2 comments about Marrakech: Living on the Edge of the Desert.

1. What an inspirational book, beautiful photos, just makes you want to go and visit, so instead you can create I little bit of Marrakech in your own home which I have decided to do with some lovely paint and lots of cushions a great book to flip through and dream



2. 
   Marrakech, that magically mysterious place in Southern Morocco - just the sound of the name gives birth to visions of intrigue, romance, secrets. It is, perhaps, the city many of us dream of visiting. Well, if Marrakech is not included in your vacation plans this year you can enjoy an in-depth colorful tour through the pages of this beautiful volume.
   
   Readers will find a telling description of the glories of this city: "With the coming of twilight Marrakech gives itself up to all manner of seduction, the senses discover the thrill of happiness. On the horizon it seems that all the purple in the world, in its infinite shades, has chosen the Atlas chain as its domicile...."
   
   Thanks to the spectacular photography by Florentine artist Massimo Listri we know this to be true. His camera takes us behind the high walls and enormous cedar doors of Moroccan houses to discover magnificently decorated interiors, with a melange of colors, fabrics and lighting all reflecting the blend of cultures found in the city - Berber, French, Spanish and Arab.
   
   One finds traditional homes called Dar as well as the magnificent palaces with interior gardens known as Riad. Some 27 residences are featured as well as twelve outside of the city. Each is unique, delightful with shaded yards, fountains and pools enhancing the lives of those who dwell on the edge of the desert. Where else would we find a pool with mother-of-pearl lining the bottom or a home in which artists have used "what might be called chiffon painting," which involves "processing the layers of plaster with a thin fabric, the only way to obtain certain faded blues and linen grays...."
   
   Daniel Rey, author of numerous travel accounts for Conde Nast Traveller and the Louis Vuitton City Guides, divides his time between Rome and Marrakesh. His narrative is a splendid companion to Listri's photographs as he details behind the scenes life in this contemporary Eden.
   
   If you have not already dreamed of Marrakech you surely will after browsing through this lush volume, which is surely one of the most enticing books to be found.
   
   - Gail Cooke

2 comments about China Modern.

1. This book is at the cutting-edge of today's modern Chinese interior design. The selection of the featured projects covers a wide range of style. Generally speaking, the majority of these projects are great works (except for one HK house). I have personally been to several of the places featured in this book. The text and the pictures captured the beauty of these places and provided rich information about the cultural values behind decoration and designing. Simply put, this is a high quality book. I can feel that the authors are really serious about the content and have done a lot of research. If you like Chinese style and modern decoration, this is definitely an excellent source.



2. written by obviously one of the region's foremost authorities on Chinese design and interiors having been in Hongkong with Elle Decor and other excellent publications for many years, Sharon Leece knows her way around the traditional feng shui and new leanings of the China elite as well as the western expat with a home and heart in Asia. Creative and informative text and fabulous photos take the reader on a trip into another world of China Decor uptil now unseen but sure to be come a trend worldwide. Check out her other China interior books for even more wonderful shots of lush and lavish spaces.

5 comments about Everyday Engineering: What Engineers See.

1. The book is quite small in size - smaller than a paperback novel. Each chapter starts with a page of text and then the rest of the chapter is pictures with no text. Not sure what they were trying to accomplish. If you look at the index page in the Amazon "look inside" feature, you have seen most of the book. To me this exactly the kind of thing that makes people suspicious of "creative types" - all form and no substance.



2. THis is a good book that emphasizes the profound impact of engineering on our daily lives. The book contains little texts but for those of us in engineering the pictures speak for them selves.



3. When I bought this book, I thought I'll be receive a lot of shared experiences from the author on how engineers see everyday interactions and situations. I didn't expect to see something familiar to Jane Fulton Suri - Thoughtless Acts?: Observations on Intuitive Design. On the contrary, Jane's book was an appetiser to me. But, to have another book that's similar in its style, I was hungry for a main course. I felt that this book wasn't worth as depicted. Tom Kelley, please help make this book better ...



