3 comments about Building Layout.

1. I am a do-it-yourselfer and I read a lot of books on various trades to teach myself to perform work rather than pay others to do the work for me. I ordered this book because I am building a 24 x 60 metal building for a 4-car garage. I thought this book would take me step-by-step through laying out the location, foundation, walls, etc, which it does, but not at the beginner level. I would guess that this book is written for someone who has some on the job training at construction sites and time behind a transit laying out a foundation. It will take me a little more reading and practice with the transit while using this book, but it is certainly not the step-by-step guide for the avereage homeowner or DIYer.



2. it was so easy to log on amazon and type in the isbn and find exactly the book i needed at much lesser price than the college bookstore. the book was in great condition deliver right to my door just in time for school.



3. Excelent book for the home builder or student civil engineer wanting to understand the basics of site / building layout.

No comments about Retail: Architecture & Shopping.

1 comments about Mirrors of Paradise: The Gardens of Fernando Caruncho.

1. Mirrors of Paradise is a truly inspired presentation of a diverse sampling of Fernando Caruncho's architectural genius writ large on the landscape. A highly imaginative gardener by disposition, Caruncho possesses an idiosyncratic eye for wrinkles in the formal geometry of what is usually mundane. And the capacity to ingeniously comment on what he observes through design innovations which exhibit both wit and poignancy. To take but one example of this phenomena, in the Ollauri Garden which was designed in the mid nineteen-eighties, where a traditional water jet might be placed in the middle of numerous individual fountains making up a large flat reflecting pool, Caruncho plants single tall cypress trees in stone troughs. What a revelation this transformation of the ordinary creates! Such touches of imaginative whimsy permeate this man's work. But it is not caprice for its own sake. Every action is deliberate and conveys meaning. Every formal element tells a story. Mirrors Of Paradise is exceptionally well-designed, well-written, and contains a wealth of photographic images that do great justice to a man's work which is visually stunning, intellectually sophisticated and imaginatively pure.

4 comments about Ultimate Kitchen Design (Ultimate Books).

1. Some comments about this book:
   
   1) It's all pictures, not text. Something which I like (personal preference though). 700 pictures/500 kitchens.
   
   2) Most of the kitchen (including the "romantic/traditional" ones) are really modern ("European" as some would call it here), not a book for people looking to create the "traditional" kitchen. Something I like, but again a personal taste.
   
   3) I actually do not like most of the kitchens layouts in the book (again personal taste), but it helped me a lot to decide about combinations of materials (dark floor/light floor, corian/stone, metal/wood, etc.). I now know what NOT to do.
   
   All in all, a good source of ideas.



2. The book is great if you want 700 pages of sterile looking European kitchens. But if you want lots of ornate wood and raised panel cabinet doors, find a different book; this isn't it.



3. I think the kitchens are all european. The pictures are mostly full page. There is almost no text. There is very little sourcing (names of some designers in tiny type on the side of the picture, you'll have to google to find contact information, and then they'll be somewhere in europe.). This isn't a guide to fixtures. This is a book you'd use to communicate what you want to architects.
   
   I love this book, but again, there is no sourcing, and you can't use it as a guide to fixtures.



4. Whether you are working with a designer, building a house or just looking for ideas, this is an important and valuable book. NOTE: it is 99% photos of different styles and designs of kitchens. It is broken up into modern, country, minimalist, etc, and each section has about 30 photos of different kitchens. It contains no descriptions of materials or how toos. The photos are fabulous and the ideas are varied. I guarantee that you will find a kitchen that fits your style in this books. Good luck!

No comments about Roman Art In Context: An Anthology.

2 comments about Cabins of Minnesota (Minnesota Byways).

1. The pictures are like something out of a dream, or a very old memory, tantalizing glimpses that one wants to attend more closely. I studied the pictures, each one a little fantasy, and turned the page hoping to see more specifics, but instead found another dreamy fragment. The text is similarly meandering, taking a leisurely pace through the idyll of cabin life.
   
   I gave the book only 3 stars not because there's anything subpar about what's in it, but because what's in it only skimmed the surface of my interest in cabins. I wanted more technical information. I wanted floorplans or demographical statistics.



2. The beautiful scenery of a MN cabin on a MN lake!
   "Wow!"
   
   Breath taking!
   
   Mark Salinas, MN

1 comments about Masonry Construction Manual.

1. There's nothing else quite like these construction manuals: highly technical information aimed at architects and engineers, presented very stylishly. Because this one concerns masonry, the most general purpose of building materials, it seems to cover all aspects of building science--energy efficiency, moisture and sound control, fire safety (very briefly) etc. It also gives basic overall structural engineering guidelines, e.g. allowable dimensions for unsupported walls, and more, for the reader who is already conversant with stresses, shear forces, and so on, and who is interested in reading several pages on, say, how to interpret cracks in walls.

   Apart from the historical overview which begins it, it is essentially a summary and explanation of the German building codes, and supplies voluminous data from them in the form of tables and graphs. And, of course, it ends with the detailed examples, with meticulous drawings, for which the publisher is famous.

5 comments about 100 of the World's Best Houses (Architecture).

