2 comments about High-rise Manual.

1. This is a great book for anyone interested in high rises because it includes information on every topic required. The book tackles various subjects such as development, management, site, soils, structural design, facade, building systems and fire protection. in general, it is a great resource book and i highly recommend it!



2. This book features great technical information and is very thorough. I was hoping for a few more floor plans showing the design of cores and their relation to floor plates. Nevertheless, very useful to have.

5 comments about Berlin: Portrait of a City.

1. My first visit to Berlin, in May'89 was inspired by Wender's "Wings of Desire" movie. Since then I have been back to Berlin dozens of times; even bought our wedding rings there.
   
   Unlike, say, Paris, Berlin is not an easy city to discover or appreciate. This huge well printed and edited book does a wonderful job of bringing Berlin to life for the viewer. Most of the photos are images I've never seen. My only wish would be more coverage of East Germany.



2. A great book and great pictures. Berlin has deeply changed in the last 150 years and all this has been documented precisely by great photographers: this the easiest way to show how. Texts are exhaustive too into describing "typical" life of a city.
   Maybe Berlin has changed more in the last two decades then ever before: the last chapter of this book could be more fascinating and explorative, including the fact that there are a lot of pictures about it but it'd had took another book, perhaps. Maybe Berlin has changed again yet and is changing again now... so I'm waiting for a second edition.



3. This is a beautiful book! The photos are not only outstanding but they have zero pixillation. You can discern details such as the company name on the back of a horse drawn cart in a crowd. The turn of the century through the 1930's I thought were the best. You can stare at one and with out much effort find yourself slipping away into the photo.
   
   The National Socialist period is not covered in depth nor do I think it needs to be. There are far an away plenty of books for that on the market. This is a book that can not be digested in one sitting. Take your time and look at each photo. The small details are fascinating.
   
   My only problem with the book is the blue page stock that some of the entries is written on. It made it difficult to read the text. That is a minor quibble, especially in a book like this. If you buy a used copy make sure you check the price of shipping as this book weighs as much as a small childs school backpack.



4. What a book! My mother as well as her sisters were born in Berlin during and after World War II, so I grew up hearing family stories of this amazing city. This book provided a tremendous visual aid to all these stories. Looking at the images I could picture my grandmother as a young woman, and my aunts and my mother in the postwar years.
   If you have any connection to this amazing city, this book will bring tears to your eyes, for all the hardship and challenges it has faced, and with what fantastic grace it reemerged like phoenix from the ashes.



5. I purchased this as a gift for my little (20 yo) brother's birthday. He was born in Berlin. First of all this book is HUGE! I love that the explanations of the pictures are written not only in English, but in German. What a fantastic masterpiece.

4 comments about New Strawbale Home, The.

1. This book had some good pictures of different SB structures. But, to me that is all there was.



2. For your money you'll be getting what amounts to a picture book with several different types of strawbale homes across the US and Canada. There is a small starter section, with pictures, on general construction details.
   For each house there will be at least two, sometimes four or five, pages of text and pictures about the owners homes and how they were built. Don't buy this book thinking it's a build it manual, that isn't the case as the information is more of an idea book type presentation. You'll get a little on costs, size and other things including square feet both inside and outside the walls (along with small floor plans of each home) and several very well done photographs.
   I found these photos to be the best part of the book as they will either give you some ideas for your own home or at least they'll show you what's out there. Some of the ideas had a Santa Fe look but some had a sharp edged box with lots of glass look (and not much straw either). Most of the homes were not displayed from all angles, just from selected views.
   If you're on a strict budget you won't want this book unless you can find a cheap used copy, it's much more of an idea book.



3. Beautiful book with much needed info..a real treat for the eyes..the best is it gives the cost of contruction for almost all the houses shown...if you want to build a strawbale than this book is one you will want to include in your library..does not give alot of hands on constrution but it does gives you visual ideas of what others have done with their houses..



4. This is the first "coffee table" book that shows how exquisitely beautiful straw bale homes can be. It also gives good information on how much they cost, various energy savings you can recieve from a straw bale home and other information on how the various owners and builders built and paid for their homes.

