1 comments about Architecture in China.

1. The overall view of the book is considered to be an excellence book.
   There are a few projects that need to have drawing documentation and in my preferences drawings could be bigger but they are readable.
   The photographs in this book are excellent representation of the essence of the projects under the study cases. Perhaps the narratives could include deeper conclusions of the architect's ideas-to explain the arrival of their conclusions.
   I would really appreciate if all drawings were black w/ grey scale.

2 comments about More Craftsman Homes.

1. Found this book to be very interesting as I am fascinated by the construction of homes I especially liked the craftsman approach even though it was almost 100 years ago, I think the designs are still relevent.



2. This is a reprint of a house plan catalog from 1912. These books are actually exact reprints of original plan books from the turn of the century (1880-1925, roughly). Dover adds little or no modern explanations, just presenting the catalog as it was. So when one looks to review these books, one isn't really judging the modern-day publisher, or editing, or writing. The only modern element is the accuracy of reproduction- in some cases, if pages in the originals that Dover found are damaged or torn, that page is reproduced in the original with the tear, smudge, blot, or hole showing. So to judge the books, one has to compare each one to others of its kind, and then to decide whether the material in it is thorough and complete according to the standards of its time. Since there are several dozen of these catalogs published by Dover, we have the basis for such a comparison.

   Stickley and the Craftsman school of design are well known. Many people own bungalows, or admire them even if they don't own them. What getting a book such as this does, is give a person insight into the details of the lifestyle of the time, of the philosophy of the architects/designers, and so on.

   This particular plan book is one of my favorites. It includes an introductory essay by Stickley, an essay on "The Relation of Craftsman Architecture to Country Living," and several other pieces. "The House of the Democrat" by William L. Price is also included, a thoughtful essay which would give anyone pause when looking at today's McMansions. Price says that a house should not embarrass one's friends; it should be ample enough to contain them, simple enough to leave them unoppressed, and with enough artistry to please and lead them, if they wish, to build one likewise. This essay is worth the price of the book!

   One of the features of this catalog is that along with the exterior view and floor plan of every house, there is an extensive written description. For many of the houses there are drawings of the interior, with suggestions for furnishings. There are also examples of what types of light fixtures one might use. There are several cement houses, a fad of the time which should have caught on more than it did, as it is an economical and sturdy material for building a house. The written descriptions, in some cases, even include alternate ways to finish the house to save money or to adapt it to a particular type of location. Most of the illustrations are drawings/paintings; there are a few photographs, but not many. The drawings of the interiors include wallpapers and curtains.

   There are a few houses in the book without indoor bathrooms, which is not unusual for the period, but most have a full bath, and some have two bathrooms. Almost all have extensive built-ins: sideboards, bookcases, benches and settles, shelves.

   There are a few plans for log houses, for summer camp houses, and even for rural schoolhouses. There's also a section on gardening and landscaping; one on pergolas, one on the details of concrete house construction, and one on how fireplaces work for heating and ventilation.

   In sum: this is more than just a plan book; the only bad point is that if this is your first exposure to plan books, then the subsequent ones you read will seem plain and lacking by comparison. Definitely should be in the collection of anyone interested in turn-of-the-century architecture, restoring houses, or adm

3 comments about Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Rammed Earth and Straw-Bale Architecture.

1. Learn how to build with earth, and straw. The one thing I didn't like about the book is that there are no photo's of finished projects.



2. This book educates the lay builder of "earth and straw" about the technical side of the mentioned building methods. This technical lingo is explained clearly for the person's understanding. This book bridges the gap between building inspetors and the "alternative" builder by increasing the technical knowledge of basic building structures and forces.



3. This book is definitely the funniest structural engineering book I have ever read. It is also useful for the professional, intelligible to the general reader, and attractively illustrated. King includes California's straw bale code, a comprehensive wish list for further testing, and a useful list of references for both stabilized earth and straw bale. Included are equations for the engineer who is ready to start designing right now, and a glossary for the lay reader who isn't quite sure of some of the terms. A valuable book which is also enjoyable to read. This is not always true of engineering texts!

2 comments about Library Design.

1. I've just loved the book, but it could have some technical details, like plans and sections of the buildings...



2. Plain and simple, this book is a rip off!,
   1> NO Information on Library design
   2> NO directory of library suppliers and distributors as stated!
   Only thing in this book are pictures of libraries from around the world
   with a few lines in English(captions)

3 comments about Using Natural Finishes: A Step-by-Step Guide.

1. This beautiful, practical book, filled with inspiring pictures and helpful instructions, encourages all of us to reclaim building practices that have been sustainable across many cultures for millennia. In first "Building with Cob" and now this book--both tributes to those who have gone before them perfecting natural building and finishing--Adam Weismann and Katy Bryce draw ancient wisdom into the 21st century, making it accessible for us all.



2. This book is a must for everyone's library! Not only does it apply to vernacular architecture such as adobe and reed mat, but modern architecture such as concrete and brick as well. While the focus of the book is finishes, it begins with information on wall systems and preparation and ends with samples of international finishes. The chapters on plasters, renders and paints are packed with recipes for making your own finishes, sidebars containing interviews with hands-on professionals, even laboratory and on-site test data--everything to make your project rewarding and enjoyable. "Using Natural Finishes" truly is step by step, using both illustrations and clear, well written text to enable the reader to discover the wonder of natural ingredients. You definitely cannot go wrong with this purchase!



