3 comments about The Tire House Book.

1. Not as helpful or informative as I had expected and hoped for. It could have done with more detail on the actual construction of a tire house.



2. Good general reference on building a house from tires. Well organized, concise. A "work in progress" and seems to get better with each adition.



3. I have been fortunate enough to meet Ed Paschich and hear how passionate he is about protecting the planet and building with a focus on cost, aesthetics, and ecological responsibility. In my opinion, he is a builder and designer before his time that has an understanding of the long-term needs of our ecosystems that deserves far more exploration and respect.

   This book and his one on straw bale design are well written and intelligently conceived. The images are beautiful and the words inspirational. I would recommend this to anyone with an eye to sustainability and habitat-preservation, even if they are not yet considering building their own home.

No comments about Building With Reclaimed Materials (Beta Plus).

3 comments about Land Development Calculations: Interactive Tools and Techniques for Site Planning, Analysis and Design.

1. A bit dissapointed that there was very little targeted toward Retail, specifically lacking in the areas of shopping center and out parcel development... but the formulas were interesting, and the concepts that were explained... were done so in great detail.



2. "Land Development Calculations" provides an excellent and innovative strategy for working towards sustainable land use and development. The models for varying land development strategies can assist local government land use decision makers and planners as well as developers determine the carrying capacity of land within realistic thresholds. The accompanying spreadsheets for the development scenarios on the CD-ROM are extremely user friendly and do not place an undue burden on the user by requiring what may be hard to find or to collect data. All of the data required just is typical of what is necessary to make appropriate land development decisions. As a local government planner, I am working towards incorporating the information received from the models in to the zoning and development code as part of the approval process by using it to further assess suitability of the property for the purposes proposed (a zoning consideration required in accordance with the State of Georgia Zoning Procedures Act). I strongly encourage other land planners and developers to read "Land Development Calculations," because of its highly practical and very timely material.



3. This is a terrificaly valuable technical reference for practitioners who need an efficient method of performing land development calulations. The book and its companion set of spreadsheets enable users to answer two key questions: 1) how much can be built on a given piece of land; or 2) how much land is needed to accommodate a given use? The material is clearly written and well illustrated, especially a series of worksheets leading through the method. Another strength is its comprehensiveness and detail, including all major land-use and micro site conditions.

3 comments about Manual of Low-Slope Roof Systems.

1. I gave this book 4 stars and not 5 because it was not large enough. It should have been the next size format, so that the drawings would render better. That said, however, I must recommend this for several reasons: 1, there is a paucity of books on roofing, a mundane subject at best and of interest to few people. However, for those people, not much to choose from. "Low slope roof" is industry parlance for a commercial/industrial roof which will have layers of hot tar and roofing felt, then gravel, placed on a generally flat roof. This book explains it all, from a history of this type of roof, to various materials used, what to watch for, how to write specifications, and problems that might occur in the design or construction phases. 2, for those architects that design or specify roofs, it explains roofing in depth, and helps avoid expensive mistakes that experience alone woould teach.

   Although the book is expensive, the information given is worth every penny. Those who will buy this book will know that.




2. I reviewed this book for research on my own book, "The Roofing and Cladding System Handbook" by Robert N. Reid. It was a helpful book for anyone with a low slope roof and the diagrams and figures provided some really good information on causes of roofing failures in low slope systems and wind loads. The book also provided very good information for roofing asphalt. I acutally reviewed both the early version written in 1982 and this version written in 1996. I felt that this book is a very good book but it is especially helpful for roofing consultants, and others who specialize in roofing construction and problems.



3. In the opening chapters the authors identify many roofing industry problems... insufficient owner budgets, over-reliance on warranties, insufficient work inspection, poor design and construction, and lack of maintenance.

   Building owners, roofing designers, architects - the types of readers most likely to have an interest in this book - will know the problems first hand. And will appreciate the wealth of information presented. This text:

   Identifies and discusses in depth the myriad causes of roof failure; Presents roof design principles in light of current research; Reviews factors that influence roof design; Review the various (generic) roof systems in depth; And offers guidance for specifying and inspecting roofing work.

   The writing style is clear and consise, supported with graphs, current survey information, and other technical data.

   Readers will be armed with enough information to sort through the information and misinformation published by roof system manufacturers, select the best roof systems for their roof conditions and budgets, develop sound designs, and plow through most procurement and construction obstacles.

   Highly recommended.

1 comments about Visual Notes for Architects and Designers.

1. If my bookcase were on fire, I would be willing to burn my hand to save this book. I am currently studying anesthesia at Columbia University, and I still draw on the things (oops, no pun intended) I learned from this book during my career in architecture.
   
   If process and developing ideas is what you want, this is sure to jog your thinking.

2 comments about Treehouses: Living a Dream.

1. I bought some books on tree houses cause I want to build one. This was no help. Nice pictures (and ideas, maybe), tough.
   If you want to look pictures and dream, buy the book. Otherwise don't.



2. There are an awful lot of 'pretty house' books out there. Some of them offering quite unusual house designs. But nothing I've ever seen compares with the designs in this book. ==I've seen houses built on poles because they are located in a flood plain. Of course the Swiss Family Robinson and the Ewoks of StarWars fame lived in tree houses. I had one as a kid, and when my daughter came along, she had one (she could pull up the ladder and keep her brother out).
   
