1 comments about Venice, CA: Art and Architecture in a Maverick Community.

1. I love strolling around Venice Beach. This delightful book allowed me to take a glimpse inside some wonderful homes and understand a little more about the quirky, creative people who have made Venice Beach special. If you can't live there, buying this book is the next best thing.

No comments about Architecture: A World History.

No comments about False Flat: Why Dutch Design is so Good.

4 comments about New Orleans Style: Past and Present.

1. Well written and good in its selection of a variethy of types, typically found in New Orleans. The photography, exceptionally important in this kind of book, is excellent. New Orleans' architecture is unique, from its shotgun cottages along the river, to its grand, Garden District houses. They're all here, and make me yearn to return to New Orleans.



2. This is a gorgeous book of homes of residents of New Orleans. These are real people who love their city, their history and their residences. Susan Sully shows that to its full extent.



3. "New Orleans Style" is a sumptuous, colorful tribute to our city and a worthy companion to Susan Sully's other books on Charleston and Savannah. Her research is, as always, impeccable with rich, lush prose appropriate for this most exotic of U.S. cities, and it's ideally complemented by Paula Illingworth's photographs. No student of American architecture and style should be without Sully's dazzling trilogy of the Deep South's "treasure cities."



4. how can you have a book about past new orleans and not mention shotgun houses a very bad decision

1 comments about The Mystery of the Martello Tower.

1. "The Mystery of the Martello Tower" tells of a sister and brother who embark on an odyssey rich in discovery and mischief. There are layers of mystery which young Hazel and Ned must uncover, from an international art theft scandal to the enigmas of their own past. I was reminded a little of old fairy tales, such as Hansel and Gretel, in which children would find themselves in a desperate situation but escape through their wits and ingenuity. Hazel and Ned leave the big city, where they are being raised by a single parent in rather isolated circumstances. They journey to the region of the Thousand Islands and encounter a lively extended family. The bringing together of the long lost relatives is the catalyst for mysteries being solved, as well as for the healing of old wounds and memories.
   
   The characters spring to life in the first few paragraphs as the story moves rapidly along into danger and intrigue. The author is able to deftly see the world from a youthful point of view, conveying the fears, the hopes and the boundless energy of that brief time in life. Recommended for ages ten through fourteen, it is a grand book to bring along on a summer adventure.

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

1. This is a great book for resedential design. This book surpass its predecessor. This book is must buy.



2. This book is great for someone who is curious about the different styles of houses throughout world, regardless of one particular style (ie. modern, minimal, etc.) The pictures are very well scaled and the project desciption featured in the index is informative although they are missing the essential date of completion. The title of the book is subjective so it is up to the reader to determine if these really are the "best" houses in the world, but they do give a introduction to the different style of residential designs realized throughout the world.
   
   www.hjlbookreview.com



3. Not just another object for the coffee table, this book takes architecture seriously. The descriptions are clear and concise and the photographs illustrate each home in fine detail. For anyone who enjoys learning about great contemporary residential architecture, this is a very fine book.

5 comments about New Classicism: The Rebirth of Traditional Architecture.

1. As an architectural (and photo) enthusiast, I ordered this book and was immediately and severely dissapointed. The photos throughout the book don't showcase architecture very well, nor do they highlight "new classicism" in my opinion. The worst thing is the quality of the photos and printing. I returned this book immediately and would not recommend it, not even for a coffee table book.



2. I love the fact that we're in something of a classical revival in American architecture. We desperately need exposure to these traditions after 60 years of northern European-derived, cheap, pseudo-modernistic schlock. Most of the architects featured in this volume are at the leading edge of the classical revivial in the United States and Great Britain, but the book is really not put together well at all. The photography, critical to a book like this, is good is some places and horrible in others. The text is dull as dirt, despite the noble intentions of the author, and one can't help but think that a few of the author's favorites are in here that, otherwise, would not really meet the standards of a study like this. There's a pretty strong line between fine classical design and overblown tastelessness. To me, classicism is about refinement and delicacy of detail and proportion. This book and some of the entries included within lack those qualities.
   
   I'd like to see more new classicism, but this book should only be considered a "first draft." I know Elizabeth Dowling can do better.



