2 comments about Building Information Modeling (McGraw-Hill Construction Series) (Mcgraw-Hill Construction Series).

1. I was interested in this book because it seemed less like a "how to" book and more about what makes this technology work. It has not disappointed on those issues at all. Very rich in information. The biggest weakness I have found is that the author clearly favors certain software packages over others, which I can understand... everyone has their preferences. However, when discussing Autodesk's Revit platform, I found the book to be overly biased and sometimes, flatly, mistaken. This issue does not however, severely detract from the overall value of the information. Where the book seeks to discuss BIM without focusing on specific software, it is without equal. As long as you aren't making purchasing decisions based on the information, anyone familiar with the basics of BIM will find it fascinating.



2. Well organized, well written. Provides information about model composition which most books on this subject do not include. Very informative. Organizations looking to move down the BIM/VDC path should definitely take the time to read as they will learn a great deal about the process changes needed to effectively utilize 3D models in their workflow.

No comments about Residential Development Handbook (Uli Development Handbook) (Development Handbook series).

2 comments about Architecture of the Cape Cod Summer: The Work of Polhemus Savery DaSilva: New Classicists.

1. Good architecture can enhance or destroy a natural vista and this monograph of the work of Polhemus Savery DaSilva demonstrates how the development of a piece of property does not mean destruction. The architecture is first rate and like all Images books the quality of the publication is exceptional.



2. This is a great book! Below is an edited version of my article that appeared in The Cape Cod Chronicle, July 24, 2008:
   
   "Inventive reinterpretations of historical elements" are major features of the houses of Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders (PSDAB), according to architect John R. DaSilva.
   
   In this magnificent book 25 major works by the firm are collected into one handsome volume. The houses are pictured inside and out in over 400 color photographs, with site and floor plans included.
   
   In his essay in the book, DaSilva outlines the firm's belief in architecture that recalls the past, "rather than literally re-creating it."
   
   "I always wanted to be an architect" DaSilva said during a recent interview. He followed his dream to Princeton and Yale. He married architect Sharon McGinnis DaSilva (now a senior designer at PSD) whom he met when both were working at Venturi, Rauch and Scott Brown.
   
   The decades following the Civil War were the period of America's "first real `summer,'" DaSilva writes. In the introduction, Michael Crosbie, who writes extensively about architecture for such publications as "Architectural Record," compares our time to the earlier period. "It harkens back to the age of grand houses by the sea..."
   
   Take Pepperwood, a 7,500-square-foot house which DaSilva designed (his wife collaborated) in Chathamport. "The client asked for a large house, but one that would not overwhelm the more modest suburban Capes and colonials of its post-war neighborhood," Crosbie writes.
   
   In speaking of his designs, DaSilva frequently mentions great architects of the past. In the case of Pepperwood he evokes John Soane and Edwin Lutyens, who was known for adapting traditional architectural styles in the early years of the 20th century. "The interior of this house is, in many ways, informed by the kind of things they did," he says.
   
   Playfulness and wit are traits that "make our projects fresh," DaSilva says. At Pepperwood this is expressed by repeating the gambrel roof shape of the front elevation throughout the house in whimsical details.
   
   DaSilva proved his versatility as a designer when he took on a radically different project-- a municipal restroom. "This was a challenging project," he says. It's on Chatham's town green. "Putting the rest rooms there, you don't want it to look like a camp structure." DaSilva used, of all things, a Greek temple as his model. "It's a simplified and more abstract version." (On the morning after the grand opening someone strung toilet paper across the portico with "Acrapolis" on it - the firm took this as a compliment!) PSDAB designed the building pro bono.
   
   Do PSDAB projects share common elements? DaSilva believes so. He mentions the firm's fastidiousness in orientation that takes advantage of natural lighting. While every site differs, "we try to have every major room have two exposures," he says.
   
   "Architecture" took about a year and a half to put together. Now, DaSilva says, "I want to put this book aside and create the work to go into volume two."

2 comments about Financial Management for Design Professionals: The Path to Profitability.