   Most of the homes are in the higher-end spectrum and I was disappointed that I didn't see less expensive (but maybe not as fancy) homes included. However I did like the coverage of the co-housing communities who use straw bale building.

   Overall, a lovely book that you will drool over if you like straw bale or any other natural building.

No comments about Shift: SANAA and the New Museum.

3 comments about Manga Madness.

1. In this book you learn how to draw the japanese version of comic art manga. one thing i have to say is that this is a bit more of a cartoony version of manga. You still learn a lot of drawing techniques and its still a good book, but whats on the cover is what you learn how to draw. if you would like to draw advanced manga i suggest the complete idiots guide to manga. anyways over good book.



2. I'll start off by saying this: don't be deceived by the cartoony cover. It's actually probably the best HTDM (How to Draw Manga) book I own. It teaches you everything from the origin of manga, to backgrounds, different coloring methods, chibis, robots, comics, and, of course, the basics of drawing characters.
   
   Pages 6-7 cover the tools of drawing manga. It explains what kind of paper you need (size and such), what kind of pencils are best, what kind of eraser is best, and much more.
   
   Page 8 explains anime/manga related terms, and even the origin of manga itself. The terms covered are anime, bishoujo, bishounen, chibi, doujinshi, kawaii, manga, otaku, RPG, shoujo, and shounen.
   
   Page 9 gives illustrations of the eight step process the pros use to create manga. They include brainstorming, writing the script and drawing a rough layout, penciling (which, as a side note, I found was misspelled in the book), lettering, inking, lettering, erasing, coloring, and (finally) publishing.
   
   Page 10 discusses the basic elements of manga style. This has a quick explanation of how hair, mouths, and noses or manga characters differ from that of standard American comic books.
   
   Page 11 tells the origin and differences of shounen and shoujo. In case you didn't know, shoujo (as quoted from page 8)"refers to comics aimed at young males", and shoujo "refers to comics aimed at young girls".
   
   Pages 12-15 point out some basic elements of heroes and villains. The heroes include "the dashing hero", "the magical girl", "the rebellious hero", "the big guy", "the kid", and "the mascot". The villains include "the big bad", "the evil queen", "the fallen hero", and "mindless goons".
   
   Pages 16-17 basically explain that everything drawn is a collection of basic shapes. It also gives you a few examples of three-dimensional figures.
   
   Page 18 is very helpful. It explains about light sources, and how shadows work.
   
   Page 19 discusses and gives examples of the difference between soft shading and cel shading.
   
   Pages 20-21 show the difference between coloring in markers, colored pencils, watercolors, acrylic on acetate, and computer coloring. I found these two pages to be quite helpful.
   
   Pages 22-23 cover manga eyes. It shows the difference between male and female eyes, and shows you the steps of drawing both. Personally, I wish they had more examples on faces instead of simply drawn directly onto the page.
   
   Pages 24-25 explain hair styles. These pages are incredibly informative! It gives you a color chart that includes several colors and what the typical personality is for its wearer (for example, blue = youthful, energetic, cool and introverted; red = energetic, good fighter, outspoken, stubborn and strong-willed.) and a picture of several styles and the typical personality of its wearer (long, straight hair: Traditional and down-to-earth; spiky: Energetic and youthful; ponytails: Cute, energetic, and a little ditzy.)
   
   Pages 26-31 demonstrate how to draw faces facing forward, to the side, and even a three-quarter view.
   
   Pages 32-33 have a list of emotions and a small example. The list is large and includes twenty-one emotions. They are pleased, laughing, happy, joyous, embarrassed, confused, sleepy, sly, pouting, bored, annoyed, angry, enraged, shocked, terrified, worried, crying, bawling, blubbering, yawning, and smug.
   
   Pages 34-36 break down proportions for the adult male and female, the teenaged male and female, the young female and male, the chibi male and female, and one super-deformed female. I was quite pleased to see children who weren't chibis. Most How-To-Draw books only include how to draw chibi children. And best of all, no nudity!
   
