1 comments about Architectural Engineering Design: Structural Systems.

1. Do not use this book without an Engineering or Architecture professor to help you through the errors within. The book is full of errors of continuity, strange/bad math, and inconsistency. The errors are so numerous, that it makes you wonder if you can trust any of the formulas to be accurate. For example: a sample problem in beam design gives the formula to use (from a table), defines the variables, gives the values for the known variables; and then in the problem-solving steps, uses different values for the known variables than what was listed in the preceding "Given" section! Furthermore, the answer arrived at cannot be made by the equation provided! There are also errors where a formula is listed in tables and that formula is referred to later and used for a problem, but the formula is not exactly the same as the table; there is no explanation for the difference.
   I recommend "Simplified Engineering for Architects and Builders" (Ambrose/Tierney), instead.

1 comments about Solar Heating And Cooling of Residential Buildings: Design of Systems.

1. This book is a direct reprint from 1980. It was good then but much of it is out of date. Some of the sections the one on installation on are the same. Having been in the trade for 27 years I found it useless.

No comments about Building with Large Clay Blocks: Details, Products, Built Examples (Detail Practice).

5 comments about Log Houses of the World.

1. Radek Kurzaj's lovely color photos compliments the first chronological survey of log houses designed in Europe and the U.S. from 1890 to modern times, and covers a vast range of architectural designs and builder innovations in the process. Libraries strong in woodworking or homeowner's titles, especially general-interest public library collections, will find LOG HOUSES OF THE WORLD an eye-catching display title that fulfills its cover attraction and promise with equally compelling interior photos. But don't think it's just a picturebook coffee table addition: it's packed by Architectural Digest magazine editor Richard Olsen's commentary and history as well. The depth and coverage can't be beat.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. Received the book in the time limit specified. It arrived packaged well and in excellent condition as stated by the seller. I am very pleased with the book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this seller to my friends, or to do business with them again in the future.



3. Great insight into the world of the log house. This will shatter your preconceived concept of what a log cabin is, and show you what it can be. Very educational and beautifully photographed. A great addition to anyone's book collection who is interested in log cabins, architecture, or history.



4. I'm one of the architects whose work is published in this collection. At the risk of sounding preposterously self-serving, I wanted to chime in that I just received my copy of the book and I was very taken with it. It's a diverse collection of projects, nicely photographed, and in particular I found the writing to be refreshingly well done. The author captured the distinct elements of the built works and the narrative behind them very skillfully, and in my case, quite accurately. It's a great volume and I'm honored to be included in it.



5. What a wonderful and beautiful treatment of the subject! I will never think of log houses in the same way again. The writing is engaging as well as educational. I love design as well as travel and this book took me around the globe. Bravo!

1 comments about Waterfront Retreats.

1. My compliments to both Ana and Harper Design for this publication. This is a book about 21 uniquely Modern homes on the waterfront. Each is showcased with a floor plan, quick synopsis, and photos. It is mostly a picturebook. One of the wonderful things about this book is that it presents itself as a portfolio. You get the sense that such a presentation was handled with the sense of care and understanding that each architect himself would have put into representing his/her house had they done them individually. Unlike other books showcasing Modern architecture, this one provides a good range of solutions architects have employed to capture that "million-dollar view", whether it is siting, materials, or spatial organization. I would have rated it higher had it given the details to compliment the photography. This is a wonderful addition to any architectural library.

2 comments about Conservation of Building and Decorative Stone (Butterworth-Heinemann Series in Conservation and Museology).

1. This is that kind of books that tell us everything about a scientific topic that we need to learn with basic knowledge. The authors help us to understand the nature of stones and the better way to conserve its characteristics for the future, everywhere you need to apply it: museums, buildings and particular collections. Perhaps the most important contents are the necessary methods and materials you must to apply in order to conserve and/or restore the original values of different kind of stone works. It is definitively a great help for architects, conservators and owners of stone collections.



2. This is that kind of books that tell us everything about a scientific topic that we need to learn with basic knowledge. The authors help us to understand the nature of stones and the better way to conserve its characteristics for the future, everywhere you need to apply it: museums, buildings and particular collections. Perhaps the most important contents are the necessary methods and materials that you must to apply in order to conserve and/or restore the original values of different kind of stone works. It is definitively a great help for architects, conservators and owners of stone collections.

3 comments about Verb: Architecture Boogazine.

1. A new type of publication 'bookazine' does match to what 'Verb' has. What 'Verb' is all about is both conceptual and constructional progress in the field of architecture in recent years. It shows us selected good examples which manage to cope with the state of uncertainty by paying attention to the development of design process. Changing paradigm gives rise to changing type of publication.



2. I've read the majority of it, and now I could say that it's worth reading 'Verb' for those who would like to know how we can find/generate a kind of new concept and develop it into buildable form in the state of uncertainty. I think projects and buildings in 'Verb' are quite good examples. And the word 'boogazine' is pretty interesting because it implies that the new controversial topics like things in magazines and little old undoubtful ones like in referential books would be combined into one so that the main concept of so-called new architecture, which is neither single assertion nor definite, can be well-expressed.
   BUT I've felt a bit boring about its contents. Most of them could not tell us things different from what Jeffrey Kipnis wrote in 'Towards a New Architecture' and what Deleuze describe world, which means the majority of articles/books after his are similar to one another and not progress further.
   Is it time to see a new one or fine architectural result based on the philosophy of Deleuze?
   I hope 'Verb' will be another step forward to it.



3. Exceptional production values enhance this well illustrated and innovatively designed book-magazine (produced in a French and Spanish edition too) that includes critical and theoretical essays on design and architectural topics. Planned to issue three issues annually. Recommended.

1 comments about Building Contractor's Checklists and Forms.

1. While the lists are comprahensive, the forms are rather simplistic. By scanning the lists, it may help jog your memory to remember a tool or step that may be needed. But as a business tool, it is very poor. The forms are too simplistic to be used in the real world. I would not recommend the book, other than a quick reference if you are planning on building your own forms or lists.

No comments about Drawings by American Architects.

No comments about Buildings for Tomorrow: Architecture That Changed Our World.