4 comments about Japanese Style: A Little Style Book (International Library Book).

1. In another book I recently read of the importance of shadows in the domestic architecture of Japan. Openings aren't created simply to provide light, they are used t leave part of a room dim and private and to provide illumination only exactly where needed. The photography in Japanese Style (by Gilles de Chabaneix) captures this beautifully, even as the writers focus on other possible threads.

   Any discussion of the intimate side of Japanese architecture and space use will spend a lot of time on the vast dichotomy between modern Japan and the style most Americans are familiar with - the traditional housing that represents over a millennia of incremental design. This book follows the same theme, moving from rural manor to a tiny Tokyo apartment, from beautifully carved wood to the unique character of poured concrete.

   The more you look through this book, the more you realize that Japanese designers have managed to bridge the time gap rather than making an abrupt leap. Even though the change appears to be radical, the underlying sensitivity to arrangement and a knack for disciplined minimalism have been there all along. One glance at the photographs of a four level home build on a 320 square foot lot is all you need to realize that there is an unerring understanding of harmony and purpose. Style becomes a two way street - Tokyo has evolved as an expression of the Japanese esthetic, at the same time as the conditions of the city have shaped the artistic experience.

   Buy this book for the photographs. For the most part the writers contribute little, other than providing some context. But De Chabeneix has an intuitive sense of how to see what the Japanese resident is seeing. Often the shots are magical, different angles of the same room look so difference that it is only on the second or third glance that you realize you are looking at the same room serving multiple purposes. As a result, you capture what it takes to make the Japanese Style happen anywhere, with any materials.




2. Because we are in the process of designing and building a Zen Danish (as we call it) new home I purchased this wonderful book in order to get some specific ideas. Of special interest are the similarities between the Danish and Japanese styles that we love.

   What amazed me is this book was published in the 80's yet I swear this book looks like it is a 2003 or futuristic publication that is timeless and well worth the hefty price of the book.

   The section on Small Spaces is excellent and a chapter I would recommend for anyone who is looking to build either a small yet open home for one or two, or the second home in the mountains or sear the seashore.

   I love the section on lofts and how they can be made to be classy, and not cluttered. And the whole chapter on craftsmanship which is actually what makes a Zen style living area so wonderful to me. Beginning on page 100 I gained some excellent ideas for our new garden and wisdom on how to have just the right amount of plant life and a koi pond to make the outside a part of ones living environment, rather than the grass and other high maintenance yards the average American has.

   It is a book I find myself picking up every few days, reading a few pages and getting new ideas I can actually use.




3. This has got to be one of the best "Style" Books ever published. Excellent examples of architecture, beautiful interior design, and superb photography. Just the right juxtaposition of traditional and modern. Each of the major sections has both Japanese and Western Styles. Normally this would not mix, had it been contrived, but all of the examples in the book are real houses where people live and work. No Architectural Digest type of Houses that look artificial and posed are to be found in this book. My favorites are the tranditional Japanese houses of which there really great examples. This book can give you hundreds of ideas for decorating your house tastefully. The photography really does justice to these houses and the subtle aesthetics of the Japanese Style.

   I collect "Style Books", and this has long been one of my favorites. I have had this book for over ten years and still look at it from time to time.

   I would like to point out that the other review for this book below refers to a Miniature version of this book, and is probably a misunderstanding of some sort.




4. To have this book labeled Paperback edition of the original SUPERB hardcover book without qualification is a little bit too much for me.

   Even at a quarter of the price, this 4 1/2 inch book is nothing compared to the original edition.

   And still I don't regret having it, because it reminds me of the big hardcover book...

5 comments about Restaurant 2000: Dining Design III.

1. This book is packed with great photos. It is worth the price just to see what is happening with regard to design in the industry.

   The downside is that, as one looking to open a start-up restaurant, the designs are way above what many new restaurants could afford to take on. The budget of any of the designs found in this book blows my start-up capital right out of the water!

   A bright spot, though, is that regardless of the cost of the designs found in the book, it provides the reader with a plethora of options that can be scaled down to fit just about any budget.




2. Excellent book on restaurant design! It helped me with my concept and I'm opening this year. Great book to be inspired by.



3. We are building two large restaurants and after having worked on the outside for months we needed something to ignite our passion about the inside. This book helped us get started and has given us a base to discuss with the interior designers. The possibilities are endless, I love to just sit and look at it.



4. This book in particular is great for design professionals and those who enjoy looking at new and innovative ideas in the field. From the view point of a design student, it is very informative in what projects such as these entail and some even disclose project budgets - comparisons and realistic judgments can be made from this information. This is a wonderful visual tool and representation for clients of this trade that more is not always best.



5. I am ordering this book for the second time...to give to my client for which we are designing a restaurant. The wonderful examples and photos gave us alot to discuss in our first design meeting. It clearly helped to put the project on the right track with great ideas. We were able to read our client thoughts by the pictures they picked out as favorites. thank you christy

5 comments about How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built.