3. That somebody be the author of this architectural publication is inspirational! I bought a copy through [...] and am very pleased that I did.Besides the interesting photographs, there is also very interesting reading about the subject.It's a pity that here in South Africa we don't get to see much of this type of work as it is very appropriate for Democratic Societies, even today!



4. This is a really good book, with vivid, crisp images and interesting and informative text, the other review on this page really has little to do with this book and more to do with the subject, of which they have a very strong opinion..fine..but to give this book two stars is just plain obtuse, i mean granted these present day architects may not be mckim, mead, and white, or carrere and hastings, or Trumbaur..but christ, does that mean their work should not be given a fair assessment, I really think that review is very infair to this book, take on present day high end residential architects fine, but this is suppose to be a review of this book book, not a diatribe on the state of high end residential architects..good grief, we all can agree, that Quinlin Terry, nomatter how good he is, is no Horace Trumbaur or Stanford White, anyway back to the book, lord, i gave it five stars, just to bring it up a notch to four..i think it's really a strong four star. I especially appreciated the images of that massive mansion built by harrison designs out of atlanta, that house looks like something out of the guilding age it is simply spectacular in everyway, the images of it alone are worth the price of this book. All the big names in grand residential architecture are present, i especially appreciated the section on Quinlin Terry, I love his work. Overall, i highly recommend this book to anyone with a love for grand residential architecture, you won't be disappointed, just don't expect to ever see work like that of Traumbaur or Delano and Aldrich, all the great masons are long gone, and nobody is going to spend the kind of time and money it would take to build another Whitmarsh or Biltmore, those days are washed up on the shores of history.



5. My issue isn't so much with this physical book itself - the pictures are big and colorful, although often blurry for some reason - as much as it is with the architecture. Palladian windows and columns are classical elements, and building with brick and stone are classical materials, but architecture is all proportion. With the exception of the Julian Bicknell work, this book is largely haphazard attempts at making new buildings look old by throwing a lot of money at them. What is missing is the understanding of proportion - not just in the Palladian sense - but in the sense of the early 20th century American architects - Lindeberg, Delano & Aldrich, Trumbauer, Mellor, Meigs & Howe, Pope, Platt, and later Adler, etc. And you can throw Lutyens in the U.K. in there as well. Anyway, I guess I would say - you're not likely to learn much from this book, and that if you are interested in the houses that inspired this "new" Classicism, just stick with the aforementioned work.

3 comments about Hamptons Havens: The Best of Hamptons Cottages and Gardens (Hamptons Cottages & Gardens).

1. A lovely book with interesting stories but I was after beach gardens and there are very few. The title is misleading as it is from the magazine by this name.



2. This is a beautiful book which is as entertaining to read as it is to gaze at the pictures! I would have appreciated it more had all the houses featured been in a similar style to the one on the cover. There is quite a large spectrum of different designs. I wished they had presented more photographs of each individual home, but overall there is plenty to feast your eyes on.



3. The book was purchased for an anniversary gift for my daughter who resides on one of the Hamptons. She liked the book and even was familiar with the owner of the garden on the cover.

1 comments about Designing the Good Life: Norman M. Giller and the Development of Miami Modernism.

1. 
   It is Norman M. Giller's vision that fundamentally influenced Floridian architecture during the decades that followed the end of World War II. His perspective came to be known as 'Miami Modernism' or 'MiMo' for short. Now in collaboration with Sarah Giller Nelson, Norman Giller has written a personal account of the architectural movement associated with himself and with Florida in "Designing the Good Life: Norman M. Giller & The Development Of Miami Modernism", a 176-page, nicely illustrated (76 color photos, 80 black-and-white photos), informed and informative story that will be read with interest by architectural students and professionals, as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in Florida's architectural history and development. Enhanced with an appendix and an index, "Designing The Good Life" is an important and seminal addition to academic library American Architectural History reference collections.

5 comments about Patkau Architects.

1. I have met her through my school days in MA. As a guest critic, she was a great mentor and great designer herself. She even showed up to give an unscheduled private review sessions with one or two of us before she was heading back to Canada the next day and, I was impressed and much thankful for her passion and care for the education.
   
