5 comments about Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods.

1. Arrived quickly and in great condition. Box could have used some stuffing such as foam or bubble wrap. Otherwise great choice.



2. it has real pictures explaining the details and materials not just 2d line drawings. great book



3. This is the best resource for someone who's starting to study for the ARE tests, and for the profession in general, and for anyone related or making GOOD CONSTRUCTION. It's totally worth the price, because its a hardbook cover and you will use it for the rest of your life.



4. This is an amazing book and a very pleasant to read and look into the diagrams and figures. This is a must for any Architect and designer to understand the issue of constructibility and structural erection.
   
   Also it is an excellent text book, sophisticated yet easy to comprehend.



5. The book could have gone into greater depth about reinforcing steel and formwork for concrete but these are minor drawbacks in an otherwise really helpful book which is a must for the budding architect and construction engineer or indeed for anyone working in the construction industry.This volume covers each aspect of building construction in quite a bit of detail. The illustrations are superb. The best I've seen for a book on this material for this price range.

5 comments about Building Construction Illustrated.

1. Excellent condition for a used item and for the price too. The books from Francis Ching are always very pleasent to read and to have.



2. This book includes details for virtually every imaginable situation in architecture. It is not only useful for creating details for your own project, but will also help you decipher the details in other people's projects. A necessary supplement to any Materials and Methods course.



3. awesome book with everything one could need to get a well rounded idea of how structures are put together. this book was recommended by many of my professors and is especially useful when trying to understand and draw interior and exterior details. it is a must have in any interior designer or architects library!!!



4. From my title, one would assume that I mean that this book has few illustrations. Quite the contrary, it has many illustrations, some of which are important, but the problem is that the book does a fairly poor job of giving enough detail, both in illustration and writing, on any given aspect of building anything.
   
   The whole book reads more like a survey class at college where one learns that all these things exist but couldn't for the life of themselves describe any one thing in any useful detail. For those of you who've been to college I think you know what I mean. I purchased this book in the hope that it would help me better understand the scope of some larger projects I may have coming at mid-summer, but I was astonished to find that most of the information was so elementary that it was worthless.
   
   This book will not tell you how to really truly build a building. If you are clever there is enough information that you could do the job right, but it says nothing about the real-world situation of a project. There is not nearly enough information about how and when an electrician or plumber should come in, or a finish carpenter, and how they would best be helped to improve communication and timing of the project. There are some key things that can be gleaned, but by the title of the book one would not be far off in thinking that it was a book about building. It is not. This book is about the General Ideas behind construction of residential and commercial sites. Think about it. There would need to be double the pages to cover both!
   
   I'm sure for something down the road I will be able to get something useful out of the book, but for now it is mainly on my shelf for show. The price should come down to about $20 as well because there is nothing in here that cannot be found out online or elsewhere. Its just a summary of the ideas of others.
   
   Finally, there was some chatter about the new materials that are used in modern construction; where? Where in this book does it tell us of any specific types of these "new" "green" products or techniques? Name one?
   
   Before buying please realize this book is for future project managers that are half the age of their wiser employee's. This information is for 18 year old college kids.



5. Smooth transaction and great price. The packaging, however, is a little too much. I am not really sure why a used book was shipped in a big box filled with bits and pieces of styro foams. It's a little messy.

5 comments about 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School.

1. I do not have any real design sense, I can't draw, and I don't know anything about architecture - but still I love this book. I'm a software developer, and I'm constantly amazed by how many parallels exist between the software design that I do and the more concrete, physical design that architects focus on.
   
   Some of the entries in the book are architecture-specific, but for the most part this book is just absolutely packed with wisdom about design in the abstract. I keep it on my desk at work and flip through whenever I have a down moment. 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School always leaves me with something to think about, and I'm sure it makes me a better developer.



2. As I said this is not a heavy book. Very approachable for students and will introduce you to all the terms that professors are going to say. Great for a giggle after you graduate and look back at all of the silly things that you learn, do and worry about in architecture school.