1. The book addresses another one of these important but rarely discussed architectural issues, which is how building age and evolve over time. What happens when we build projects that by their shape and choice of materials cannot change and evolve but simply freeze and decay. That fate will impact many trophy prize winning architectural projects. The book does a fairly good job at covering all aspects of this topic. I would have liked however more contemporary examples of buildings with specific illustrations to make the subject matter more current to our existing design practices. As a side note some supporting information is incorrect because the data provided to the author by the sources he interviewed was misleading but there was little opportunity for the author at the time to know the difference.



2. In 1997 the BBC aired a six-part TV series called, "How Buildings Learn," based on my book. I was the presenter and co-writer, James Runcie produced it, and Brian Eno provided original music.
   
   The series is now available online at Google Videos. Episode 1 is at the link; from there you can find the other episodes.
   http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8639555925486210852



3. A great review, from the experience, of the dynamics of buildings. A change in the paradigm of how we think of buildings. Professionals of the building sector can't miss it!!



4. This is a book someone foisted upon me unawares and I devoured. I write software for a living and I found this book has a lot to say about software that Brand probably doesn't realize he's saying. His constant return to Christopher Alexander is a dead giveaway: The pattern-language movement Alexander started took the software world by storm in the mid 90's. It is now generally assumed that the pattern-language movement in software is still unfolding. The authors of the first major pattern-language texts are heavily involved in the kind of "Agile" design processes that one associates with what Brand advocates in this book: the idea that the end is the beginning and understanding your work must be an evolutionary process where if it's done right, a building and a system is never finished and never perfect but always improving.



5. I am an acoustical and systems design consultant who specializes in worship and performing arts facilities, and use this book regularly in my practice. I have found no better resource for introducing the facility planning "layperson" to the enormous blind-spot that many in the architectural design and construction profession have regarding the relevance of buildings to the functional needs that should define their design, as well as the ongoing process of maintaining this relevance over time.
   
   While highly specialized rooms such as auditoria do not usually lend themselves to significant modification over time, or to strategies such as "loose fit," Brand's advice about the risk of architectural experimentation in the fundamental form of most buildings is spot on. This book is an extremely engaging read, and also serves as an excellent introduction to other key literature on architectural programming, scenario planning, the evolution of the architectural profession, and so forth.
   
   As other reviewers have suggested, anyone who lives or works in a building can profit from reading this book. I would add that anyone who works in the construction or facility management industries, or who expects to be involved in planning a building project from the perspective of the owner or user, has a duty to seek out the sort of education that this book provides.

1 comments about Victorian Houses: A Treasury of Lesser-Known Examples (Dover Books on Architecture).

1. "Victorian Houses: A Treasury of Lesser-Known Examples" brings together 116 richly detailed black-and-white photographs of Victorian houses. This is an eclectic collection in terms of architectural style: Italianate, Second Empire, Carpenter's Gothic, "steamboat," octagon, and other elements can be found throughout the book. The houses come from towns throughout the northwestern United States, as well as from Canada.

   Most of the photographs are by Edmund V. Gillon, and his excellent work is accompanied by the commentaries of Clay Lancaster. Although Lancaster's insights are informative and frequently entertaining, he often uses a disparaging tone which is unnecessary, and which some might find arrogant.

   Throughout the book Lancaster uses phrases such as "a strange conglomeration" (plate 5), "a tight clutter of naive elements" (plate 16), "dull proportions" (plate 53), and "[m]ore gross than odd" (plate 92) in discussing various houses. I think it would have been better to simply have described the stylistic classifications of the architectural elements, and left value judgments to each individual reader.

   Despite my dissatisfaction with some of the commentaries, I find "Victorian Houses" to be an excellent book. It is a superb record of and tribute to a remarkable period in North American home architecture. Mansard roofs, abundant verandas, ornate iron cresting, elegant pillars, towers, cupolas--all this and more can be found in here. If you love Victorian houses, you will definitely want this book.

4 comments about Argentina: The Great Estancias.

1. Argentina is a fascinating country, a land of intrigue (the Peron years, the lingering mysteries of the Disappearing Ones), a land praised for the beauty of its vast landscapes and waterfalls and seemingly endless ranches where gauchos still stir the imagination, the home of the Tango, the home of the preeminent Teatro Colon, etc. But this book of richly colorful photographs and interesting writing introduces yet another aspect of the country less known - the Great Estancias.
   
   Covering twenty two impressive estates/mansions throughout the land of Argentina author Cesar Aria shares the importance of these disparate estates. Just as the country has always been Euro-centric so are the variations of the homes here rendered. There are recreations of Italian, French and English 'palaces' (they are far too grand to be mere homes!) and the histories of the buildings combined with the histories of the families who created them. But Argentina also celebrates the vast land resources and the great captains of ranching whose country homes are equal in grandeur to the other more traditional 'museums' in the book.
   
   The photography includes not only the facades of the buildings but also the approaches and the grounds and the interiors. The variety is surprising and the quality of the color photography is excellent. For an insider's glimpse into a country of many facets, this beautifully designed and produced book makes a fine addition to the library. Grady Harp, April 07



2. A gorgeous collection of photographs taken on "estancias" across Argentina's many regions, from its near tropical north, through its flatlands so reminiscent of the American Midwest, to the rugged south with its Alpine highlands. Not only is this book graced by informative text, but it is simply a treasure to gaze at for hours.



