2 comments about Immaterial/Ultramaterial: Architecture, Design, and Materials (Millennium Matters).

1. Toshiko Mori has sadly fallen into the trap of confusing the practice of architecture with merely writing about it. This once-talented architect has now become a parody of herself, a self-important academic smugly satisfied with the sound of her own rhetoric. As for the book, it documents new materials and systems. But the presentation is dry, more in the form of an industrial catalog, and lacks any substantive commentary on architecture itself. And I can't help wondering how many trees might have been saved if Mori and her clique edited out the repetitive and cliched use of words like "challenging", "distorting", "alienating" etc. Architectura and materials evolve; the first use of them, however experimental, is not always good. Like Mori's work, it is stylish, but not classic. Faddish, but not timeless. Pass this one up before it becomes embarrassing to have it on your bookshelf.



2. some very interesting projects by Harvard Design School students. projects are critically approached, its not just eye candy. seem to be on the cutting edge of this kind of exploration. and some interesting interviews of practioners

No comments about 100 Victorian Architectural Designs for Houses and Other Buildings (Dover Pictorial Archives).

4 comments about Magnificent Italian Villas and Palaces.

1. This book shows large, ornate villas and palaces. It has some great interior and exterior pictures and good text. It is an excellent book if that is what you want. I wish that it had some floor plans and more photographs of the gardens. I really wanted something with all sizes of villas with some floor plans as well as photos. Sometimes, there is no substitute for thumbing through a book before you buy it to see what you are getting.



2. This book has a fabulous collection of Villas in Italy. The photography is wonderful.



3. Great Pictures. If you really enjoy old world architect, you'll love this book.



4. Shakespeare's words define the extraordinary structures in this elegant Rizzoli book MAGNIFICENT ITALIAN VILLAS AND PALACES. This is one of those massive tomes to spread on the table or before a nightlight fire and enter another far more beautiful time. Massimo Listri is the gifted photographer who captured the exteriors, landscapes, interiors and art of these places of wonder throughout Italy. With an informative and entertaining text by Cesare Cunaccia, who in addition to being an architectural historian is a frequent contributor to Architectural Digest, this sampler of some of the various interesting villas and palaces found in Italy is one of the finest books of its kind.
   
   The sights and environments of the areas in which these estates exist are captured as aperitifs for the actual examination of each building. The two creators of this book spread their travel from the Villa Borghese in Rome to the Doge's Palace in Venice, including Tuscany for the Medici Villas and the Pitti Palace in Florence and the stops in Siena, to Lombardy (Lake Como and Lake Garda) and Naples, and even Sicily. Each structure is examined for its architectural details, its history, its gardens, and art treasures.
   
   Rarely has a book on architecture felt so comfortable to read and view. The flow is a fine mix between word and image and both Cunacci and Listri are exemplary in their presentation. A magnificent coffee table volume, this. 'We are such stuff as dreams are made on...' Grady Harp, November 05

1 comments about Ecological Houses (Architecture).

1. ECOLOGICAL HOUSES offers an international tour of over thirty homes which profile environmental thinking in residential architecture, making this a powerful pick for any collection strong in interior design and architecture, and for homeowners seeking inspiration for renovations or building. Old and new methods for building and living green are covered in a fine series of visual photos of interiors and exteriors perfect for any home or garden library, and for college-level collections strong in architecture.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

1 comments about Cool Pools and Hot Tubs.

1. This book has some innovative pools -- especially the one under a set of glass stairs in the entryway of a London building. There are indoor pools, outdoor pools, indoor-outdoor pools, the now-ubiquitous "infinite edge" pools and even "rustic" pools that look like natural ponds. Gorgeous! The book also covers Jacuzzis and pool-related structures, such as cabanas, waterfalls, and so on, but the focus here is high-end "cool" pools.

5 comments about The Mythic City: Photographs of New York by Samuel H. Gottscho, 1925-1940.

1. Samuel Gottscho's wonderful photographs combine an architect's eye with the mood of an Edward Hopper painting. Cool but never cold, these photos are simply beautiful. The noir-flavored night shots are among the finest, with the chiaroscuro of a John Alton film. Gottscho had the luck to be living during one of New York's most photogenic periods, after most of the Art Deco classics had been built but before the postwar clutter of shoebox skyscrapers had set in.
   
   Technically, this collection is very well produced, with sharp, lustrous photos on high-quality paper. Highly recommended for any fan of vintage urban photographs.



2. A friend of mine travelled to NYC not long ago and fell in love with this city. So my idea was to find a beautiful album about NY as a birthday present, but I didn't want to buy anything with average photographs of skyscrapers that repeat from one calendar to another.
   Thanks to the snapshots provided to this book review I felt that it should have a personal touch and wouldn't be boring. It turned out to be true! now I'm thinking about ordering another one for myself.



3. My husband and I used this beautiful book as a guestbook at our wedding.
   We met and fell in love in New York City. Now that we live abroad, we miss the place tremendously. The photos in the book are gorgeous and capture our love for the City. Our guests were very creative in using the book's format to write their wishes for us. I highly recommend this book if you love NYC!



