Reviews (2)

Couldn't wait to read it!
I'm a big fan of Alain de Botton's writing, so when I saw that his newest book, "The Architecture of Happiness" would not be released in the US until October 2006, I ordered it directly from Amazon.uk. I read it in two or three days and was not disappointed. Botton has a great way of connecting the writings and thoughts of the great minds of world civilization to everyday human experiences. In this case, to the kinds of buildings (public and private) we build or aspire to build, or conversely, tolerate and settle for. The book is amply illustrated. As nice as these photographs and illustrations are, Botton's writing is so precise and illustrative in its own right that the illustrations are not always necessary.
Erudite, colorful, delightful!
[Notabene: this is a review of the Dutch translation of this book.] I have read only one book by Alain de Botton so far, namely his eminently readable but highly imaginative and evocative 'The Art of Travel'. I was so enamoured by that particular book, that I highly anticipated his 'The Architecture of Happiness', and bought it without any doubts as what to expect (and so should anyone else who loved his 'The Art of Travel, I believe ;-)
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Subjects:  1. Aesthetics    2. Architecture    3. Architecture and society    4. Criticism    5. General    6. Psychological aspects    7. Architecture / Criticism   

Editorial Review

In this fanciful volume, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, founder of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (O.M.A.), both analyzes and celebrates New York City. By suggesting the city as the site for an infinite variety of human activities and events--both real and imagined--the essence of the metropolitan lifestyle, its "culture of congestion" and its architecture are revealed in a brilliant new light. "Manhattan," Koolhaas writes, "is the 20th century's Rosetta stone . . . occupied by architectural mutations (Central Park, the Skyscraper), utopian fragments (Rockefeller Center, the U.N. Building), and irrational phenomena (Radio City Music Hall)." Filled with fascinating facts, as well as photographs, postcards, maps, watercolors, and drawings, the vibrancy of Koolhaas's poignant exploration of Gotham equals the heady, frenetic energy of the city itself. Anyone who loves New York will want to own this book. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Eating oysters with boxing gloves, naked, on the nth floor.
The quote written above is excerpted from Delirious New York. It is a perfect example of the lyrical quality of the writing prevalent throughout this amazing book. Delirious New York is not an objective chronological listing of New York's development, but a collection of manifestos and stories with opinionated perspectives about a city founded on the idea that maximum congestion is a desirable factor. It is informative, funny (the midget firefighters of Coney Island had me laughing aloud for a solid minute or two), twisted, and inspiring.
best koolhaas ever, man
koolhaas is a bit over-the-top for me, but this I think is is best work. it's worth checking out if only for the story of coney island. once you get past blisteringly pretentious phrases like "coney island is a fetal manhattan", you'll find it gloriously entertaining as both a narrative and theoretical work.

the culture of congestion
This is by far Koolhaas's most accessible work, as it is rooted so clearly in detail from the city's past. Further, the book is simply brilliant. His take on urban history is to Jane Jacobs what Socrates is to common sense. New York is a special case of modernism that sprang from a special constellation of poltiical and technological forces that collectively create a cultural "big-bang" at the turn of the century. Read it. Blow your mind. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American architecture    2. Architecture    3. Buildings    4. Criticism    5. New York    6. New York (N.Y.)    7. New York (State)    8. New York - Local History    9. Planning    10. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    11. Social History    12. U.S. Architecture - General    13. Art / Subjects & Themes / General    14. Local history    15. USA   

Reviews (2)

clear thinker and builder
Reading this book was like reading a long-lost secret manual of
Highly recommended
A thoroughly engaging book about meaningful architecture - it now holds a very special place in my architecture library, right next to Michael Benedikt's For An Architecture of Reality.Read more

Subjects:  1. Architectural Design    2. Architecture    3. Criticism    4. Design & Drafting    5. Architecture / History    6. Individual architects    7. Zumthor, Peter   

