2 comments about Borromini.

1. This book is good for its written content, but lacks good accompanying photography. The photographs are grainy, but if you can move beyond that Anthony Blunt has definitely done his homework on Borromini.



2. This book offers an excellent introduction both to the architecture of Francesco Borromini and the architecture of the Italian Baroque. Particularly useful are the comparisons between antique and renaissance architecture (particularly Michelangelo). An indispebsable book for anyone interested in Baroque or Italian architecture in general.

5 comments about Cut & Assemble Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House (Cut & Assemble Buildings in H-O Scale).

1. If you are even attempting to take on this project, you are likely a fan of Wright's work. It helps to know Wright's style and history. There are some flaws or omissions in the instructions (see ref to part #57 in other review) and one or two errors in the printing. Not for kids or the impatient. As you gain experience the task becomes easier as you are able to anticipate how things will come together. The finished product is very attractive and unique. An inexpensive project for cold, winter nights.



2. Agree with other reviews. Emphasize that this is for an advanced modeler with modeling patience. Card stock is difficult when use to other material. Some of the referenced difficulties may be avoided by careful and thorough scoring. No idea as to the modeling accuracy, but the presentation looks real good. Especially when presented with the book, FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT'S ROBIE HOUSE.



3. If you're a fan of the works of Wright, and have experience with detail oriented hobbies, you will likely find this a challenging but "do-able" project. For example, I've built plastic model kits for over thirty years, and it took me about three and a half months to complete the house, working on the standard hobbyist schedule (i.e. nights and weekends when I felt like it). Be aware that even with careful assembly, the finished product reflects the limitations of card stock - the long, thin pieces (notably, the wall around the front of the house) tend to become a bit wavy when folded and glued. Still, if you have the patience, and are comfortable with the investment of time involved, you'll end up with a nice replica of an architecturally significant home.



4. I worked diligently according to the instructions but when I reached piece 57 (of 130+ total pieces), I found that the instructions for assembly were wrong, or that the piece was printed incorrectly -- very frustrating experience!



5. This is not a book for young kids, with more than 100 pieces to be cut from the book and assembled, but for those with a steady hand and an Xacto knife, this is a fun way to see some of the detail usually missed in photos of the Robie House.

5 comments about Structural Wood Design: A Practice-Oriented Approach.

1. In 2007, I used this text for a timber design class. As an engineering student with a background in residential construction, I found the text to be very practical in its presentation of the design process for wood-framed structures. Following the examples and working through the problems at the end of each chapter, I became comfortable finding and using relevant codes, especially NDS codes. The progression of the text to the building design case study helped me to apply the design examples for individual members to a complete structure, more relevant to construction or engineering practice.
   
   Since I remain interested in carpentry and residential construction, this text will continue to be a valuable reference for me. I would not hesitate to use it as a guide for the design of simple wood-framed structures not requiring a professional designer.



2. I wish more text book authors would write their text in a way befitting that for students and not cryptic nor elusive. Over four years of school, and I have never until now used a text that encourages my enthusiasm and stimulated my learning interest. I can guarantee that this is not one of those text that will be used for my PC monitor height adjuster.... It is "plainly absurd" to have read and use this text and "discern" otherwise...



3. This book is exceptionally informative and easy to navigate. This text has been very useful in teaching/training our office engineering staff. Highly recommend.



4. I just recently took a Timber Design class and this book really helped me grasp the overall concept of Timber Design. With having no experience with timber design, the book's sequence is excellent with helping the reader develop and understand the reasoning behind this type of structural design.
   
   The examples in this book are great. They are not standard textbook examples, which lack real design concepts. This book goes above and beyond with applying the examples to real world scenarios. I have just graduated and found myself going back to this book to reference examples and also sharing it with my fellow co-workers.
   
   I highly encourage people at all levels in their engineering career to buy this book to use, it is highly helpful.
   
   Jennie Wilson
   Structural Engineer



5. I read and used this text for a Timber Design course last year and must say that it is excellent. The authors do a superb job of providing very detailed explanations and many worked examples throughout for all of the components and processes involved with building construction. There are many references to the IBC and ASCE as applicable with actual values taken from them, which are used in the problems. Finally, the end of the text has a case study to "put all of the pieces together" and serves as the perfect "go - by" for building construction. I would highly recommend this text to anyone working in this field or interested in doing so.
   
   Mark Bordelon, PE

No comments about A Pictorial Encyclopedia of Decorative Ironwork: Twelfth Through Eighteenth Centuries (Dover Pictorial Archives).

No comments about Invitation to Vernacular Architecture: A Guide to the Study of Ordinary Buildings and Landscapes (Perspectives in Vernacular Architecture).

No comments about Greek Architecture and Its Sculpture.

1 comments about Pioneers of American Landscape Design (Professional Architecture).

1. Birnbaum and Karson have produced a wonderful resource for anyone interested in the specific individual contributions towards American landscape architecture. The encyclopedic entries are well written AND include additional references. WELL DONE.

1 comments about Andrew Martin Interior Design Review.

1. I am a collector of the Andrew Martin series of design reviews. The book is another celebration of good design and the diversity that is design. As a professional I frequently use these books for inspiration. It may not overwhelm you the first time you pick it up but it will suprise you every time you return to it. That the cream of international desgners consistenly re-enter this annual competition speaks volumes for its creditbility. If your sick of buying books that look the same from front to back then this might be for you.

2 comments about A Theory of Architecture.

1. A Theory of Architecture is not a cook book. It does not tell architects how to compose a building in several easy steps. Rather, it gives architects permission to do what we would automatically do if we had not been taught the style rules and the world view of the `Modern Movement' and its successors. A Theory of Architecture reveals the scientific food value of most tried and true building recipes while demonstrating that contemporary junk food is exactly that.
   
   Why should the architect, who is more often a creator and a builder than a reader, plough through pages of analogies that link our perception of spaces and surfaces with the laws of nature in mathematics and physics? Simply because the laws come alive for us in the author's straightforward and active prose. They remind us that when we design a building, we do far more than please a client or satisfy demands of use and economy. They remind us that we shape order in our world. We can base that order on an ideological whim. Or we can base it on patterns and forms found in nature and in the majority of architecture throughout history.
   
   A Theory of Architecture is a book we can read again and again. Then we can put it down and forget about it. The lessons we glean from it will have taken form in the designs we make. We discover that our buildings have levels of scale, meaningful ornament, proportions which the human eye notices inherently. We notice that both patterns and forms comprise the language which our spaces and their boundaries speak. We realize we have learned to design in consonance with our own nature. What a breakthrough! What a book!
   
   Dr. Ir. Jaap Dawson,
   Architect and Assistant Professor of Architectural Design,
   Technische Universiteit Delft



2. What an amazing book! I highly recommend it to any architect, designer or student thereof. It is a powerful, direct look at the principles behind psychologically pleasing design - grounded in math and science. Salingaros presents easy to digest information; rules that help an architect create his/her own "language" to humanize design, and interesting concepts that everyone can enjoy.
   
   I picked it up about a few months ago, and it has dramatically changed the way I see "good architecture". Following the patterns of Christopher Alexander and others, Salingaros offers us an accessible and applicable examination of how architects construct basic psychological needs into the built environment. He has created easy to understand guides to build a socially responsible, aesthetic and long-lasting architecture.
   
   A Theory of Architecture is a different view of sustainable design that will lead a new breed of architects into a dynamic renewal of human-centric architecture. Undoubtedly the most powerful book I've read since McDonough's Cradle to Cradle. Salingaros is a visionary, and I can't wait to read more of his work!

No comments about In Detail: Semi-Detached and Terraced Houses.