4. "Thinking like an engineer" is a great idea for a book for designers, especially one that could encourage and develop methods of collaboration or cross-fertilization. This silly book--more of a pamphlet, really--is an utterly trivial effort. It's designer vanity publishing at its worst, a short pretty picture book for IDEO's clients to flip through in the reception area while waiting for the meeting.
   
   The problem is that "broken things" look equally broken to everyone. An engineer might see a problem as a stress or tensile failure, or too much weight applied to a surface, or a failed gasket. A designer might see failures of clarity, accessibility, or aesthetic appeal. But a picture of a rusty pipe is pretty much just that, and it's not instructive on its own. (By the way, use Amazon's "Search inside the book" feature to read the entire book using its clever index, which reproduces every image at thumbnail size with a helpful caption.)
   
   And if you want even more pictures of broken things, try the "thisisbroken" tag on [...] for an endless stream of them.



5. I was hoping for something insightful and educational. It turns out to be a picture book of design flaws that were never designed; rusty pipes, leaky faucets, etc. The text does not redeem, in any kind of instructional manner, what is essentially a foto album. With IDEO credited as an author, I was expecting much more insight into the design process.

5 comments about Superbia: 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods.

1. Although I haven't purchased this book, I have read a copy that I borrowed from a library.
   
   This is a very practical book. It is nice to know that there is a way in which suburbanites can become less car-dependent, and that you don't have to live in a city's downtown core to become less car-dependent! I also like the idea of suburbs becoming more like traditional towns surrounding each big city. If suburbs were like traditional towns, they would be much more pleasant and more interesting places to live in.



2. "Researchers have demonstrated that a feeling of community reduces suburban depression."
   
   The first pictures I observed upon opening this book were of a lovely neighborhood in much need of comfort and the beautiful results after the streets had been lined with trees. Sidewalks had also been created and pathways up to each front porch created a very inviting environment. The trees shaded the walkways and people enjoyed riding their bikes down the streets. The contrast was eye opening and the results very comforting. You can imagine the people living in this area finally feeling like they were home.
   
   The contents include:
   
   The Changing Face of Suburbia
   Reinventing Our Neighborhoods for Health, Profit, and Community
   Imagining a Sustainable Neighborhood
   How to Remodel a Neighborhood
   Germination: First Steps
   Leafing Out: Bolder Ideas
   Your Neighborhood Blossoms: Boldest Steps
   Suburban Revitalization I: Can This Dream Become a Reality?
   Suburban Revitalization II: Making Bold Dreams Come True
   Taking Care in the Neighborhood
   
   This book helps to emphasize the isolation of the typical suburban house and shows how the community design seems to emphasize private space instead of community. This promotes a lack of connection. Could the way we live promote depression and a lack of friendships? Could the way we build communities lessen domestic violence, encourage community interaction and promote a general feeling of well-being?
   
   Like Feng Shui, this book gives ideas for building or restoring neighborhoods to promote happiness and to reduce stress. While some say we are not a product of our environment, it only takes a little research to find out that where there is more hope and a greater sense of community, humans seem to thrive.
   
   "...research reveals that in a closely knit community, levels of serotonin (a natural anti-depressant) are higher, so the neighborhood is collectively more optimistic and energetic." ~pg. 26
   
   The transformations in communities is revealed in pictures that explore the role of nature in our comfort level. Would you rather live behind high brick walls or enjoy a more peaceful and serene landscape of short fences and flowered walkways? In one section, an alleyway between living spaces is transformed into a little piece of heaven.
   
   Some of the features include:
   
   Ten Basic Design Principles for Remodeling Neighborhoods
   How to Sponsor Community Dinners
   Neighborhood Clubs
   Organic Gardens
   Replacing asphalt with porous pavers - to reduce heat absorption
   
   As a child, I remember two types of homes. One with a backyard, tightly fenced in, and another with wide-open spaces and easy access to walking through community spaces. I can tell you, I preferred the latter.
   
