No comments about Office Spaces Volume 2 (International Spaces).

No comments about National Romanticism and Modern Architecture in Germany and the Scandinavian Countries (Modern Architecture and Cultural Identity).

No comments about A Home By The Sea.

No comments about New London Architecture 2.

1 comments about Halfway to Everywhere: A Portrait of America's First-Tier Suburbs.

1. Everyone who is deeply involved in the health (economic, social, or environmental) of their community needs to read this book. "Halfway to Everywhere" lends brilliant clarity to a morass of complex issues, and opens a whole new dialogue on economic and community planning.

   Suburbs are usually written-off as nothing more than a boring middle ground between the vibrant urban center and the bucolic countryside. Instead, it turns out that they have been (and still are) the proving ground for many of the most powerful trends that are shaping out world.

   Only someone deeply intimate with the dynamics of metropolitan development could have written this pioneering book, which is the first to properly document the cultural significance of our older suburbs. As one of America's most successful mayors, and as Senior Fellow at the Urban Land Institute (a premiere thought-leader on development issues), Bill Hudnut is probably better qualified to write this than anyone. Period.

   Hudnut shows how an understanding of first-tier suburbs leads to insights of tremendous value to anyone whose fortunes ride on community revitalization. You'll come away with a deep understanding of how our metropolitan areas arrived at their current condition. You'll see how the rapidly emerging disciplines of restorative development have been dramatically bringing dead and dying communities back to life. You'll also discover where current trends are likely to lead.

   Anyone working in the global "restoration economy"--who needs rapid and deep insight into the problems and opportunities of our cities--will find it in this fascinating, well-written, and well researched work. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

2 comments about Universal Kitchen and Bathroom Planning: Design That Adapts to People.

1. This book is a good resource for builders, architects or people building a house.

   Universal Design DOES NOT EQUAL wheelchair accessibility and this book makes that very clear. Universal Design (hereafter UD)means taking into account the best way to design for everyone, not just the small percentage of average height, "able-bodied", 20-50 year old "perfect" people in the world. This book also points out that fewer people want to move in with their kids or into a "home" when they get older. So why build houses that will prevent this from happening?

   UD is about making things useable for people of almost all physical conditions; sight-impared, mobility-impared, mentally-impared, size-impared (short or tall), and even "average, healthy" people.

   This book makes it abundantly clear that UD is not difficult to do on new construction. UD does not have to add hundreds of square feet to your plan.

   The book does not, however, have a lot of photos or ideas on how to make UD attractive. The small number of photos in this book are small, black and white, and poor quality. They do make their point, even though they are not pretty to look at.

   The book is FULL (almost cover to cover) of diagrams and line drawings which show the possibilities AND detailed requirements of universal design. Many of the details are wheelchair-oriented, but this is because wheelchair access is often the lowest common denominator.

   If you need to be concerned about UD or if you feel that it is a smart thing to do (I firmly believe it is a smart thing to do), then buy this book. There are no pretty, inspiring photos to show you how to do it beautifully, but there are tons of details to make sure you don't do it wrong. EVERY ARCHITECT AND BUILDER OUGHT TO HAVE A COPY OF THIS BOOK.

   (P.S. Just think of the "fun" you would have in your current house if you had to use a walker, wheelchair, or only one hand. What about even a broken leg? You WILL more than likely get old sometime. You could even be injured and become disabled (even if only temporarily). Do you want your house to be a barrier in that event? UD really should be something everyone thinks about, seriously!)




2. Here is a great book that takes into account how our needs and use of the kitchen and bathroom change through life. It goes beyond the idea of providing access for the handicapped and shows how these rooms need to take into account how big or tall or short we are and considers how our ability to do things changes with age. "Universal Kitchen and Bathroom Planning: Design That Adapts To People" is a needed source book whether you are a design professional or a homeowner interested in remodelling.

No comments about Baths and Kitchens II (Mexican Architects).

No comments about Making the Most of Small Spaces.

No comments about En detail: arquitectura solar: estrategias, visiones, conceptos (In Detail (español)).

No comments about Industrialized and Automated Building Systems: A Managerial Approach.