Reviews (20)

alexander's courage gave birth to this noble book
this is simply (as all the other books by c. alexander) the best book I have ever read on architecture, and the humanity of architecture
My wife loves it - and that's good enough for me.
I bought this (and Patterns...) because my wife always liked discussing the structure of our city, our house and life in general, as we headed home after work.
Very Intersting and Original Viewpoint
Alexander's book is fascinating. It teaches the reader to draw the distinction between pattern design and modular design. Previously, I was not even aware that these two design methods were on a type of continuum. Aside from its lessons, it is in fact a very interesting book. It does have a kind of utopian feel to it, and it feels good! I highly recommend this book to anyone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Drafting    3. Pattern perception    4. Planning    5. Study & Teaching    6. Architecture / Criticism    7. Art & Architecture | Theory & Criticism; Aesthetics   

Reviews (6)

Inspirational architecture
What a wonderful book.You must check this out if you care about architecture and the environment.

Soon to be dog-eared
I'm three quarters of the way reading this book from cover to cover - only the second architecture book I've finished all the way through. The first 'Good deeds, good design' (ed. Bryan Bell) is very similar in its exploration of sustainable innovative design. I've been waiting awhile for something as inspirational as that book, and 'Design Like You Give A Damn' doesn't disappoint.
An encyclopedia of inspiration
To echo what some of the other reviewers have written, this book is really marvelous inspiration. It describes a series of projects, most built, that are mostly low tech, low cost, people-centered. It is mainly architecture (buildings), buthighlights a few projects that fall more into the 'appropriate tech' catagory: pumps, water carriers, solar stills, bush toilets...
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    3. Criticism    4. Design & Drafting    5. History - General    6. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings   

Reviews (5)

The Best Complete Book on Western Architecture
Without a doubt, this text is the Quintessential Gold Standard for introductory Western Architecture. A must have for anybody who is serious about learning about how Western Architecture has evolved over time, and with little if any bias. Its only weak area is with architectural development in Asia and South/Central Meso America. Other than that, this is my third copy of the text and it just keeps getting better. Believe me when I say, this is one book you may never want to loan out, for it may not get returned. I know, it's happened to me once already.

Full of historical detail
Mine is a new 1975 edition (which was a small fraction of the new price). It is as much a history of the world--and an incredibly detailed one--as a history of architecture. It opens each of its 40 chapters with a discussion of a civilization or era, then describes the buildings very matter-of-factly. Sometimes opinions emerge: Louis Kahn is cited as an example of a flash-in-the-pan; FLLW's Guggenheim is criticized as impractical.
It's just so.....juicy!
For over a century, this has been THE classic study of the history of architecture. It is a work of art in it's own right and worth owning simply for the joy of hefting it's not inconsiderable weight and browsing once ina while - even as a layman. The text is extraordinarily readable and theillustrations are a delight. It's so packed full of information - believeme, even if you have only a limited interest in architecture you will learna great deal that will surprise you from this book! Enthusiasts forclassical and other older branches of architecture may wish to considerpurchasing second-hand copies of older editions - they're somehow nicer,and devote less space to the debased modern form of the art. (Yes, I'mbiased and proud of it!:) Of a reasonable collection of architecturalhistory books, (including several larger-format, beautifully-illustratedcoffee-table books in the modern style)this book is easily my favourite. Ithas class, style and above all, character. Buy it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Criticism    3. General    4. History    5. History - General    6. History Of Architecture    7. Study & Teaching    8. Architecture / History    9. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles   

Subjects:  1. Architectural Design    2. Architecture    3. Criticism    4. Design & Drafting    5. Architecture / History    6. Civil Engineering, Surveying & Building    7. Zumthor, Peter   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Criticism    3. General    4. History    5. History - General    6. International Architecture - European    7. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Architectural Design    2. Architectural Firms    3. Architecture    4. Criticism    5. Design & Drafting    6. Non-Classifiable    7. Nonfiction    8. Reference    9. Architectural structure & design    10. Architecture / General    11. Architecture / History    12. Tectonics   

Reviews (2)

Outstanding
It is an outstanding book for aspiring architects who want to gain more knowledge about the history of what they study and practice. From the Egyptians to the modern architects like Frank Gehry, this book explains how, why, and where the great structures of the world were built. It is an excellent research material to use.