   This book is filled with wisdom and great advice for city planners and I've seen the idea of producing an edible landscape work efficiently in some areas. As a child we used to pick fruit off trees on the walk home from school. It is a dream that can come true and this book has many ideas that once implemented will improve the lives of everyone in the community. By reading this book, you may also decide to move to a location that values these ideas.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review
   Currently living in an area without fences and lovely tree-lined walkways



3. Superbia! 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods is a "self-help" book for urban and suburban neighborhoods. The suburbs are often car-dependent, land-hungry, strictly residential neighborhoods that are often isolated from schools, workplaces and civic centers. They often lack convenient links to parks and mass transportation and are typically not developed in ways conducive to meeting people.

   But, these challenges provide numerous opportunities for positive change! People can reinvent their neighborhoods based on economic, environmental, and social values. Superbia! provides a checklist of Easy, Bolder, and Boldest Steps that can lead to safer, friendlier, livelier, healthier, more productive, diverse and vibrant neighborhoods. Neighbors can chose the steps they think will create a stronger sense of place and connection to people, nature, and culture.

   Easy Steps include sponsoring community dinners, establishing a community newsletter, and creating car and van pools for work commutes. Some neighbors have started book and investment clubs. For example, the Hillcrest Neighborhood Association in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sponsors a book club where neighbors "get together with fellow book enthusiasts to converse, discuss, and debate current bestsellers and classics," according to the group's website. Superbia! describes how there are hundreds of potential links between people within neighborhoods - links that can reduce time, human energy, and money spent by individuals on tight schedules as well as tight budgets. Easy Steps help people know one another better helping them discover links that lead to Bolder Steps.

   Planting a community garden or orchard is a Bolder Step. A composting project can serve the community garden and individual yards. Planting shade trees and windbreaks reduces energy costs, provides wildlife habitat, and increases property values. The Highlands Neighborhood in Littleton, Colorado, took a Bolder Step by tearing down fences. There was already a neighborhood tradition of parties in backyards, but neighbors decided to go a step further and took down their six-foot fences and opened the space to the neighbors creating a better sense of community.

   Boldest Steps include creating a community energy system and creating a common house and community-shared office. A Boldest Step was taken by New York's Darrow School when the failure of a conventional wastewater system provided an opportunity to install a Living Machine - a greenhouse-contained biological waste treatment facility that uses natural methods rather than harmful chemicals to recycle human waste. This system is also used as a hands-on laboratory for a variety of classes including science, chemistry, mathematics, and even art.

   With a history of how the suburbs came to be, 31 ways to make the suburbs better, examples of people who have created more sustainable neighborhoods, and a Resource Guide, readers can actively transform their suburbia into Superbia!

   Authors Chiras and Wann walk their talk. Chiras built and lives in a sustainable, solar home, and Dave Wann helped develop and lives in Harmony Village co-housing. They are also co-directors of the Sustainable Futures Society's Sustainable Suburbs project. Visit www.sustainablecolorado.org to learn more.

   Susan Bilo is an energy and resource conservation consultant with Sustainable By Design, LLC.