3. Tomas de Elia great photographs capture not only the european architecture of the Argentine houses and gardens but also the romantic atmosphere of the pampas. The book is impeccably designed and lavishly illustrated and allow us to wander into a part of the Argentine private world closed off to all but the most adventurous.



4. I found this Rizzoli hard bound book a delight to read and look through. The pictures are of outside & inside views including landscapes & gardens. I never knew anything about Argentina before I bought this book. About 22 properties photographed. Text is clear, specific and inviting. Also have FAZENDAS - THE GREAT HOUSES & PLANTATIONS OF BRAZIL which is just as good. If you are a visual person and see a 1,000 things in a photograph, this book is for you. Certainly made me realise that not the great buildings are in Europe or USA.

No comments about Library Builders.

1 comments about Advanced Deck Building (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library).

1. The book had good pictures and several good ideas on how to create an advanced deck. It is well written and easy to follow. This book includes multi-level, decks with angles or curves, low profile decks, etc.

   However, they assume that you are an advanced deck builder and gloss over many of the basics. They do have a basic deck building book by the same company that they recommend, although I haven't seen it anywhere.

1 comments about Werner Hegemann and the Search for Universal Urbanism.

1. Little is known about Werner Hegemann, even among urban planners and historians. But he's really one of the more profound and original thinkers about urbanization that you will find anywhere. Christiane Crasemann Collins' book is destined to be the standard work on Hegemann's life and thought. Anyone with an interest in the history of 20th century urban planning theory--or even intellectual history in general--should read this book.

1 comments about Richard Neutra's Miller House.

1. This book presents the people, ideas, and history behind Richard Neutra's for Grace Lewis Miller in Palm Springs, California. The house and the process of its design and construction are well documented with reproductions of important texts, drawings, and photographs. The book's contents are fascinating for their intimate, direct presentation of these primary materials.
   
   While many photographs, drawings, and documents are presented here for the first time, the author's discussion and explication of this historically significant material is generally dry and academic. While Mr. Leet puts the project into a variety of contexts, the overall effort lacks direction and focus. That the house itself is worthy of a book-length monograph is without dispute. However, the author's attempts to intellectualize the material fall flat. A variety of interesting (but generally unrelated) material is included as part of an attempt to put the project in historical context, but these illustrations and examples tend to be somewhat forced and/or obscure. In addition, the selection of the images includes what appear to be gratuitous displays of the flesh. Such illustrations seem to appear when the text is driest, as if the somewhat sensuous nature of the images may help keep the reader from dozing off to sleep.
   
   Throughout the book, I regularly felt the desire to skip passages of text hoping to find something more compelling, original, or informative. Many writers dealing with the modern movement in architecture incessantly present stale rationalizations for the necessity for International Style modernism. These discussions typically deal with modern man's need for health, sunlight, and exercise as justification for the resulting abstract geometrical forms. Of course, one can exercise just as well in classically styled buildings, although the details and ornament tend to clutter the setting undermining the look of strength and vitality. The simplicity of modernist architecture tends to enhance the sleek, well-toned look of athletic bodies; an impassive, monotonous context tends to exaggerate a person's visual qualities, whether positive or negative.
   
   What this book essentially tells us: Mrs. Miller taught the Mensendieck system of exercise, she had the foresight to hire Neutra, and ended up with a wonderful modern winter home. The examples of partially clothed female bodies, including Mrs. Miller's, seem designed to pique our curiosity. Apparently, Mrs. Miller hoped the svelte images of her would have a similar effect on her client base. However, despite her personal beauty, impeccable taste in architecture, advertisements praising her exercise regime, and membership in Palm Spring's prestigious clubs, her well-intentioned desire to create a successful business teaching "functional exercises" never became more than an idea.
   
   The author's selection of titles and headings can sometimes border on the pretentious as with "Eliminating 'Phantomic Extension'," "The Deluge," and "Scorpions and Black Widows". In the chapter entitled "Construction by Remote Control," three of the five photographs of the construction depict Neutra and his assistant standing at the building site; the other two photographs show the house under construction with no one at all. So much for remote control building.
   
   With respect to the book's publication, its production quality is excellent. The graphic design is simple and appealing. The sans-serif font is elegant, crisp, and most appropriate to the subject. Unfortunately, it is also rather small. When the reader repeatedly comes upon entirely or essentially blank pages, its hard not to think that the font chosen could have been one or two points larger. While graphically and aesthetically interesting, the excessive use of white space seems creates the regrettable impression that there was insufficient material available to fill a book. The selected colors are appropriately muted and the photographs beautifully printed.
   
   Great thanks go to Princeton Architectural Press for publishing high-quality books on topics typically given insufficient attention by other publishers in the field. In this case, the historical material is worthy of their high standards, but the author's text is somewhat less compelling.

No comments about Spectacular Homes of California (Spectacular Homes).