No comments about Strategic Planning for Design Firms.

No comments about Power Plant Construction Management: A Survival Guide.

1 comments about Yona Friedman: Pro Domo.

1. Yona Friedman became familiar within architectural discourse in the mid-1950's when he began questioning bases of modernism. Since then, and still an innovator, he has been nothing if not prolific. Besides publishing texts on architecture and planning (or lack thereof) Friedman has published volumes of work for agencies such as UNESCO and the United Nations, many of them manuals in the form of comics or pictograms which explain techniques for survival to the world's poorest populations. Friedman's latest effort, published by Actar, compiles texts, comics, drawings, models, and even a 'self-interview' in a beautifully bound and printed package. Through reading Pro Domo, we come to understand, though not chronologically, the evolution of the thoughts of a truly innovative thinker.
   
   While many architecture monologues attempt to promote new sets of rules or systems by which we (architects) ultimately want the casual user (non-architects) to unwittingly follow, Friedman insists that we should rather lay a framework within which the inhabitants can structure their surroundings however they like. Seemingly counterintuitive, or at least headstrong against the status quo, Friedman's ideas undoubtedly attracted and influenced groups such as Archigram and the Metabolists. His explorations in the realm of infrastructure and its potential are still relevant today, as is obvious while looking through his recent proposals for Paris and Shanghai, as well as by studying projects by contemporary architects such as MVRDV or even Steven Holl.
   
   Pro Domo does not necessarily track Friedman's popularly recognized milestones, or a concise evolution of his ideology; rather, it is a compilation of projects, thoughts and moments filled with meaning and sentiment. Just as his Mobile Architecture and Spatial Cities were systems of constructions to be invented and manipulated by and around their inhabitants, this book is a construction based, too, on the personal desires of its creator, affording us the opportunity to act as fascinated spectator.

No comments about Developing Retail Entertainment Destinations.

1 comments about Construction Business Management: A Guide to Contracting for Business Success.

1. Upon graduation from Georgia Tech's building construction program in 1982, I went to work for Nick Ganaway. One of the many reasons I selected his company was his obvious knowledge of business. Even more, I appreciated the motivation he placed in us (and himself) to always become better as contractors and as businessmen. We met frequently to "log in" new discoveries, efficiencies, risks, and methods of profitability that he had wisely accumulated for us. As I "ventured out" into the world and developed my own business with very little experience, I quickly noticed that although I was a "great" project manager that running a construction company was an entirely different issue. For example, do you understand the unique requirements of the construction firm owner? Terms in the project owner's construction agreement that can unfairly shift major risk onto your plate and what to do about them? How to ensure that you get paid for change orders? What to do when hard times suddenly strike (and they will)? After 25 years of experience in operating a commercial construction company, Mr. Ganaway explains chapter-by-chapter these and every other risk area you must manage if you are going to survive in construction. I know these explanations well as they ring in my mind from discussions with Mr. Ganaway concerning my very first projects and through calling for help with running my own construction business. You will feel like you're having these same discussions with him as you read this book. Every contractor, project manager, and construction student should read it. Today I use this very text to teach our students at Georgia Tech's building construction program how to run a business, as well as consulting in the same area. His principles work!
   
   An added bonus to this text is the final chapter, where Mr. Ganaway makes the case for specializing in chain store construction. To "outsiders" who have not reviewed this market segment, I think you will be surprised at the benefits. If you are not already specializing in a niche market, this chapter is sure to start you thinking about it.

No comments about Great Planned Communities.

No comments about Eye: The Story Behind the London Eye.

No comments about Construction Specifications: Principles and Applications.

No comments about Performative Architecture: Beyond Instrumentality.

3 comments about Construction Methods and Management (7th Edition).

1. We used this book for our construction equipment and methods class along with the CAT performace manual, and together, I thought they complimented each other quite well. This book is great because it touches on the basics of earthwork and excavation and gets you ready for courses in estimating, scheduling and cost control. I enjoyed using this textbook because the questions make you analyze construction problems from many different angles and not just look from a "here's the problem, here's the answer" point-of-view. *All in all, I would have to say that this a very good and useful textbook.* -M.



2. If you are an excavation or foundation SUB this may be quite helpful, particularly for road building. I found much of the info on ability and capacities of equipment:loaders, cranes, scrapers; concrete and aggregate production, paving, interesting but not info I need as a CM PM to build buildings in cities. If you want to know how to plan the construction of tall buildings, foundation planning, scheduling, staging, etc. don't look to this book. "Construction Mgmt.", which touched lightly on my interest, starts on page 479 of a 550 page book. This book is simply inaccurately titled.



3. This book is a basic introductory text to the construction industy, focusing on earth moving operations, water pumping operations, and finally on physical construction methods.
   
   Unfortunately, a lot of the examples in this book contain numerical errors. For example, many of the examples contain references to data tables, and data from those tables is utilised for the analysis. Often, the examples use data entries that are obviously wrong, and thus invalidate the rest of the example, forcing the student to rework the example. This can be found throughout the book, but luckily the examples aren't too hard to rework.
   
   For anyone interested in the construction industry, I don't recommend you buy this book. Getting out on site is the best learning experience. You should only buy this book if you need to (eg, for an undergraduate university subject) and then sell if off at the conclusion of the subject.