4. This book was a total waste of money and time. Boring, repetitive and uninspired photos taken years ago by an architectural photographer for his clients and I have no idea why someone thought this worthy of publication.
   
   I'm planning on returning it.



5. I thought it was very apt to use the word mythic in the title of this wonderful book. Surely Samuel Gottscho as much as anyone helped to create the popular visual concept of the dynamic American metropolis, a city of towers by day and a kaleidoscope of dazzling light by night, his work must have especially influenced creative folk from comic book artists to Hollywood art directors, the graphic city image is straight out of his photos.
   
   Apart from the short intro essay the book is basically photos, divided into several sections and covering, for instance, bridges, Times Square, business, commercial and residential areas of Manhattan plus a few photos of the 1939 New York World's Fair. It is with the night photos where Gottscho really excelled. To achieve his luminous effect he took two exposures, one at dusk to define the building shapes and another some hours later to capture all the blazing window lights. I think these photos plus the ones of Times Square at night look quite stunning.
   
   Another reason I like the book is the coverage of streamline design that keeps on appearing in many of the photos, not just the skyscrapers but interiors of retail units, Radio City, some of the apartment interiors and obviously the '39 World's Fair.
   
   The book is well printed and designed and the paper makes the photos sparkle with their 200 dpi screen. The captions are basically the location, date and architect though frequently there is more detail provided where necessary. Overall I thought this was a fascinating photobook of what New York looked like in the recent past.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

No comments about Sustainab Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering.

1 comments about Architecture in Switzerland (Architecture (Taschen)).

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 architectÂ's ideas-to explain the arrival of their conclusions.
   I would really appreciate if all drawings were black w/ grey scale.
   It really needs more drawings and if the book would include detail drawings of the variety of materials the projects used, the book would be perfect.

No comments about Pamphlet Architecture 23 - Move: Sites of Trauma.

5 comments about American Houses: The Architecture of Fairfax & Sammons.

1. If anyone wonders at the taste of contemporary architects, the darlings of media critics, this book is a breath of fresh air and a reminder that good taste never dies. Several recent commissions for private homes are reviewed with excellent photographs and narrative. The architects Fairfax and Sammons were unknown to me prior to this book, but I now wish I had the means to employ them. American Houses: the architecture of Fairfax & Sammons is a book to enjoy again and again.



2. This is a classic architecture monograph. The photography is excellent, and the text really serves to frame the photography and declare the design philosophy of the firm. The portfolio of structures is mostly residential rather than institutional, though Fairfax and Sammons have put together (and included in the book) a plan for Marion Square in Charleston that will probably never be executed but is still beautiful.
   
   The houses contained within are all luxury accomodations with stunning classical details of delicate proportion. These architects practice a restrained neo-classicism that is both pure and original, and gives the neo-classical revival the quality it deserves. You're not likely to tire of these houses the way Robert A. M. Stern can leave you overwhelmed and then bored. Their work is like that classic song that fails to get your attention on first hearing, but becomes an all-time favorite after awhile. The work of Fairfax and Sammons reminds me very much of the classical masterpieces of Norman Davenport Askins. All the sites are located along the East Coast, where this type of architecture fits the historical context.
   
   The only reason I rated it 4 instead of 5 is that I find these books to be vastly overpriced, much the same way art folio are overpriced. Since books like this are meant to be browsed and enjoyed, and do not serve as technical manuals or textbooks, I find it hard to justify the prices. That said, if you can find this one for a nice discount and you appreciate fine neo-classical work, you'll enjoy this book.



3. OK, the book is very beautiful... just as described. However, it arrived with a torn dust jacket, several ripped pages and something gooey smeared on the back. Of course I returned it, but there was no comment space in the return screen. Amazon asked no questions as to why I was returning the book. They just gave me my money back. Buy the book; it's wonderful. I've never before gotten an Amazon book in this condition (this WAS a "new" book, not used). Oh well.



4. Fairfax & Sammons have designed a series of modern day homes that build upon classical American architectural appearance but combine with the need for modern day convenience and construction techniques. Many of the twenty four houses depicted in this book would not have appeared startling to the founders of the country (until, of course they saw areas like the kitchens). These are not Frank Lloyd Wright style buildings. They belong out in the country with a lot of land around them.
   
   At the same time the architects have been active in downtown city development where often small and unfunctional builds have been remodeled into dwellings meeting the unique requirements of the owner.
   
   The exact style of the buildings it hard to define as the different structures borrow from various styles that integrate together to form a unique body of work. This is a great idea book for anyone interested in modern houses with a classical American look.



5. Really a nice book on two very talented residental architects. I must confess, prior to getting this book I had never heard of them, but after getting a real education on their talent, I am now an ardent admiror of their work. This book has insightful text and vivid, well crafted images. If you have any interest in grand estates and beautiful classic styling, then i can't imagine you being disappointed in this book, and if your looking for ideas for your own home, all the better. Christ, the reviewer above is such a snob, I mean dropping the names Lutyens and Wallace Nutting does not make you erudite, get real. As far as wilting flowers and drugged dogs, I must confess, when looking through this book I didnt demand a tox screen for the pets and water for the plants..LOL..Ive gotten three not helpfuls on this book review, so I guess maybe im in the minority on this book, so be it.