No comments about Toyo Ito: Sendai Mediatheque.

1 comments about The Tradition of Indian Architecture: Continuity, Change, and the Politics of Style since 1850.

1. This book is probably the most authoritative book I have read on Victorian arcitecture in India.

2 comments about Old Barns in the New World: Reconstructing History.

1. In Old Barns In The New World: Reconstructing History, co-authors Richard Babcock and Lauren Stevens combine an historical survey of architecture and colonial craft, with thirty years of personal experience at hands-on restoration of dozens of barns. Richard Babcock is able to infer from ancient construction techniques both the date and nationality of a barn's builders which ranges from Dutch, German and English to Scotch-Irish, French, and the slave population of New England and eastern New York. Old Barns In The New World is a "must" for students of colonial era American architecture, and will prove to be deeply enjoyable, informative reading for American history buffs and old barn enthusiasts.



2. Richard Babcock studies, dismantles, moves, and rebuilds old barns, and is a recognized authority on colonial agricultural buildings.
   Seeing barns as expressions of national identity as well as responses to the particular agricultural demands of the time, Babcock's expert analysis of joinery techniques and painstaking research have led him beyond description to controversial speculations about the nationality of the earliest white settlers, and the prevalence of slave labor in the northern colonies.
   His work, enhanced with excellent drawings and photos, will be of interest to anyone interested in colonial life, and essential for students of agricultural architecture.

   (The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

No comments about The Thirteenth, Greatest of Centuries.

No comments about Thistle Hill: The History and the House.

No comments about Hindu Temples in North America: A Celebration of Life.

No comments about Historic Architecture in Alabama: A Primer of Styles and Types, 1810-1930.

3 comments about The Havana Guide: Modern Architecture 1925-1965.

1. Es un libro excelente sobre arquitectura cubana, sobre un período además poco documentado y del que desgraciadamente van quedando pocos exponentes en Cuba. Imprescindible para comprender la evolución de la arquitectura en Cuba.



2. This book is quite helpful. As an architecture student working on a hypothetical embassy in Cuba, this book gave context to my building and showed the vast array of Cuban architecture.



3. This book focuses on the various works of prominent Cuban architects from the 1920's until the beginning of the now almost five-decades-long Castro reign. The most recent creation depicted is from 1965; we can safely assume that probably all of the architects portrayed in this book went into exile in the sixties (author Eduardo Rodriguez does not make mention of a single one staying there).
   
   The author still lives in Cuba, and rather than condemning the architects he writes about for having left the island, as is customary from Cubans who stayed there, he laments the loss of their talents. Photographs and blueprints are surprisingly plentiful and very interesting, however he is not clear upon whether they are recent photographs (on some it's obvious, because of the decay apparent on the building), or if they were taken at the time of completion. He is also inconsistent in informing readers of the present uses of said buildings (many homes are now diplomatic guest houses or residences, some government buildings are identified by the use given to them when Batista was in power. As an example, one is identified as the Lottery Building, an institution that Castro abolished shortly after taking power). He does let us know the present names of former high-class suburbs (those with anglo names such as Country Club or Vanderbilt were re-named by the Castroites).
   
   The book makes evident what a diverse society Havana had at one time, as opposed to feeding you the oft-repeated stereotype of said city simply being a haven for casinos and mob-controlled hotels. It gives you an idea of what could have been, in light of the fact that these architects were very prolific at the time of the Revolution and that, by the author's own admission, there has been very little construction in Cuba since 1959.
   
   Do not assume that The Havana Guide is solely for architects, however. It is also a book that will be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in Cuba. It may also serve as a trip back in time for those who lived in Havana and were able to see these buildings first-hand.

1 comments about Dominique Perrault.

1. This is a beautifuly photographed book full of Perrault's great works. It mainly covers more famous pieces, but the details of photographs and drawings are great to see. The libary of course was one of the main focuses of this book, but how could it not be since it is one of the most contraversial projects that he has done.

1 comments about Crafts Supply Sourcebook: The Comprehensive Shop-By-Mail Guide for Thousands of Craft Materials (Crafts Supply Sourcebook).

1. more categories than the human mind can imagine! Tons of addresses and web sites to contact.