3. I have a BA and MA in art but always felt like I was a missing something...the structure that grounded the imagination. I enjoy building/remodeling and, because of my ability to conceptually understand how forms work together, my husband always said I was an Egyptian architect in a past life and probably worked on the pyramids. This little fun-to-hold book is the answer to my prayers. It puts in words concepts I already subconsciously understood, but didn't realize were architectural in origin; like #34 "Frame a view, don't merely exhibit it" (as a designer, work to carefully shape, size, and place windows such that they are specific to the views and experiences they address). This is my new favorite book - bought the first copy in San Francisco at the DeYoung Museum gift shop - liked it so much I bought three more as gifts. As a professional event planner - I've already applied some of the 101 tips to the design of my tented installations. No need to spend years in architecture school to learn the theories of architecture - this is a great source of easy-to-understand information as well as a great value...and, the physical design of the book is like holding a little piece of sculpture. This may be the smallest most important book you ever buy.



4. it's a great little thing for anybody who studied architecture and knows something about architecture student's life ... ;) perfect as a memento from an architecture school.



5. My girlfriend is an architecture student and I am not in the field. I really like talking to her about her project, but needed some insight so that I would have a better idea of what she was describing. This book has not only helped me nail down some of the architecture jargon, but has also taught me a lot about her thought process. I really like the way concepts are really broken down. The quotes and figures are perfectly placed to illustrate the author's points. I recommend this book for any novice that is getting in to architecture. I can definitely see how this would be a handy reference guide and, at points, inspirational source for new architects.

5 comments about A World History of Architecture.

1. this is a good overview of architectural history. I just wish that I had gotten the paperback version instead of this heavy hardcover.



2. TERRIBLE. Never got the book, and NEVER received an email after I contacted him/her about the status of the book.



3. This Second Edition of "A World History of Architecture" is an exact reprint of "Buildings Across Time", Third Edition by the same authors and publisher.
   The difference? Price. $52 more! Just check the other book. For a while the First Edition was out of print so I was forced to use "Buildings Across Time" (I teach architecture at a Community College so price is very important to me). While I understand that the publishers have to make a profit, how is that that they can "afford" to sell this book for $41 while an exact copy of the "approved" higher education version is $92?
   I welcome the addition of notable examples in the last chapter but I have a problem with the removal of many other buildings. Just to name a few that were present in the First Edition and are missing from the Second: Biskupin, Ishtar Gate, Temple of Ramesses II, Great Stupa at Borobodur, Caernarvon Castle etc. I am not sure what this cleansing is all about, both editions are 592 pages. Granted something had to give since there are new examples throughout.
   I am only writing this in a hope that the Third Edition would include the missing examples from First Edition. If number of pages is fixed, just make some of the photographs smaller. Come on McGraw-Hill, you can do it!



4. I got this book for my Architecture class this fall. It was cheaper online than at any of the university bookstores and it shipped VERY quickly. It was also sent in a secure package, and arrived intact, which is problem I ran into with some other books I ordered this summer, not from this seller however.



5. The making of buildings from natural materials is older than the recorded history of the human race. Even in paleolithic and neolithic eras there were remarkable, complex, and enduring structures as evidenced by archaeological discoveries. The collaborative work of the team of Michael Fazio (Professor Emeritus of Architecture, Mississippi State University), Marian Moffett and Lawrence Wodehouse (both of whom have extensive careers teaching architecture at the university level), and now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "A World History Of Architecture" begins with the advent of the city state architecture beginning with the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Hittites, Assyrians, and Egyptians, then proceeds with an architectural survey of the ancient Greece, India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and the Romans. There are detailed chapters covering the distinctive architecture of the Early Christians and Byzantines, Islam, medieval and romanesque Europe. Also presented are informative chapters on Gothic architecture, indigenous American and African architecture, as well as the buildings and structures of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. The final four (and extensive) chapters deal with 18th, 19th, and 20th century architectural advances, as well as 'Modernisms in the Mid- and Late Twenty-First Century and Beyond'. Superbly illustrated throughout, the text is consistently informed and informative, making "A World History Of Architecture" a critically essential addition to academic and community library Architectural Studies collections -- and is especially recommended for non-specialist general readers with an interest in architectural history.