3. I have just received my copy of "Using Natural Finishes" and I have not put it down since opening it. It is a stunning book. Filled to the brim with easy to follow "how to" instructions and great ideas for beautiful natural finishes. It's hard to believe, when seeing the photos of what others are doing with all natual products, i.e., the gorgeous pigments from nature and the soft organic curves created by natural plasters, AND very importantly, the health and economic benefits of using natural finishes, that more home builders in the U.S. are not building truly "green". Adam's and Katy's first book, " Building with Cob", and now their latest, "Using Natural Finishes", are great resources for the natural building revolution in this country.

No comments about 25 Tropical Houses in Singapore and Malaysia.

No comments about Creating Great Town Centers and Urban Villages.

4 comments about Landscape Planning: Environmental Applications.

1. Clearly explained wetland designations and issues. Good in preparation for the LARE exams part B.



2. This may be one of the best introductions to environmental planning for geography students interested in the application of physical geographic techniques. When inquiring minds ask how a Geography major like myself ended up doing septic plan review as a county Environmental Health Specialist I simply point to Marsh's chapter on waste disposal and describe the necessary physical parameters familiar to physical geographers (soil types and percolation rates, groundwater levels, slopes and topography, surface water, geohazards, mapping, etc). There is something for everybody in this book and you don't have to be a geography major to benefit. A very practical text.



3. I am a student in environmental planning and have found this book to be extremely useful. It address a variey of things such as watershed, storm discharge, streamflow, etc. It really gives the reader an idea of how to design with nature.



4. This book was a great tool for the beginning landscape architect. Many great tools for land planning including equations and tables and charts to determine various things like water runoff, erosion, sun exposure, and much more.

3 comments about The Finest Houses Of Paris.

1. Lovely pictures of Paris interiors -nothing really fancy or grand, but still very luxurious homes.



2. Don't let a fondness for Proustian luxe sucker you into purchasing this book containing mediocre photography and a text of perfumed flatulence. The ostensible purpose of the book is to reveal French urban, aristocratic taste as of the late twentieth century, or more accurately the taste of their designers (the usual cast of Henri, Renzo, etc.)and other arbiters of taste (Hubert, Alexis, Carlos, etc.). Certainly, there are more than enough interiors of the mummefied magnificence that comes from cocooning staggering numbers of objects in layer after layer of fabric (WARNING: Do not try at home. If you do not possess first-rate things and have access to the production from the best mills in Italy and France, you will achieve only The Old Junkshop look), but the pictures are uniformly fuzzy, muddy and printed on poor quality paper. Most maddening of all, the photography neglects genuine masterpieces (you cannot catch more than a glimpse, for example, of the incomparable Ingres portrait of Betty Rothschild) while devoting page after page to boring tabletop vignettes usually consisting of a few knicknacks and photographs of long-dead nobodies as children. In fact, the real purpose of the book is apparently to provide the author with a vehicle to boast about her ancestors (many of those same long-dead nobodies) and the elegant life they led. There is also a stench of moral decay most evident in the fawning description of Lady Mosley with an outrageous defense of British fascism before World War II. Mostly, however, the premise of the book seems to be that you are what you own, or more accurately what you inherit -- a concept so inherently ridiculous that even the owners of the homes depicted in the book had the good sense for the most part to insist on anonymity. If you truly want to revel in the atmosphere of things past, make yourself a cup of tea, find a hard biscuit and settle back in your recliner with the first volume of you know what.



3. Though the title under which this book was released in France "Visite Prive" is perhaps more telling and appropiate for this volume, the homes included are no doubt among the finest to be found in that wonderful city. Most notably, the Rothschild's Hotel Lambert, is probably one of the finest homes to be found anywhere in the world. Truly a house fit for royalty for these kings of banking and bankers of kings. The home of couturier Hubert de Givenchy is another which exemplifies "French taste" and elegance even if we visit it in a more simplified state of grandeur then it was to be found some years ago before Mr. de Givenchy sold off a good part of his exceptional collection of antiques. Mme. de Nicolai-Mazery really brings these houses to life as she pays friendly visits to their inhabitants and informs as much about these notables of French society as she does about the houses they inhabit, many of which are truly family houses and have been handed down trough generations. All in all the book is a must for any lover of Paris and France as it illustrates French social life and culture in this cultural capital of the world. Highly recommended.

3 comments about Round and About Chatsworth.

1. Just in case you were wondering -- Dowager: a widow holding property received from her deceased husband.
   
   The palace and surrounds of Chatsworth have been in the same family for more than 450 years. It consists of some 35,000 acres and 450 houses. Each year a half million visitors come to the house, and countless more come to take a walk in the vast park areas.
   
   In this book the Duchess provides a guided tour of the estate as it exists today and complements it with pictures out of the past. It is most interesting to see a building as it exists today just above another picture made in 1900, or perhaps a painting from the 1700's when the building was new.
   
   This book would be a good suggestion as a gift for anyone planning on a visit to England. It's just as nostalgic as you would expect and great reading.



2. Just in case you were wondering -- Dowager: a widow holding property received from her deceased husband.
   
   The palace and surrounds of Chatsworth have been in the same family for more than 450 years. It consists of some 35,000 acres and 450 houses. Each year a half million visitors come to the house, and countless more come to take a walk in the vast park areas.
   
   In this book the Duchess provides a guided tour of the estate as it exists today and complements it with pictures out of the past. It is most interesting to see a building as it exists today just above another picture made in 1900, or perhaps a painting from the 1700's when the building was new.
   
   This book would be a good suggestion as a gift for anyone planning on a visit to England. It's just as nostalgic as you would expect and great reading.



3. The author, The Duchess of Devonshire, is a British national treasure. She has overseen the preservation of one of England's greatest houses, Chatsworth, and then chronicled it in several volumes with enriching personal insights. Round And About Chatsworth is a must for Anglophiles. It is a charming blend of her delightful personality with a tour of this great English home and it's gardens.