No comments about Performative Architecture: Beyond Instrumentality.

No comments about Sustainable Facilities.

5 comments about Prescriptions for a Healthy House.

1. The introduction is a great primer on household toxins that affect us all, and includes references. Everyone should read it!
   
   Most of the book is geared to what to insist on when building a home, but it gives important insights if you're buying a home or wanting to make yours more healthy. Very good section on wiring errors (and how to explain to the electrician what you want), although some of the explanations of how electro-magnetic fields should be understood are slightly inaccurate. Unfortunately, not much about how to mitigate microwave signals, which is perhaps the biggest problem a lot of people will face. Still I wish I'd read this book years ago!



2. This is the perhaps the best book available for architects and builders wanting to create healthier homes. The book that not only explains what the potential hazards in a home are but provides lots of product information, i.e., where to order alternative building materials, less toxic-paint, safe insulation, etc.
   
   A must have for any architect or builder or home owner thinking of building their own home.
   
   
   Dan Stih is the author of Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10 Hazards Affecting Your Health



3. Ones' home is one of the most important factors in ones health, I believe. Todays houses are filled with toxic chemicles that slowly (sometimes quickly) erode the health of the occupants. Paula Baker-Laporte knows from first hand experience how a home affects its occupants - she herself has suffered from chemical poisioning in houses.
   
   As an an architect, she is sharing her years of research and personal experience with the public so that they can also live in a healthy home.
   
   This is a book that everyone in the civilized world should read. It is well written and filled with great information.



4. The book's major strength is that it gives specific wording to put into your contract that will try to ensure a healthy house. But some contractors will take one look at these specs and laugh "yeah, right!" Overall, I recommend John Bower's book "The Healthy House" over this one because it covers more topics and gives much more information.



5. When this new edition of "Prescriptions" came out, it was the most complete of any book about Healthy Homes/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. The combination of architect/doctor/building specialist as authors works very well.
   
   The information is thorough and well documented. They can back up what they say. It is very well organized.
   
   As a Home Builder, I find this to an excellent resource on MCS. On the down side, it is a little bit of a dry read.

No comments about Visual Research Methods in Design.

2 comments about The Adaptable House : Designing Homes for Change.

1. good overview of adaptable home techniques
   focus on affordability is a welcome change as most architectural design is geared toward higher end homes.
   illustrations compliment the text
   
   from the book:
   Author Avi Friedman believes that rather than being unchangeable, physical environments should be designed and constructed to easily adjust to the evolving lifestyle of their inhabitants. A home, he contends, should be structurally flexible enough to adapt to changes such as children "leaving the nest," elderly relatives moving in, or the need for home office space. Written by an internationally recognized flexible housing advocate, The Adaptable House provides specific design approaches and techniques that facilitate flexible design--both on the inside and outside--making it simple to alter a dwelling layout, demolish partitions or build new ones, upgrade heating systems, change the locations of stairs, etc. The book is divided into three logical sections: the first sets the stage for adaptability, the second outlines relevant principles, and the last shows their actual application. Packed with floor plans, drawings, photos, and charts to fully and clearly illustrate his suggestions, The Adaptable House includes detailed coverage of: * Interior layouts and room configurations * Exterior elements such as roofs and facades * New building materials and methods * Easy add-on and remodels * Single-family and multiple dwelling housing The Adaptable House is a master blueprint for those interested in creating homes that can be quickly, easily, and inexpensively redesigned to meet the dynamic nature of the occupants' life. contributers include Nadia Meratla, Effie Bouras, and André Majaes



2. Sorry I don't have more time right now to compose a more substantial supportive review, but suffice it to say that I can enthusiastically give this book 5 stars. Though somewhat modest in it's appearance, the book's contents are an important advancement of many of the concepts discussed in the equally important book, How Buildings Learn. Importantly, in addition to the ideas discussed, are several examples of actual projects, including construction details and materials showing how to achieve them. This book is a particularly valuable and practical reference for all forward-thinking architects and contractors who truly want to serve their clients for a long time to come.

2 comments about Colours of Architecture: Coloured Glass in Contemporary Buildings.

1. As a student, this text was incredibly helpful in opening my eyes to the possibilities of glass. I had no idea such methods and techniques are being used all over the world! This will definitely add to my studio practice as well as my scholastic prowess. I am recommending this text to my professor as a required reading for our contemporary architecture course. I think many students would benefit from the breadth and depth of this work.



2. This book speaks to the evolving landscape of architecture with beautiful images and captions capturing the essence of architecture today. Breathtaking views of colored glass invite the reader while the critical commentary provokes thought and sparks further dialogue. This text is a must read for any aspiring architects, artists, or lovers of the arts. Very clear, beautiful, and evocative.

1 comments about Illustrated 2003 Building Code Handbook.

1. While it is always difficult to criticise, I found this book to be useless. It is essentially a rephrasing of some sections of the code it claims to "illustrate". Although there are drawings, they are oversimplified and do not covey and deeper understanding of the intent of the code, in the way some of the NFPA code handbooks do for that code.
   A much better book that illuminate and enlightens readers on the intent of the IBC and does it with good accompanying graphics is Frank Ching's book.

2 comments about Communication and Design With the Internet (Norton Books for Architects & Designers).

1. There are few professions that have as much potential as architecture and city planning to take advantage of the Net. This book is the best general introduction to the Web for people in the design professions. Cohen patiently explains the concepts in a way that his fellow architects can understand and apply. I was especially impressed with the chapters on participatory planning and design. This book is very well written and illustrated.



2. This is a unique book, catering to architects, engineers, land-use planners and other professionals in related fields. Although part of the book is about web-site design and site management issues (which is covered in many books), the author presents the information very well - in fact, the quality of the editing, formatting and illustrations is great - done with a lot of care.

   The chapters which really caught my interest were those relating to community planning - especially the one about participatory community planning. This is an application with a lot of potential, where 'the web-site' could unleash a number of other novel communication tools (e.g. environmental simulation - my area of expertise).

   I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in community/land-use development or resource management. It is a great source of ideas.

No comments about Prison Architecture.

No comments about Light for Cities: Lighting Design for Urban Spaces. A Handbook.