1. This book gives a complete perception of the houses described, because of plans and multiple views inside the houses. That is what I expected from a book like that: not only a compilation of pictures



2. I have seen almost every house in this book published before and the ones that i hadn't seen weren't anything special. In fact several of the homes are quite old by Moore Ruble, Predock, Gwathmy, etc. If you have a collection of residential books allready, pass this one over.



3. Although this book has more than a handful of great contemporary homes, we get only a teasing glimpse of each of them. The author would have been better off reducing the number of houses covered, and doing a more in depth coverage of each of them. The book could have been improved by calling it, 25 or 50 of the worlds best houses, and doing a more comprehesive spread on each house. The few pictures we get of each house are of good photographic quality, but the scene selections and angles the houses are shot at, don't give the best representation of them. I have seen several of these same houses in other publications (books or magazines) and have seen them shot from better angles. Another complaint, but this one is subjective, is that, for me, there were too many "woodsy" houses in the book.
   I realize that this is only my opinion and taste, but for me, I like my contemporary homes very minimal and sleek, and with a touch of industial in the mix, with no sign of wood. There are a few like that in the book, but the majority of them are mostly wood based.
   I did purchase and keep this book, feeling it had enough fresh ideas to merit keeping it. Again everything is relative, and compared to most other contemporary architecture books, this ones a keeper.



4. This coffee-table book is massive in size. I wouldn't say that it's a cerebral book which offers much in architecture literature. The introduction is rather superficial which defines the meaning of private dwellings by Catherine Slessor, the managing editor of The Architectural Review. Her comment is simply most of the featured dwellings here are commissioned by affluent clients & they do have an impact upon the landscape, fulfillment of their lifestyle circumstances, enabling them to express themselves as much as the architects who design those dwellings. The book cut into the chase immediately with illustrations of 100 houses which span around the world. I'm pleasantly surprised that some houses in New Zealand are featured too. There are many types of houses ranging from International House to Deconstructivism to Post Expressionism to Minimalism to Intelligent House (regulating the temperature in the house by using passive means to conserve energy) & the list goes on. Should readers would like to read more about those houses, there are briefs provided at the end of the book. It would be good if there are headings given in the book but obviously, it's not done in this instance. It would be ideal if contact information for architects are provided in this book as some architecture books would have done. There are enough pictures to keep us interested and ocassionally building plans. It would be interesting if editor shares with us how she picks those houses that are featured in this book because I would like to think that preferences are rather subjective. Therefore, for what she thinks is the best 100 houses in the world, other people might not necessarily think so. Perhaps, the choice of the title of the book is questionable. Anyhow, this book does provide us with a broad view of available houses in the world. I wouldn't say that this is a definitive architecture book or a book that you should have in your collection. However, as a reference material, it shall made do. A book with enormous potential but ultimately, disappointing. By the way, many of the houses here come from the States. Is it because other places in the world are devoid of creativity or that Americans do put a lot of effort into their homes?



5. This book provides a nice selection of contemporary home design, and not just the unatainable homes often depicted in such volumes. Floor plans are included, and the photography and quality of reproduction is first-rate. Highly recommended.

3 comments about Waddesdon Manor: The Heritage of a Rothschild House.

1. This book is wonderfully put together. The photos are vivid and the history of the house is facinating. This is truely a grand English Estate, even if done in the french style usually favored by the Rothschilds. This first family of banking always lived in the most amazing homes, like the home of the U.S. ambassador to France and the Rothschild estate in the south of France. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves European elegance; just a beautiful book. Now if someone would just do a book on Felieres, outside Paris, the ultimate Rothchild grand estate.



2. For anyone interested in beautiful things, especially houses, I highly recommend this book. It is very informative and gives a lot of insight into the Rothschild family. I loved the pictures of which are beautifully shot. I also believe that the price range is very good considering it is a great book to own and of the finest quality. I have read it thoroughly many times and it does not come apart ike other books that I have.



3. Waddesdon Manor: The Heritage Of A Rothschild House is a gorgeous coffee table book, filled cover to cover with fabulous full-color photographs depicting an extraordinary house in the English countryside near London and its 125-year history. Showcasing romantic gardens, a superb private wine cellar, a wondrous aviary and much, much more, Waddesdon Manor is an incredible tour through culture, time, architecture, and interior design. The detailed text, drawing from previously unpublished research, memoirs, family and retainer reminiscences, takes the reader on a step by step tour through rooms and eras alike in this classical volume recommended for students of architectural history.

3 comments about The Campus Guides: University of California Berkeley.

1. I've worked at this university for many years, and walked past many of the buildings described in this book without really wondering what their stories were. This book opened my eyes to the treasures that have surrounded me. (I think of the old jazz standard "How Long Has This Been Going On?") Mr. Helfand's knowledge of the history of the campus is matched by the intelligence of his appreciation.



2. I really enjoyed this book, and many others in the series.
   
   I did attend Berkeley, but my interests in architecture, photography, and history- specifically that of higher education in America, made this an excellent addition for me.
   
   Easy read, wonderful pictures... I just really enjoyed it. Great for moments of fond nostalgia. Go Bears!



3. this book does a great job painting berkeley in a very positive light and diving into its rich history. highly recommended because of the overall quality of the text and photographs.