   Pages 37-38 explain a little bit about poses. This section is very short compared to most HTDM and quite uninformative.
   
   Page 39 also isn't very helpful. It explains a bit about foreshortening.
   
   Page 40 gives fantastic demonstrations of hands, as well as a great measurement tip.
   
   Page 41 is great for drawing feet. It shows a few different poses, and even a foot in a high heel shoe.
   
   Pages 42-43 focus on clothing. Page 42 centers on the flow and detail of clothing; while page 43 reminds you of the manga-specific clothing, such as kimonos, samurai armor, and the oh-so popular school uniforms. This page also has an example of two styles of uniforms for both girls and boys. I find myself referring to this section often.
   
   Pages 44-85 include an example of many different characters as well as some tips and characteristics. The characters include the mischievous chibi, dashing hero, magical girl, rebellious hero, the kid (shounen), girls (shoujo), the big guy, the mascot, fallen hero, evil queen, the big bad, mindless goons, unstoppable fiend, fantasy warrior, elf princess warrior, martial artists, cat girl, android boy, Victorian rose (bishoujo), school girl (bishoujo), Victorian gentleman (bishounen), hipster student, skate girl (shounen youth), cyberpunk kid (shounen youth), space hero, space pirate, mecha, humanoid robot, and the crab robot. Most of them include a drawing in both colored pencil and computer colored.
   
   Pages 86-87 give some interesting tips on martial art moves and battles.
   
   Pages 88-89 remind you to consider the weight of weapons in your drawings. For being the weapons section, it isn't elaborate as most HTDM.
   
   Pages 90-93 show examples of different actions and explains some important details such as what a character does when he/she jumps.
   
   Pages 94-97 aren't necessarily for beginners. These pages are very, very helpful for hard core manga artists. These two pages cover the basics of linear perspective, and drawing figure in perspective. They go into amazing detail and explanation.
   
   Pages 90-105 list some very helpful tips of drawing backgrounds and such. The examples include city buildings, the fantasy castle, the space station, and the traditional Japanese home.
   
   Pages 106-113 show you how to draw vehicles. In order, the examples included are a jumbo jet (simple sketch only), old car (simple sketch only), sporty car, flying car, sky cycle, good-guy space fighter, pirate space fighter, good-guy spaceship, and pirate spaceship.
   
   Pages 114-121 are about the design of a manga page. Now, the comics aren't good at all, but the pointers are. This includes the basic elements of a manga page (basically defining and giving examples of speed lines, bold lettering, narrative captions, and such), planning a comic page (teaching smooth transition of text), designing dynamic panels (different "camera" angles), basic panel shots (mostly different panel sizes), and pacing and panel flow (great tips on how to set up an interesting and sensible panel).
   
   Page 122 defines the different kinds of word balloons and shows some lettering options.
   
   Page 123 discusses sound effects. This page also includes sound effects in both English and Japanese. This page is also great to refer to when you'd like to see the meaning of a Japanese sound effect while reading manga.
   
   Page 124 covers features commonly found in manga, such as speed lines, the big head yell, and falling cherry blossoms.
   
   And finally...
   
   Page 126 summarizes "the business of making manga". This covers six steps of drawing manga professionally.
   Step One: Know your strength and weaknesses
   Step Two: Meet people and get feedback
   Step Three: Promote your work
   Step Four: Be persistent
   Step Five: Keep Learning
   Step Six: Stick with it
   
   Thanks for reading my (incredibly long) review!



3. This book is really neat, especially if you want to draw stories that have to do with superheroes and villians. The drawings are really cool, and it tells you the common things included in many hero mangas (very helpful if you are looking to make your own manga story).

5 comments about Mongolian Cloud Houses: How to Make a Yurt and Live Comfortably.

