show that corrugated metal has a place in the cladding of skyscrapers or in the homes of millionaires. Frank Gehry, for instance, has used it, and many of the modern buildings shown here are housed in huge loops or barrel forms of the material. It is used not only for its capacity to support and protect, but also as a sort of architectural sculpture. Many of the new and innovative buildings made from corrugated metal are from Australia, which has drawn on a tradition of using corrugated iron in the gold fields; there is no chance that these handsome, large houses of whimsical shape are going to be mistaken for shanties or for mobile homes. Corrugated iron is one of the most-used inventions humans have come up with, and paupers and tycoons are all taking advantage of it. Here is an intriguing history, full of colorful pictures, of an important architectural tool.

5 comments about Residential Landscape Architecture: Design Process for the Private Residence.

1. I bought this book for my Landscape Design class going toward my Horticulture degree. I looked through this book many times when I was stuck and unsure on what was supposed to be done. It's a wonderful book for beginners even if you are just designing your own home garden. Even if you aren't going to be a landscape architect it's a wonderful book to read through and learn the principles of design and what goes into to making a great design.



2. If you want to learn how to do landscape architecture, this is the textbook for you. Don't let the word "textbook" turn you off with thoughts of back when you were in school wishing you were elsewhere. While it is not full of plant lists nor pretty photographs of inspiring gardens; it will, however, teach you how to create your own inspiring gardens. The multitude of graphics will help you to even better understand the well-written text, which is not in the least dull. I doubt there is a better book on the market for the purpose stated in its title. I highly recommend it and am using the principles gleaned from this book to design my own garden. How well I'll do is yet to be determined. But it has given me the skills (I hope) and courage to try. If I fail, at least I know what to look for in a professional.



3. I am in love with this book! It is clear, concise, well-written, and has wonderful graphics. I am a landscape architecture student at UCD and this book has taught me more than any of my teachers combined! Highly recommend.



4. I am a student at Kansas State University in Landscape Design, and this book is wonderful for getting ideas, symbols, and disign techniques. My professors own this book, and constantly approve and recommend this book for sudents. Although it is titled for a private resident, professional landscapers use this book also. This is one book you should add to your library.



5. This book is great, but you might like to know that a 4th addition of this book is now available. Type in - "Residential Landscape Architecture: Design Process for the Private Residence (4th Edition)" and check it out.

3 comments about Residential Steel Framing Handbook.

1. This book covers the entire gamut of steel framing in one convenient source. It covers the entire residential structure from the first plan through the wall framing to the roof. It has plety of diagrams and photos to enhance the points it attempts to make. The chapters are thorough, but not unnecessarily long. The author has that unique ability to describe the instruction he wants to impart but at the same time the keeps on track. It helps if the reader has an engineering background, but anyone familiar with the process should have little trouble following the step by step instructions.
   
   This book won't find its way to a best seller list, but that is not the point of the book. It has important information for those involved in steel construction framing and that audience should benefit greatly from having this book available as a reference.



2. I am familiar with commercial metal framing and drywall. I know nothing about residential metal framing. This book helped answer alot of questions I had. I still have not framed a house in metal but if and when I do, I know this book will have made alot of the techniques and materials easier for me to understand and work with.



3. As a Civil Engineer, having to deal with both horizontal and vertical construction, and having to build residential, industrial and commercial buildings, both in Hurricane zones (Dade County, Miami, Florida) and in earth movement areas (Los Angeles Force 4/Richter Scale 9) in California & now in Istanbul, Turkey, this handbook has been particularly usefull when describing Light Gauge Steel Framing to Engineers which are having to cope with the subject for the first time. Would like to know when a new Edition of this Handbook with updated data will be published?

   Our deep appreciation to Mr. Robert Scharff and the editors of Walls & Ceilings Magazine.

   Sincerely,

   Alexandre Byron-Exarcos President & CEO United States Steel Framing Corp.

No comments about Architecture in Spain.

3 comments about The Houseboat Book.

1. This book is beautifully done. Marvelous pictures and descriptions of a variety of houseboats. It gives real insight into a lifestyle that few of us will ever experience. Someday I hope to become a part of this very small but extremely interesting lifestyle...



2. Awesome -- That's all I can say. If you're interested in houseboats for any reason, this is your book.
   History, information, great writing, and awesome photography! This one interests everyone.
   Great coffee table book.
   Kathy -- neighbor to "The Lindner House" featured in the book.
   p.s. If you live in the Portland, Sausalito, or Seattle Houseboat communities, you will especially enjoy this book.



3. I gave this book to a few close friends for the holidays. I have never had such great feedback about a giftbook. The book is not only beautiful to look at, but it contains such great details, history, and stories about houseboats and their owners. I definitely give this 5 stars!! I look forward to Flanagan's next book!

3 comments about To Scale: One Hundred Urban Plans.

1. To Scale:... is a very good compare exhibition of 100 urban public spaces in many cities of all the world. The plans are a little simple in their representation and details but it is a very good begining for a urban form study.



2. To Scale is an excellent resource for urban design educators and students. The consistent graphic language and scale applied to the 100 plans is useful for drawing comparisons between different urban models and establishing a quick point of reference. The book offers a comprehensive coverage of urban typologies and illustrates fundamental concepts of urban design. I have already used this book to demonstrate to my students examples of: spatial sequences, connections, figural voids and alignments.
   
   As a course text, I would compliment it with other writings that talk about the cultural and theoretical context of the urban environment. This book is a great addition. Good work Jenkins!



3. This project is a very valuable idea but is spoiled by careless inaccuracies and missing information. The idea of comparing city figure-ground maps at the same scale is something of great interest to architects and urban designers. It is too bad that so many of the plans are filled with graphical errors, thereby casting doubt on many of the other drawings. Mr Jenkins writes in the introduction of the importance of going to original sources for accurate information and data, but clearly has not done so in many cases. For example the map of Bath in England shows the street running straight across the park in front of the Royal Crescent, when anyone who has ever studied this marvellous place knows that the road follows the oval shape of the buildings. The footprints of the buildings around the Royal Circus and Crescent by the Wood father and son are inaccurately drawn in relation to their depth, and most significantly, the property lines and garden walls are omitted from the drawings.
   This latter item is a consistent flaw in the whole book because the dimensions of the lot, or parcel lines are of enormous significance in understanding the scale and grain of an urban fabric. Knowing the dimensions of the individual parcel widths is a key to understanding the pattern of a city's building typologies and measuring facts such as residential density, for example.
   San Francisco North of Market blocks have a typical block dimension of 150 x 100 varas (Spanish land measurements) that translate into 412.5' x 275' with a 2:3 ratio of width to length. Portland Oregon has a 200' x 200' block dimension that is the smallest of any US city.
   If this book ever gets revised it would be valuable if all these drawings were corrected and verified.