2 comments about The Architecture Student's Handbook of Professional Practice.

1. "The Architecture Student's Handbook of Professional Practice" has 4 parts, including the profession, the firm, the project, as well as contracts and agreements.
   
   Each part is further divided into chapters and subchapters, including:
   
   Professional life, legal dimension of practice, and professional development
   
   Developing a practice, running a practice, marketing and public relations, client relations, human resources, financial management, risk management, and firm operation
   
   Project definition, project delivery, project management, quality management, and building codes and regulations
   
   Types of agreements and AIA contract documents
   
   It also has some useful appendixes: Resources for intern architects, allied professional organizations, state registration boards, schools of architecture, sample AIA contract documents, glossary and Index.
   
   Most of Americans will open a book, read an average of 18 pages, and then put it away and let it sit on the shelf. I guess most architecture students will look through the table of content of this book, and look up the portion when they need it, and then put it away.
   
   One suggestion I have for AIA is to publish an abridged edition and reduce the number of the pages to make it more usable, and focus on the issues that young architectural professionals have to deal with everyday or 80% of the time in real architectural practice.
   
   "The Architecture Student's Handbook of Professional Practice" has 720 pages. Overall, it is a useful resource for architecture students.
   
   Gang Chen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Author of "Architectural Practice Simplified," "LEED GA Exam Guide," "Planting Design Illustrated," and other books on various LEED exams, architecture, and landscape architecture



2. This is required reading for many professional practice courses and is very useful beyond school. The content is a compilation of articles from experts and very well written with essential information readily available in each chapter. I would highly recommend getting the book at the beginning of any architectural studies as it is the best measure of the actual business of architectural design.

5 comments about Statics and Strength of Materials for Architecture and Building Construction.

1. This "text" book has a lot of nicely drawn images and plenty of problems to work on but when you look through it to help figure out how to solve the problems the book is USELESS in pretty must every sense of the word.
   Also the setup is odd making it hard to look back through the book and distinguishing between example problems and homework type problems making you even more frustrated when trying to teach yourself how to solve a problem.



2. It felt like the book to a little longer than expected, but arrived as advertised. Good transaction.



3. I bought this book to help as an aid in my studies and it did halp give a better understanding of structural engineering.



4. I am taking a Structures class for my construction management degree. I purchased this textbook as a back up to the one that was assigned. The illustrations and sample problems cover the topic clearly and systematically. I recommend the book for those interested.



5. Usually, when you're turned off by a technical book, it isn't because you're too stupid to read it - it's because the concepts lack illustration in a way that promotes stimulation. This book has big helpings of illustrations made especially to enhance the experiences of learning what would otherwise be difficult or at the least abstract ideas in statics. The thrust is architecture, but the worth of the book goes beyond architecture into engineering. Excellent for community college courses in construction and mechanics.

5 comments about What Your Contractor Can't Tell You: The Essential Guide to Building and Renovating.

1. We're just in the process of putting out to bid plans to remodel our home. We live in an upscale area where multi-million dollar homes aren't unusual so our significantly, significantly less than that budget pales in comparison to what most of the contractors in the area are accustomed to. Also, they are accustomed to working on a time and materials basis for absentee owners. (If you don't know now why time and materials isn't a particularly good way to work with a contractor or why using a time and materials approach might be an especially bad idea if you are seldom on-site, you will after you read this book.)
   
   This book has been a lifesaver in helping me understand the construction process. Learning the various methods contractors can use to pad their bills at your expense (e.g. claim to work more hours than they do), how to use alternate bidding to give us options as we move through the work, how to minimize the expense of change orders, what a construction schedule looks like, what a draw schedule looks like, etc. etc. has been tremendously useful. I'm sure this book has saved me thousands of dollars because I now know better what to ask the contractor for during the bidding process.
   
   For the price of this book, you can save yourself lots of heartache as well as dollars.
   
   Do note that a lot of the author's experience seems to be in areas that have, from my perspective, amazingly low labor rates. She uses examples of budgets for remodels that wouldn't allow you to put up a garage around here. But the principles she employs are still sound.
   