1. Mongolian Cloud Houses: How to Make a Yurt and Live Comfortably If you're into simplicity in dwelling and have a piece of land (your own, or unhindered use of some other property) then Mongolian Cloud Houses by Dan Frank Kuehn may be for you. But please note, if you wish to build a yurt similar to Kuehn's specifications, you will also need to glean a fair amount of natural raw materials from that land, as well as have ample time if you intend to build according to the author's specifications. Although not terribly labor intensive in sheer physical construction, building yurts as Kuehn does requires a fair amount of determined patience (a notion of building that is almost heretical in today's culture of "instant gratification" but was widely accepted practice for centuries and firmly reconstituted by many a counter-cultural self-builder of the 1960's and 70's.) In short, this is not the book for you, if you're seeking to get a yurt erected overnight. (If that's the case, pony-up some hard earned dough and go buy a commercially manufactured yurt. Then also hire/recruit a bunch of warm bodies to assist you. Maybe you'll get the thing up in a week, maybe you won't. This IS the book for you, if 1). You are basically building alone or maybe with some help from a friend. 2). You are short of, or very economical with money. 3). You have abundant free time. 4). You want to live simply in the round and wish to work mostly with materials you can gather or scrounge. And finally, 5) You need to have something warm and comfortable yet nomadic (Because a nylon camping tent as your base camp/wilderness home/extra dwelling space just won't cut it.) As a micro building enthusiast, I admire anyone who creates useful organic dwellings and then shares what they know with others. Especially when that knowledge is shared at a most affordable price. As with all Shelter Publications, this book is chockful of useful information. Kuehn's own hand drawn ilustrations are fabulous. The pics of his yurts and his self-evolution from 1976-2006 are delightful. And Jim Macey's b&w photos of Mongolia are a nice addition. It is a valued addition to my homestead and architectural bookshelf.



2. Both the book and the transaction were great. A perfect step by step guide.



3. The author provides excellent resources and instruction on building Mongolian style yurts. Though the text is somewhat dated many of the principles are still applicable today. I recommend this book to any beginner interested in constructing this type of nomadic dwelling.



4. Nomadic living in the 21st century can be achieved if your house is flexible and even portable - and MONGOLIAN CLOUD HOUSES: HOW TO MAKE A YURT AND LIVE COMFORTABLE advocates and shows how to construct a yurt using low-cost, natural materials available in either a backyard or wilderness. Step-by-step black and white drawings accompany a yurt history and includes construction alternatives and tips and tricks. A rare 'must' for any interested in alternative do-it-yourself construction.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. This book covers all the bases for homemade yurt living. History, how-to construction manual, reference guide, state-of-the-art catalog for all things in world of yurts (ger). Great pictures and graphics; the original nomadic living bible.

1 comments about Programs and Manifestoes on 20th-Century Architecture.

1. This book is mandatory for the library of any architect or student of architecture. It is the point from which any discussion of Modern Architecture could begin. I am hard pressed to think of a notable architect Conrad has neglected to include in this handy little book. From these pages I have seen generated a good number of arguments and debates on the state of architecture today. This is a small price to pay for such a wide array of ideas, both good and bad.

1 comments about Paulo Mendes da Rocha: Fifty Years 1957-2007.