4. To inject life, fun and spontanaeity into North American suburbs will not be easy. Many neighbourhoods were built after WW II, when land and resources such as electricity and gasoline were plentiful and cheap; developers, government and the public were not very conscious of there being limits to, or issues with, creating vast car-centric suburbs. Now, many of us live in an energy-inefficient home on a long, straight street that forms one line in a grid that is populated by far more motor vehicles than pedestrians. Here, we easily grow fat and sedentary, often not knowing who lives one or two doors away.
   In Superbia!, the authors prescribe 31 steps to transform neighborhoods into places where there is a true sense of community, and where hard resources (e.g. cars, washing machines) can ultimately be shared by groups of families, and consumable resources (electricity, gasoline) are used in more environmentally responsible ways.
   The encouraging news is that neighborhoods in the USA, Europe and elsewhere have implemented these 31 steps. It often took a lot of persuasion of local politicians and bureaucrats to, for example, tear up existing streets to make them narrower, for the purpose of calming traffic. While the authors, to their credit, indicate that some of the 31 steps are plainly challenging to implement, and ential people changing their mental models, the authors at times neglect to address the role and response of some key stakeholders as neighborhoods transform themselves. For example, as I read the steps about removing fences between people's yards, and subsequent encouragement of kids in the neighborhood to congregate in certain areas of this newly-created 'open' space, I visualized the trepidation that the insurance companies covering these homes might have; what happens when you encourage everyone onto your property, and then someone gets hurt? In general terms, I felt that the book could at times have been more rigorous in tipping off the reader as to what to expect from other stakeholders relevant to the transformation process.
   I support what the authors propose. The main message I got from the book is: don't wait for politicians or developers to be the ones to build or retrofit neighborhoods that are environmentally sustainable, and offer building structures and juxtapositions to foster social cohesiveness; rather, strike out on your own, with the modest first step being to organize a potluck supper for your immediate neighbors. From there, transformation events can evolve; the authors have demonstrated, through numerous anecdotes, that this process can indeed work.



5. Superbia! is a strikingly simple book, proposing that neighbors can create
   friendlier and healthier neighborhoods by getting to know each other and
   working together. The beginning Steps it suggests are easy - things like
   having neighborhood potlucks and baby-sitting coops - but the advanced steps
   will take some real teamwork. You and your neighbors won't set up a
   neighborhood energy system or buy a house for use as a common building until
   a high level of trust is established. By the time the advanced steps are
   taken on, the neighborhood will be like an extended family, with all its
   benefits -- as well as liabilities.

   But Chiras and Wann argue that the benefits far outweigh the liabilities.
   For example, they don't propose a loss of privacy, but rather an increase in
   options and flexibility. What do we do when the car won't start, we go on
   vacation and the plants need watering, or we just need someone to talk to?
   Call a neighbor.

   This book is well-researched, documenting how neighborhoods took the shape
   they did, with wide streets, huge lawns, and barricade-like garage doors.
   The 50 million suburban homes in the U.S. (and all their associated
   infrastructure) are then seen in the book as ingredients for cooking up a
   better neighborhood. As the authors suggest, why can't we create common
   areas for the kids and a community garden by donating parcels of our
   backyards and creating a pathway where alleys used to be? Why can't we
   establish a neighborhood recycling system, a carpooling and even car-sharing
   system? Why shouldn't part of our yards also become low-maintenance, "edible
   landscapes" that provide cherries and grapes rather than just grass
   clippings?

   As the book compellingly asks, Why can't we work together to save time,
   money, and human energy, and in the process, have some fun? In the median
   income U.S. household budget, $3,000 a year could be saved if our costs for
   food, energy, entertainment, health, and transportation were reduced through
   neighborhood efforts that also meet an often- expressed need for a sense of
   community, and a sense of place.

   What Superbia! is about is basic improvements in the quality of our
   lifestyles. Less of an emphasis on buying our lives, and more on just living
   our lives. Far from being just a Utopia-like dream, the book's ideas are
   already being implemented in neighborhoods across the country, and several
   chapters in the book are dedicated to case studies of each Step - where and
   how it was implemented. Another series of chapters presents a fictitious
   neighborhood that walks the reader through the evolution of the Fox Run
   neighborhood, from suburbia to Superbia!

   If your neighborhood association needs a spark of energy, get a copy of this
   book and form a discussion group around it. At the very least, you'll
   emerge with a roster of neighbors and a fresh perspective on what a
   neighborhood can be.

1 comments about Art and Architecture in France, 1500-1700 (The Yale University Press Pelican History of Art).