   You may also want to look at "The Homeowner's Guide to Managing A Renovation" by Susan Solakian which expands on the ideas set out in "What Your Contractor. . ." The two combined are terrific, allowing you to know which approaches are tried and true and which may be more a matter of an author's personal preference. I recommend both strongly.
   
   Note: this book was previously published under the title "What the 'Experts' May Not Tell You About Building or Renovating Your Home."



2. I read at least seven books on how to manage your remodel or how to hire a contractor, but this book was so valuable I decided to purchase it to have my own copy handy for our remodel. The author provide explicit advice on how to go about each of the crucial steps in planning your remodel and how to interact with the contractor and provides 'real world' advice and expectations.



3. this book is is unique and essential for anyone looking to get the most out of their builder and protect what is most likely their largest investment



4. If you are planning on a remodel or build and plan to hire a contractor, you will be glad you purchased this book. To summarize, it is all about the plan. And all the different ways contractors can separate you from your money. It does not say contractors are dishonest, but it does help you spot the tricks they can use and understand how the industry works.



5. For most of us - the investment we make in home renovation is one of the most expensive single investments that we will make -- and it makes sense to be as well prepared as possible for the role we need to play in a renovation venture. This book is a solid overview of the fundamentals of your role as a customer -- a very important role, when you consider your professionals' incentives are not aligned with yours...

5 comments about Experiencing Architecture, 2nd Edition.

1. The book was in great condition and it arrived when I expected it to arrive. The book contains elements to architecture that you cannot find absolutely any where else. It talks about experiences and ways that structures can bring out human emotions and feelings that one cannot register by simply entering into a building. Though this book explains what happens when you are in a building that evokes emotion. Its great.



2. 7/09 Steen Eiler Rasmussen's "Experiencing Architecture" was my introduction to Architecture in the 1st semester of my 1st year (1964) in Architecture School. We were also assigned Robert Venturi's "Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture" during my 2nd sememster. While I do appreciate Venturi's work, I am still scratching my head over his maiden literary effort. Rasmussen's straight forward explanations and illustrations of form, space, volume and light sank into my eager but confused brain. It helped me understand what Architecture meant as an expression of civilization and culture. When I had the opportunity to teach an introduction to Architecture after I graduated, I was warned that Rasmussen's work required a college level mastery of English. If reading comprehension is a challenge, be forwarned.



3. This book was required reading for my introductory class on architecture. I was debating whether I should be an architect or not and this influenced me to pursue it. It is one of those rare theory books that I had fond memories of reading. Rasmussen, unlike most writers, is very even handed in his presentation and doesn't steer the reader into any particular style. He provides the reader with a clearer understanding of architecture and the role of architects in shaping the built environment.



4. Experiencing Architecture, 2nd Edition
   In spite of it's age the book is still like a bible for people interested in architecture and used a lot in education. The language is not too complicated, its not too technical and there are a lot of simple but good illustrations.



5. I like this book very much, while reading, you feel like being on the place that is described and feel the architectural sensation.

5 comments about The Green Studio Handbook: Environmental Strategies for Schematic Design.

1. I love this book. It doesn't go into too much detail about each design solution that it offers, but it gives you enough to pick the right strategies for your project and gives you a direction for further research. Each design solution presented even includes resources you can go to for this further research. I've used it at the beginning of almost every term project since I got it.



2. This is such a great resource. Clearly written and wonderful visuals for understanding all the intricacies of sustainable strategies.
   I highly recommend this book to anyone learning about passive solar; passive heating and cooling; sustainable building methods; geothermal; photovoltaics; and there are so many other great techniques in this book.
   This is the text book for my Green Design class.



3. The book does a decent job of listing many of the green approaches to building. However, I found it lacking more of the details that would have made it more useful from my perspective. I am not an architect. Maybe those details are less necessary for someone with that background. As a future owner of what I hope to be a green home, this is a decent book. However, "Your Green Home" by Alex Wilson is probably a better introduction to the field.