1. Baker's Pro-Guide Lip Balm SPF-15 (Cherry) 3-PACK
   
   This is a great book for both the finance savy and those struggling to get a grip on your company finances. I would highly recommend it for any architect, engineer or graphic design firm; but know that the principles are easily applied to any business. Like a good foundation the authors starts at the beginning and builds to your end goal with each chapter. The most valuable aspect of this book is that the material was presented in a way that is easy to understand, even while watching TV. What would make the book better? I would suggest a section on applying the strategies with QuickBooks. Since the majority of small to medium design firms use QuickBooks for their accounting it would have been really helpful if the book had presented example companies with charts of accounts, budgets, P&L, profit plan, etc using QuickBooks software. Even if your firm is profitable I would recommend reading this book to help you find those subtl;e areas in your business where you can make improvements.



2. As a busy Architect who did not double major in business, this book not only helped me understand how to really know how my company was (or wasn't) doing financially, it helped me communicate what my Accountant needed to know (he did not double major in Architecture.) I highly recommend this book to all Sole Proprietor Architects who want to know how much money they need to keep the ship floating! Good luck!

No comments about Growing Smarter: Achieving Livable Communities, Environmental Justice, and Regional Equity (Urban and Industrial Environments).

5 comments about Architect's Essentials of Contract Negotiation (The Architect's Essentials of Professional Practice).

1. Ava Abramovitz has distilled her years of experience as attorney, advisor and mediator into a wonderfully readable book. Her insights and suggestions will benefit every architect who has strugged with uncertainty during contract negotiations. A wonderful addition to our professional library.



2. Did you know that negotiation can be taught? Most architects do not understand that the rest of the world NEGOTIATES. This book is absolutely ESSENTIAL to the business end of architecture, as well as to life. How do you handle a client who wants full ownership of documents? Do you know what liability that can open you and your firm up to?! Do your key employees know how to negotiate? What about negotiating design? Are all aspects of the design so important that you're willing to walk away from the job, the client and future work; or do you know how to negotiate a win-win situation? This book is for ANYONE in the firm who is in direct contact with the client or other representatives of the client. GET AND READ THIS BOOK! (It will even help with non-professional relationships.)



3. Contract negotiations are often tedious and frustrating. This book was refreshingly useful because it laid out strategies for achieving desired negotitated results. The book's advice and approach can be applied with profit to any contract negotiations, but it's examples are based on negotiating the complicated agreements between Owners and Architects. I've used it with success to explain the Architect's needs and concerns to Owners and, just as frequently, I've used it when representing Owners to explain why a certain compromise and position in negotiations with Architects makes sense. It is a book with balanced advice on how to negotiate in general and how to do so in particular in the Owner/Architect context. It's many specific examples and suggested solutions to typical negotiation issues have saved me hours of time attempting to articulate to opposing counsel or my clients what the author has already compiled in this book.

   I've found its contents so useful that I've taught portions of seminars to Architects, Contractors and Owners using lessons and insights taken from the book. The attendees always have commented favorably on the concrete, practical advice they have learned from those portions of the seminar.

   This is a valuable book. If you're involved in any negotiations, especially construction, it is worth purchasing.




4. I teach architecture students a course on professional practice and have made Architect's Essentials of Contract Negotiation required reading. Of all the sources I've read on this topic, Ava Abramowitz offers the most accessible and well-reasoned explanations of what every design professional must understand about negotiation (and communication).

   Abramowitz's many years of experience as a counselor, teacher and mentor to architects has clearly given her insight into how architects think, and she uses this insight to great effect. My students enjoy reading this text (especially Chapters 3&4) because it connects to the way they see the world (and helps focus that vision) in language that rings true. Don't be fooled by the word "Contracts" in the title; this is a great book about architects and negotiation in general and one that I believe all architects should own.




5. I am not an architect, but I loved this book. It clearly laid out steps real people can take to negotiate tough problems -- whether construction-related or not. The chapter on communication skills and the one on dispute resolution alone were worth the price of the book. In fact, I would say, as a senior manager of a growing business, that anyone who seeks to accomplish anything important in any business would benefit from the information this book contains. It should be required reading for all.

5 comments about How Firms Succeed: A Field Guide to Design Management.

1. Although I am not an Architect but I enjoyed reading this book. It tells you exactly what you want to know about running a design firm. I also liked the simple, clear language that was used. If you are planning to start up your own business then I really recommend you to read this book.