1. The one sad thing about the new Yale University Press/Pelican history of art editions is that the samll format has been eschewed in favor of a large size coffee table book. The text has changed little, if at all. What has been updated is the bibliography, and many color illustrations have been added. However, even the illustrations have not changed in many instances, because Blunt, when he originally wrote the text in the 1950's worked with, wrote from, a very specific set of images, and these same images are still essential if the reader wants to comprehend his argument. With that said, this is probably still the best general accounting of French art and architecture in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, certainly the best for the beginner. Those looking for more detailed studies might turn to some of Blunt's other books (he was the leading scholar of French Baroque for over fourty years) or more recent scholarly works. One bit of gossip that makes the text more enjoyable is that Blunt was for many many years a Russian spy, involved with a circle of British men sending intelligence to the Russians, and when he was found out in the late 1970's he was stripped of his knighthood and of his post at London's restigious art historical institution, the Courtauld. Whether or not his activites in that capacity influenced his interpreation or his writing of the text is for you to find out.

No comments about Architecture: A World History.

No comments about Andrea Palladio: The Architect in His Time.

2 comments about Modernist Paradise: Niemeyer House, Boyd Collection.

1. I have been in the O.N. house and have contributed a few pieces to the collection of Michael and Gabriele Boyd. To me, it is the perfect house in design and functionality. The collection of early industrial design to mid century modern or simply put - from Breuer to Prouve and Eames. This book describes one of the best modern collections worldwide and offers pieces that any museum can envy along with the house that frees your spirit of unuseful clutter and lets you create. The house and functionality is in detail and written I invite anyone to enjoy this book for it is the best pictured private collection in a truly deserving setting. The effort and determination of M & G Boyd to renovate the O.N. house have paid off and as the book shows, they deserve every credit imaginable for it. What a house and outstanding modern collection. This book is a must have for any collector of modern industrial design, architectual design and good taste. Enough said... Just buy it and enjoy.
   Thank you for the book Michael & Gabriele. -
   D.Axer - Modern20



2. This book is beautifully put together in words and photographs. It is interesting, intelligent and informative. There is no better gift for those who appreciate good design. I recommend it whole heartedly.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2 comments about David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings.

1. the book is fully illustrated but the photos are small and hasn't good quality.
   it brings just a few and small projects, with little relevance.
   adjaye has just beggan his career as an architect.
   so, i think that this book came too early.



2. Nice book! Not as rich as 'David Adjaye houses'. This is common for a lot of effort in editing and producing a rich pallette of projects for the first publication.
   
   This book is not as rich with information as the first but examines a method and approach to public space and tectonics.
   
   I think its worth the read!

2 comments about Chinese Architecture: A Pictorial History (Dover Books on Architecture).

1. A large amount of scholarship, care and skill were put into writing this book. The detailed drawings reveal the structure of Chinese architecture (religious and monumental architecture, not commercial or domestic). The drawings are worth the price of the book, while the writing gets a bit boring. But, and this would entail changing the author's book drastically, it needs updating or overhauling--since the book was written 60-70 years ago (with a modern day foreward). It needs to go from Wade-Giles into the pinyin romanization of Chinese characters, and also needs a map or two highlighting where the structures are in China. A better book would be one that keeps his drawings, but uses his writing as source materials and then rewrites it to put things into a better context and flow.



2. Liang Sicheng is among one of the most outstanding Chinese scholars that I admire and respect deeply. As a young man,the beauty of Chinese architecture inspired him to be the first person who studied traditional Chinese architecture scientifically with western methods.After Liang graduated from U.Penn., he moved to Harvard and registered under Graduate School of Art& Science, where he chose the subject "Chinses Architecture". Because there had almost no references in the area, he promised his professor that he will back to China to collect first hand data, and than back to US to finish his study.
   The rest of his story is unbelievably dramatic.( You can find more details in <> by Wilma Fairbank)
   
   I am very glad for the reprint of this cheaper edition, this is the book that every historian of Chinese architecture should have.Highly recommended to Chinese historians as well as architecture lover.