4. I love this book, it is very detailed and easy to read. It is organized very well and is really helpful. It covers a lot of the basics of sustainable design. I do wish that it went more in-depth with a few things, but it is more of an overview type book.



5. This is a great book for anyone interested in designing sustainable buildings. There are 7 sections - envelope, lighting, heating, cooling, energy production, water and waste and case studies- with different strategies in each. The sections are very clear and explain what each strategy is, how it's achieved, the problems and design considerations for each. Also there are lots of diagrams, charts and real-world examples. I would highly recommend this book it is very easy to read and it makes what may seem like complicated sustainable systems, easy to implement into your own designs.

5 comments about A Global History of Architecture.

1. i agree with all the previous reviews, this book is a must be and worth every penny you spend on it. the chronicle order of this book make it easy to understand and to be used as a reference... i recommend it for my students in the comparative class...



2. At first I thought the book would be too dry and encyclopedia like, but when I started reading the chapters, I was taken by the text. It moved along nicely, and though there is a lot of information, it is presented in a way that makes sense, and in a way that helps one navigate through the `big pictures' of history. The maps are nice but they sometimes could have more information on them. The book is a challenge to those who think linearly or for those who think that the history of architecture "begins" with the Egyptians and Greeks and then "ends" in US postmodernism; the purpose of the book is to keep the globe turning. Sometimes the authors go east to west and sometimes west to east. It takes a little getting used to, but I think people will appreciate the idea that history is a moving target. It makes for some interesting contrasts. Each chapter has its own particular logic, however, and tries to emphasize a particular theme, having to do with religion or politics. On page 511, there is an imaginary architecture tour that begins in Japan and ends in England; it was an eye opener for me. At that particular time, as the authors point out, though Europe was in the middle of the Renaissance, there was a lot of good stuff also happening in China, India, and Turkey, that cannot be simply ignored as part of some `other' tradition.' It was all interconnected. I also discovered the free Google Earth download from Wiley Press web site where all the buildings in the book are flagged! That has been a great help in lectures.



3. This book arrived on time and in perfect condition. I was pleased with the service and would order again.



4. This book is a sorely needed alternative to current textbooks. It is written in crisp and unsentimental style that conveys big themes but with an attention to details. The book is organized as a series of timelines beginning with 3500 BC and ending with a chapter on recent architecture. But instead of each chapter beginning at the same place in the world, each chapter begins somewhere differently.3500 BCE starts in China, 25 BCE in India, 1500 BCE in Egypt and 800 BCE with the Olmecs in Mexico. This constant turning and spinning of the globe is, in my view, quite exiting, as it gets students to learn how to be comparative in their thinking and simultaneously mobile in their intellectual understanding of history. Each chapter is introduced by a one page "take" on the architecture of each time section. These introductions, which serve as a text with a text, point out the themes of each chapter. Naturally in a work like this, one can talk about what is and is not included, but one has to give credit to the fact that book provokes that type of question in a positive way.
   
   A fascinating argument that the authors make is that from early on architecture was changing and adapting, and, in essence, `modern.' In other words, it is not that WE are modern and everything before us was linear and stable. The book in that sense not only wants us to get a sense of the global horizon of architecture, but also a sense that architecture is very much IN history, reflecting in very real and dramatic way the changes that take place not only in technology and economy, but also in religion and power, those being four identifiable subtexts of the author's approach to the material.
   
   I especially liked the chapter 1600 and its companion chapter "Architecture of Eurasian Power Block" which starts in Japan and works its way through Eurasia to England, not once but twice to emphasize the significance worldwide of the period 1500 to 1700 in the history of architecture. The drawings, sections, plans and photos work well with a text that is as densely packaged as this. And finally, it is worth noting that the book also serves to give the students fundamentals in the various global architectural vocabularies, Greek, Chinese, Hindu



5. I pre-ordered Ching's new book months ago based just on his outstanding work in his previous books. I wasn't disapponted. The timeline organization gives a much-needed new comparative perspective on architecture around the globe and across time. Ching's illustrations and choice of photos are just enough to illustrate the excellent text. This is yet another example of Ching's talent as an architectural illustrator and teacher of arxchitecture.