1. Paulo Mendes da Rocha
   This is a book of ideas. Opening each chapter, text written by the architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha present the themes that show up time and again throughout his work: territory, technique and the city. The projects illustrate each of these selected subjects, making up a veritable visual narrative. Likewise, brief descriptions transcend the mere classificatory sequence of the projects and complement the narrative.
   The first of the texts, "The Americas, architecture and nature," deals with the relationship between architecture and territory. According to Paulo Mendes da Rocha, territory orients the architectural project, while the project humanizes nature. One example of this acting on space is his project for the Library of Alexandria, in Egypt. In it, the architect ventures beyond the limits of the piece of land set aside for the library's structure, aiming to incorporate the Kings Peninsula into the project and proposing to install the library's gardens there -- as if the possibility of the building and its gardens were already contained within the very landscape. In other works, Paulo Mendes goes so far as to conceal his building in order to establish a subtle dialogue with the city already built around it, as in his project for the Rio de Janeiro Public Library, an underground construction, or for the Beaubourg, a complex array of enclosures that accompanies the design of medieval Paris' alleyways.
   In the Americas, however, the adventure of the occupation of territory has its peculiarities. The new continent, still under construction, demands new horizons for design as well, an original and clever spatiality. This original character appears in Paulo Mendes da Rocha's plans for the recuperation of Vitória Bay, in the state of Espirito Santo, and in the feats achieved with the Elevated Reservoir in Urania and in the City of Tietê, both in the state of Sao Paulo. The new design proposed by the architect is founded in a critical revision of colonialism, and represents the hand of man in strategically chosen points in nature.
   In "The genealogy of imagination," Paulo Mendes highlights man's attempt to make viable his own existence by exploring the transforming power of technique.
   His enchantment with the capacity of human engineering is what made him marvel, as a child, at the construction in the Port of Vitória, and what drives him in the conception of such projects as the gymnasium at the Paulistano Athletic Club -- a concrete ring supported by six pillars from whose upper extremes extend the steel cables that hold up the central metal covering.
   One of the most beautiful contributions of Paulo Mendes da Rocha's work lies in its striving for resources that are technically perfect for the consolidation of spaces. This constant exploration can be verified in both his large and small projects, as is the case with Brazil's pavilion at the Osaka 70 Expo in Japan, in which the articulation of the structure is especially projected to resist seismic shocks, or with the retractable metal staircase in the Forma store, which serves both as access to the upper floor and as the piece with which the building is shut. The architect's meticulous dedication in his search for a synthesis of a design and form as beautiful as they are technically impeccable serves as an homage to human genius and its drive to find solutions to life's puzzles.
   Paulo Mendes da Rocha believes that architecture must not be seen as a finished object that sits static on the landscape, nor the city as an assemblage of self-referencing monuments. This tendency to venerate the past results in the praise of representation over realization. As he understands it, architecture is a modifier of space and of landscape. It meets both social and aesthetic human needs. Paulo Mendes sees history as it relates to the future.
   This posture is explicit in "The city for all," the third and final part of the book, in which we find his projects for the Bela Vista Grotto Park, the Poupatempo Public Service Center in Sao Paulo's Itaquera district, and the "Zezinho Magalhaes Prado" CECAP Housing Project in Guarulhos, a complex whose prefabrication principle inspired the Gerassi House. The city must build a structure that is supportive of life and takes its myriad dimensions into account: habitation, commerce, services, transportation, leisure and work.
   The project which closes this book is Paulo Mendes' proposal for the recuperation of the Bay of Montevideo, the fruit of an international architecture seminar organized for Uruguayan students. Closing this narrative in the context of a classroom is symbolic, as, in addition to his admirable mastery of design and technique, Paulo Mendes da Rocha dedicates himself daily to the task of educating. Not just students, but also small and major clients, friends and colleagues -- all of us, in short, still have much to learn from his impassioned discourses. Many of his works sprang up sustained by the enthusiasm of his words. We bring some of them together here.

No comments about 3 x 3: The Architecture of Suyama Peterson Deguchi.

4 comments about The Projective Cast: Architecture and Its Three Geometries.

1. There have been times when after reading an assignment from this book, my students will ask me how the subject-matter was pertinent to what we had been studying. I tell them: in no way. I just want them to read Robin Evans so that they can learn how to write. No one writes like Evans.



2. While Translations from Drawing to Building is perhaps Evans' more often referenced publication, The Projective Cast is even better.



3. This book is a must read for any architect interested in the geometries and shapes of buildings (which I hope is every architect) If you have second thoughts about buying it, buy it... it is informative, entertaining the diagrams and pictures are beautiful and it will take 2 (amazing) months to go through it.



4. Robin Evans has a knack of getting right to the point of many a subject with expertise. Extremely versatile and knowledgable, he uses this base to write profoundly. Evans takes criticism to another level by getting to 'the obvious' quickly, then building on pre conceived theory with frightening clarity to form an original alternative view. This is a marvelously laid out book with fantastic illustrations and plates from Renaissance history to Eisenman. He is not caught up in the hype of self-preserving discourse or traditional methods of interrogation. The book has a wealth of information that acts like a reference book. So easy to read and so refreshing in opinion. RIP Robin, this is a classic work.