No comments about Norman Foster Works 5 (Norman Foster Works) (Norman Foster Works).

1 comments about The Complete Book of Home, Site and Office Security.

1. The Complete Book of Home, Site, and Office Security provides the reader with an excellent overview of security; from locks, to alarms, to lighting, to CCTV, and more. Whether you are a homeowner interested in adding some additional security to your home, or a security professional wanting a basic professional reference, this book is an excellent choice.
   
   The book is easy to read for someone with no background in security, yet contains enough technical information to make it valuable for the security professional. The author, Mr. Phillips, is the author of several other security books (all of which I enjoyed) and is more than qualified to write on this topic.

2 comments about Construction Project Administration (6th Edition).

1. One would have thought that after so many editions, the thick book would have been far less wordy and better structured. The main problem is not structuring according to project life cycle, resulting in many repetitions and unnecessary topics such as how to use a camera on site! Construction projects must be managed in a simple and efficient manner so that milestones can be tracked and problems are quickly resolved. Having unnecessary details divert attention from such basic principles.



2. the book covers most of the issues related to project management. Some topics are very informative even for soemone with experience in project management. overall a very good book on this subject.

2 comments about The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 13th Ed..

1. This book is an impressive accomplishment, admittedly. It is a vast amount of information, very thorough, complete, and seems to cover every aspect of professional practice for an architect. I have other editions of this book back to the 1958 copy, and they are fairly extraordinary records of the changes in the profession.
   
   The failures of this book are to some extent caused by its subject matter. Architectural practice has changed in the last decade for some firms, and this book admirably tries to reflect and analyze that change -- although this probably holds true for a very small number of firms. If you're a partner at Skidmore Owings and Merrill and trying to broadly envision where practice is heading, hey this book is perfect for you. But I imagine many firms are not going to have that much use for re-examining the nature of the "client" or "project," a lot of this material would be better served by smaller (cheaper) specialized books.
   
   It's an ambitious goal to attempt a comprehensive overview of architectural practice but its editing doesn't rise to the occasion. In between interesting insights and clear explanations of practice topics you really can't find elsewhere, you find some seriously clunky essays and information that is comically useless.
   
   For example, consider this gem in an essay on architecture and the web: "Email is a personal, direct connection to the Internet. You can send messages, attach drawings, and communicate instantly across the globe with a few clicks of the mouse. Email is much like regular mail. You send mail to particular addresses, and they write to you at yours..." Okay, this for a book published in 2001. Not 1981, but 2001. Are they also going to explain what a telephone thingy is on my desk, or what I'm supposed to do with this fax machine here? It might have been useful to have a page about email's legal status, or how a firm should set policies about email, but what we've got here is a page long description for someone who's been living under a rock and has no idea what email actually IS. Although this is simply one minor example, it is the kind of thing that makes this book wildly uneven and screaming for a competent editor. For the price of this book I think we deserve more.



2. In addition to the all-new format (thankfully no more binders!), this book really does cover EVERYTHING an architect needs to know to run a business-- from working with clients to developing added-value services-- all in one book. I especially appreciate the new section devoted to understanding client motivation, thinking, processes, and values and the new section summarizing services I can offer to expand my client base. This is definitely the book that every architect needs to keep close at hand!

2 comments about The Yokohama Project.

1. This book engages this one specific project, its an exceptional book that's deeply routed in the ethics and practice of architecture.



2. The book is an inspiring and surprisingly honest account of the design and the construction of the Yokohama Terminal. The most optimistic part about it is the rather obvious fact that it was conceived and managed by a few academically rigorous but professionally inexperienced architects. The enormity of the project, the complexity of the structure, the problems of circulation, security, fire safety, seismic performance, etc. should all have choked the project before it even had reached the competition entry boards - the fact that it did not is an early tell-tale sign of the fresh naiveté, which must have fueled the design team.

   The true merit of the team (and the story as whole) is the fact that the designers decided to go through with it. They moved to Japan and spent over two years and 23.5 billion yen supervising the project through construction administration. The writers talk as openly about their greatest successes and their worst failures.

   The very extensive photographic documentation of the design and construction show the amazing story of the metamorphosis of an architectural idea into a material form. As I was reading thorough the text I saw myself picking favorite parts of the design and browsing impatiently ahead to see how they resolved themselves in the actual construction - sometimes I agreed with the chosen solution and sometimes I did not. The point is that the process of decision-making is revealed very clearly.

   I would like to finish with a quote from the book, which offers a most delightful message to the youthful talent in all of us:
   
   "This is where amateurs have advantage over pros. A pro knows what he can deliver and rarely goes beyond it. An amateur has no concept of his limitations and generally will go beyond them."

1 comments about Faster Construction Projects with CPM Scheduling.

1. This is by far the most interesting and comprehensive book I've ever read on project scheduling. The concept of Momentology is much more viable than Critical Chain and should really deserve more attention.
   
   Although not for the novice scheduler, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in CPM.

1 comments about Architect's Essentials of Ownership Transition (The Architect's Essentials of Professional Practice).

1. A terrific overview of the sometimes complex concepts surrounding a change in leadership or ownership of design firms. Lays out the options for a couple of different ways to transfer ownership/leadership and includes case studies that show how different options have been carried out. It's a solid book that talks directly to architects, interior designers and landscape architects. Recommended for anyone being considered for a future leadership role in a firm - and definitely for anyone or any firm getting ready for a transfer of ownership or leadership.

1 comments about Investigate, Ask, Tell, Sense, Build: 3xn Architects.

1. As an architecture student about to graduate May of 2008, I find this kind of publication great to see what the rest of the world is doing. i especially enjoy the Danish style of model making. If you are a fan of the guys formerly of PLOT you will like this book. I got to visit the office of Henning/Larsen a few years ago and was impressed by the work they were doing then so seeing the work Larsen is doing now is cool.

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

No comments about How to Work With an Architect.