2. I was very pleased to find this book. It is a clear, concise resource for people who need to better understand design firms. It provides an insight into the nature of the design business - and it unique culture - that is invaluable to both practitioners and managers who want to create a successful and healthy organization.



3. How Firms Succeed should be on every Design Firm's must read list. It is the closest thing to a how-to manual in running a design firm. Anyone who follows the principles of the text will reap the rewards as their business grows.



4. How Firms Succeed transforms the poetry of architecture into the prose of practical management advice. This book offers solutions to the questions and problems that distract firms from their quest to provide excellent design. It should rapidly become an indispensable part of every architect's working library.



5. Too many design professionals think that design excellence and financial acumen are mutually exclusive. Thanks to the authors of How Firms Succeed for putting this myth to rest. This book addresses the issues that, if practiced, will allow for both. One can only imagine the impact of a firm that provides best-of-class design and its impact on our communities.

3 comments about Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service Through Architecture.

1. This is my first "review" of a book I didn't read because the print was too small. I'm hoping more people who share this issue will complain via their reviews and publishers will get the message.
   
   I order most of the books I read from the library, so I don't know if a book is "readable" till I get it. I don't need "large print" books, but there's no excuse for a 6"x9" paperback book to use print this small.



2. Bell's book neatly encapsulates all the best thinking being done on the cutting edge where architecture meets social consciousness. Probably nobody in the United States is more qualified to address the subject of architecture for the less-advantaged, and its potential for positive impact in their lives. As a young man, Bell left a highly prestigious position in New York to live in a cold-water cabin in Pennsylvania and formulate ideas about the role architecture might play in the lives of those not traditionally served by good design. Bell gained influence as the founder of Design Corps and a teacher at the Rural Studio, and has since become a sought-after lecturer. "Good Deeds, Good Design" collects the best thinking about socially-conscious design in one compact book. It should be required reading for both students and practitioners interested in this burgeoning area of architecture.



3. Good Deeds, Good Design challenges the reader to re-think, or at the very least further refine his perspective on architecture for those who cannot afford an architect. While all the essays promote the premise that the enhancement of life by good design should be made available for those who can least afford it, they approach the "how","what" and even the "why" questions from very different perspectives.

   Bell has done an excellent job of compiling these very different points of view in order to make the reader think. I have thought about some point or other from the essays almost every day for the past two weeks, and may well mull many of them over for years.

   The great stories told by the case studies, like the elderly native american woman who moved from living in a school bus to a home, or the village which was given a place to gather and to worship, inspire the reader to take up the cause and act. This book should be required reading for every student of architecture (and probably for every public policy wonk as well).

4 comments about Construction Operations Manual of Policies and Procedures (Construction Operations Manual of Policies & Procedures).

1. I am running a construction company and my basic mindset is functional business development. I recently purchased this Construction Operations Manual and I am extremely satisfied. The book almost perfectly addresses a wide array of issues, actually, it's phenomenal! It simply is a 'construction operations manual.' I have not read anything that would come close to this book in terms of running a practical construction company.
   
   Furthermore, this is basic business development. In my opinion it is a balanced and structured way of creating and operating any business in general. Whether it be a construction, technology or scuba diving companies, these basic functional principles of running a business will not change. It is a fabulous book.
   
   There is some room for improvement. The cd-rom with forms templates is fairly large and it forms facilitates many issues, however I personally have put together a compilation of templates 4x as large. Therefore, there is a way to create a better manual by adding more forms to the cd-rom.
   
   Overall, i give the Construction Operations Manual two thumbs up, five stars and lots of support.



2. Most spend thousands in buying a franchise. This book has what you need to build a successful system yourself at much less cost.



3. Author has huge experience in construction industry, but I expected something like a guideline - simple in structure, focused on essence. Topics are covered with plenty of words, could be simpler. However generally it is worth having this book.



4. THe attached diskette did not contain all the forms and letters as so indicated by the author. THe author should verify the diskette before shipping. Other than that I thought the manual prove to be worth the purchase.

1 comments about Time Management for Architects and Designers.

1. An extremely lucid and entertaining manual on a subject that can be tedious. Humorously illustrated by the author, it includes a good summary of pitfalls in the design process. This book can go a long towards meeting design deadlines, while still having a life outside the design studio.