   The book itself does not cover all of her professional works as an architect or as a professor but it was good enough to introduce her name out as it is somehow difficult finding her name or works out internationally.
   
   If you are a student looking for a consistent yet tectonic architect, this book is a good introduction to what a passionate $ insightful architect produces over the time. I hope to see more of her great works in the future.



2. With plenty of large format pictures, this book helps to capture the detail for which the Patkau's are famous. And an essay by Kenneth Frampton doesn't hurt. This is my complaint about most Monologues: not enough process/methodology information. As an architect, I am more interested in HOW they solve particular design problems, than just the beautiful end product. But overall, this book is better than the their first [depth of analysis and range of products].



3. Patkau has been my favorite not only because of its formal language which is undoubtedly influenced by Aalto and 90' Morphosis, but also of its rigorous examination of every line, angle, corner, fenestration, texture, etc. all of which best exemplified by Seabird island school and Strawberry vale school. While the latter is arguably overdone, both of them masterfully guide circulation and elevate genius loci with precisely positioned (figural) elements, a method also seen in Haus Tugendhat by Mies.
   
   Unlike tectonic poetry pursued by Todd William & Billie Tsien that often comes down to the choice of fastener type for a detail, Patkau approaches tectonics in a hierarchical order that operates at the design level like structural articulation, material palette, and construction system. That said, one can certainly appreciate surprises like, say, steel plate canopy in Barnes house, or imaginary deleted gutter in Gleneagles Community Centre that allows rain strolling down the roof into landscape.
   
   However, Patkau seems to (intentionally?) deviate from its established site-specific approach when it comes to larger scale projects. Case in the point: Grande Bibliotheque du Quebec. Here Patkau chose to neglect civic and contextual challenge/opportunity with a homogeneous, if not abstract, plan and construction that resulted in an introverted and hard edged building (perhaps the climate or they spend too much on the channel glass skin?). Conversely, Bolles-Wilson successfully answers to challenges of greater magnitude with a complex yet poetic weaving of highly differentiated space and tectonics in the splendid Munster City Library project.
   
   Hence the title.... If you are interested in an earlier yet already mature Patkau, I would recommend "Patkau Architects: Selected Projects 1983-1993", a nicely edited monograph featuring additional projects and illustration, such as original scheme for Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery design competition.



4. A must for architects interested in challenging their approach to contemporary forms in architecture. A wonderful expression of the models involved in the designing process, a must for the contemporary architect.



5. Based on Frampton, PA's architecture can be divided more or less chronologically into two groups.
   
   First group are the buildings that emphasize the combination of earthwork
   and roofwork. This group holds the indigenous spirit of the specific
   place, telling the story of totem and genius loci expressed in the
   irregularity of forms. On the other hand, second group are the projects,
   built more recently in an urban setting, that speaks and advocates the
   modern approach of universal values manifested in the form of orthogonal
   approach.
   
   Chronologically different in attitudes, all the projects have same
   attitude towards the poetics of construction. Its organic forms expressed
   in wood, its attention to the details and play of light, and its almost
   mythical symbolism to site aligns to the approaches of Aalto, Scarpa, and
   Fehn. (Per Frampton)
   
   Personally, three projects were favored: Barns House (`93), Canadian Clay
   and Glass Gallery (`92), and Grande Bibliotheque du Quebec ('05).
   
   Barns House and Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery is an interplay of
   lightness and heaviness. Almost bird's wing-like roof is paired with
   smooth hard concrete floor. Likewise, light wooden fenestrations
   ungravitate the presence of cmu wall. The anchoring of floor and walls
   really emphasize the freedom towards the sky and forest.
   
   One of the most current built projects, Grande Bibliotheque du Quebec,
   illustrates PA's future potentials. More advanced and innovative in its
   use of materials, but still, basics are same. Structural concrete is in
   striking contrast to the light veil systems. This winning scheme of
   international competition proved that PA's architecture does not bind
   itself to the rural site with single-story program.
   
   Less oriented in theory and abstraction, the projects provide ample
   pleasure of making and specificity of architecture.