   In this book however professional architects from all over Europe, Tasmania, and the U.S have been used to design houses that live up in trees. The houses are mostly not the entire living structure but are offices, retreats, studios, and some of the most exciting entertainment areas imaginable. The results are unbelievably striking.
   
   The integration of the advanced design with the natural look of the trees gives a feeling of working together that I wouldn't have expected. This is true if the tree house is ultra modern, traditional, or some that I guess I'd just call unconventional. A surprising book.

3 comments about Studio at Large: Architecture in Service of Global Communities.

1. This is a great book for both those people who are interested in learning about or those people who are already familiar with environmentally friendly "green" building pratices used in sustainable architecture. Studio at Large specifically chronicles the achievements of the UW BASIC Initiative program that Sergio Palleroni and his colleagues created in 1995. It is fascinating and moving to see the impact this work has on the local and global levels in society.



2. Prof. Sergio Palleroni teaches the "art-and-science" of "architecture" the old fashion way--with leadership and passion! He's not affraid of rolling up his sleeves, soiling his booth and spending his summer vacations whith his students (the future leaders): teachong design, scheduling and building sustainable communities in the "developing countries."



3. Its good to see that the rural studios work is not unique but rather part of a movement, with other brilliant examples such as the work documented in this book. Beautifully illustrated. Probably the most in depth discussion I've read on the methods and challenges of work among the poor and underserved.
   A great contribution to architectures claim to relevance.

1 comments about Concrete Architecture.

1. An ideal book that lent us all kinds of possibilities for the design of our new home. The full page photos and simple floor plan drawings made this book very valuable to our architect and interior designer. It was a terrific way of conveying what we liked and envisioned. Concrete, who would have ever thought of a resurgence? We're glad it's surfaced again

No comments about Olin's Construction: Principles, Materials, and Methods.

4 comments about Green Architecture (Architecture & Design).

1. Lots of ideas,concepts,inspirations at 1/10 the price. Well worth the money towards architectural environmental consciousness.
   However the discussion remains as an introduction without too much depth into project details



2. At first glance this seems like an excellent introduction to green architecture. James Wines has assembled an impressive collection of photographs of some of the eco-architecture that has been built over the past 30 years. But, a closer examination reveals numerous holes in the narrative. Wines has put together a grab bag of ideas that held my attention but left me scratching my head as to why he left so many important architects out of his survey, and included some of rather dubious distinction.

   Wines holds Frank Lloyd Wright paramount in his pantheon of ecologically-minded architects, alluding to his concepts of "The Natural House" and "Organic Architecture," as virtually the only texts written on eco-architecture at the height of the Modern movement. Wines likes Wright more for his aesthetic vision of ecologically sensitive architecture than for any great technological innovations in the field of eco-architecture. Wines laments the fact that eco-architecture is driven too much by the latest technology, and not enough by aesthetic concerns.

   He brushes over the Modern movement, which did offer a number of technological innovations, such as Buckminister Fuller's Dymaxion House and geodesic dome, and did explore traditional patterns in design, as in the work of Aldo Van Eyck, who was a contributing editor for Shelter. Wines wrote off Le Corbusier, ignoring the architect's later work, which was very site specific.

   However, the most glaring omissions are contemporary architects like Ralph Erskine, Glenn Murcutt, Samuel Mockbee, and Ken Yeang who have all given a great deal of consideration to environmentally responsive architecture. You certainly can't call them "eco-freaks," as their work has been readily accepted by the mainstream architectural community.

   But, Wines does offer a number of engaging examples from which to draw from, including his own work with SITE. Perhaps the most interesting examples are the "prophetic visions" such as an Ozone-maker by Jeffrey Miles, seemingly inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, and Michael Sorkin's "Shroom," which has a wonderful kinetic quality like that of Kiesler's "Endless House." Great photos and illustrations, but read this book with grain of salt.




3. This book questions the way architecture affects the environment, and encourages architects to ask the (W)right questions themselves to help remedy their destructive ways. I am disappointed that certain architects where left out of this book, for example there was one photo of a Malcolm Wells house, but no essay was done on him!? An essay on earthships would have fit into this book nicely also. I could go on, and on about all the Green Architects that where left out, maybe the author will include more with a new version 10 years from now. You need to be careful that you question all that the author tells you. For example the author seems convinced that Christians are bent on destruction because of their belief that the earth was made for them, therefore they have the right to destroy it, but in reality the Christian's point of view is just the opposite in that the earth was made for them so therefore it is their duty to protect it. What's with the photo taken in B.C. Canada, I never knew there where palm trees in Canada!? I bought this book for some of it's photos of unusual looking buildings, but have discovered there is allot more to the book than photo's. Read it, enjoy it, question it, question yourself.



4. Our basic way of thinking and living must change in order for the human species to survive and evolve on a sustainable planet. We already possess the knowledge and the technology to rebuild paradise on earth. We now need a growing, global conciousness and the wisdom necessary to move forward.

   This book gives an excellent historical and philosophical account on the shifts of human settlements and explains the imperative necessity of a change in attitude towards our built environment and its intrinsic relationship with its natural context.

   Many examples and a variety of projects, attitudes, perspectives, and approaches to the environmental problems back Mr. Wines view that there is no alternative, that a green architecture must become a basic constant and not remain a mere superficial trend.