No comments about Design Professional's Handbook of Business and Law (Construction Law Library).

1 comments about The Practice of Sustainable Development.

1. This book should be titled, "The Practice of Ignoring Market Demand." It is little more than an promotion for dense urban development and the elimination of the automobile, which is a sustainable concept for only a small portion of our society.
   
   If "smart growth" is so smart, why has it been around for over 35 years, but only a small portion of our society has bought into it? Generally speaking, it ignores market demand and attempts to shape the market in a way that it refuses to be shaped. THAT is an unsustainable practice.
   
   Dense urban development can be sustainable - or it can be unsustainable. Suburban development can be sustainable - or it can be unsustainable.
   
   The unanswered question (in this book) is: What specific DEVELOPMENT practices contribute to the sustainability we want to achieve?
   
   The presumption in this book is that ALL development is unsustainable, so we need to pack people as close together as possible, so we can do as little of it as possible, and everyone can walk to work and shop.
   
   Today's automobiles represent an unsustainable practice, but developers aren't in the automobile manufacturing business, nor can they sustainably control market demand for their use. Attempting to manipulate the market's demand for privacy and space is a recipe for financial disaster. Hardly sustainable.
   
   I found very little useful information in this book.

No comments about Risk Management in Project Organisations.

No comments about LARE Review, Section A Sample Exam: Project and Construction Administration.

5 comments about American Castles: A Pictorial History.

1. I enjoyed the book. The photographs iside were excellent. The only reason I gave it three stars is because it was WAY TO SHORT. I only wish there was more pictures and backgound. As far as its delivery goes. The book came on time and in perfect shape.



2. 
   This is a nice hardback book with beautifully photographed pictures of the "MAJOR" USA Castles (or mansions) . Please note that most of the photos in this book are of the exteriors.
   
   There are many other mansions still around in the USA, but this book contains the most well-known "mansions",photographed on the outside.



3. Though I greatly enjoyed a visit to Hearst's "Castle" in San Simeon some years ago, as a European one tends to be unaware that it isn't the only building of its kind in the USA. This book provides an excellent overview of what's on offer, and for me truly opened up whole new perspectives on architecture. The shameless display of wealth is very much to the fore in several of the houses that are documented. Though the results are sometimes in questionable taste, or even childishly naïve, and architects apparently weren't always able to articulate the difference between a hallway in a private dwelling and an opera house lobby, there is also an exhilarating buoyancy to it all that's rarely found in European buildings, weighed down as they are by historical and stylistic consciousness (barring maybe a few Victorian extravaganzas in the UK and of course Ludwig II's castles in Bavaria). Confections like the dining room at The Breakers or the ballroom at Marble House might have been cooked up in Hollywood as sets for some million-dollar fairy tale movie and are simply mind-blowing.
   Still, of even greater interest than these would-be Versailles' are quintessentially American buildings like the Carson House in Eureka or the bizarre Winchester "Mystery" House. All of these are shown to excellent advantage in this book, with an occasional Italianate Palazzo and the odd gothic monstrosity thrown in for good measure. Both interiors and exteriors are (selectively) documented. Texts are brief and to the point. The photography is more than serviceable, though of somewhat variable quality and rarely quite top-notch. Still, at the price nobody interested need hesitate to pick up this slim volume. If you are seriously interested in the subject I would however urge you (also) to invest in the McAlister's more comprehensive, scholarly, and visually stunning "Great American Houses", which includes floor plans, unfortunately missing in the present book.



4. For $10.36 you simply cant beat the value of the beautiful photos in this book. Grand 'modern' castles & mansions of the Guilded Era with pictures of their interiors also. My favorites are the Hearst mansion/castle & the Hammond castle. I gave it less than 5 stars because it is only 80 pages long. I gave it more than 3 stars for the exquisite photos.

   See other books I have reviewed if you want more suggestions for books on castles & architecture.




5. A variety of architectural styles are represented in this full color book, including gothic castles, victorian mansions and palazzos. Each building represented contains a brief history and beautiful photographs. A few of the castles highlighted are the monumentous Hearst Castle, the Winchester Mystery House and Ca'd'Zan. Newport's mansions are well represented also. It is an absolute bargain for the price. Short and sweet it is a great way to start a library of castles. I would highly recommend.

No comments about Sert 1928-1979. Complete Work: Half a Century of Architecture..

1 comments about Architect's Pocket Book of Kitchen Design.

1. This is a great little book with lots of useful information packed into a clear and concise format. Note to American buyers: The book is published in Britain and contains metric units, EU energy efficiency ratings, and a bit of regional information about the UK.

No comments about Powers Brown Architecture: NeoArchitecture (Neoarchitecture).

1 comments about Construction Management Fundamentals (Mcgraw-Hill Civil Engineering Series).

1. This book is an excellent text for teaching construction management fundamentals. I have used it in both undergraduate and graduate courses and my students have valued its purchase (if not the price of the purchase).
   
   It is a good overview publication, reasonably easy to read with a balance between technical and explanatory discussions. The book presents the material logically and the information flows well from one topic to the next.

No comments about The Architect's Guide to Running a Practice.