Wonderful
I have always admired architecture. I love wandering through cities, marvelling at their skyscrapers, and travelling to Europe to see older buildings. I bought "A World History of Architecture" so that I could better understand not only the beauty of these buildings, but their place in architectural history. "A World History" exceeded my expectations.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Criticism    3. History    4. History - General    5. History Of Architecture    6. Architecture / General   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (6)

Beautiful pics, interesting copy
Well worth the price...we had just returned from a weekend in Palm Springs and this book gave us interesting background and history and also great photographs.

An Inspiration
This book has enough information in it to turn you into a bit of an expert on Palm Springs mid-century architecture. It has enough beautiful photography and helpful floorplans to make you want a piece of it. My sisters and I are going there in two weeks. We want to see the Alexander tract homes.
Desert Area Living starts with Mid Century Architecture
When I read Palm Springs Weekend I am again reunited with past memories of wonderful warm days and evenings my wife and I spent driving all these neighborhoods. We quickly realized that instead of shouting out to each other ...."Oh my god!! Look at how cool that house is? We would only say something if the house was ugly, the drive quickly became very silent, but our jaws were still on the ground and eyes blink free. Palm Springs is a living museum of style and design and has been flawlessly presented amongst these pages. After driving around for several months drooling on people's doorsteps, we packed it up in LA and headed east. We now own 3 very interesting Mid Century Modern homes in Palm Springs, I sell Real Estate specializing in Mid Century Modern Architecture and life has never been better. Pick up the book, jump on a plane or in a car and come see what all the hype is about, trust me you wont be disappointed with this lifestyle. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Buildings, structures, etc    4. California    5. Criticism    6. Domestic    7. Palm Springs    8. Palm Springs (Calif.)    9. U.S. Architecture - General    10. Architecture / General    11. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Reviews (8)

i doubt
Regarding Frank Gehry's Acceptance Speech, Pritzker 1989: he says: " Our problems as architects increase in complexity as time goes on. We have difficulty with the art of city building. We are finding ways of working together, artists and architects, architects and architects, clients and architects. The dream is that each brick, each window, each wall, each road, each tree will be placed lovingly by craftsmen, client, architect, and people to create beautiful cities. Adding the extra time and the money at the beginning is essential." BEST pictures of the Museum
I first heard of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao on National Public Radio. NPR offered a commentary on the Museum on its opening day. I was utterly fascinated. I started my college years as an architect, but later changed my major. No regrets about my decision, but I still have a passion for buildings and bridges. A Must Read for Gehry's Enthusiasts
I rather enjoyed this offering.Because I was such a great fan of his, I bought the book anyway despite the reviews written by other readers that it didn't contain much insight.In fact, this book was rather insightful.It was realised after the involvement of the author with the maestro himself over a period of 7 years.It's amazing to read about Gehry's inspiration from his favourite items, the 'fish' & the 'snake', & how it gradually evolves into something else completely different.The book explores his previous realised & unrealised projects, & their corelations with the Bilbao Museum.After exploring his subconscious & conscious minds thru random sketches mostly done in the plane or in hotel room, he would have his colleague, Chan built the models which they would constantly refine.I also learnt here that Gehry isn't a great fan of both computer & drawing plan.The blessing by Gehry of the usage of the computer program, Catia is a God sent because the other Principal understood that without its usage, it would be almost impossible to finish the project on time, on budget, or at all. The part about why he chose titanium instead of copper despite that it costs more is interesting to read.Here, we also learnt that Gehry is a team player & he credits other people's contribution to his project. One of them is Krens, the Guggenheim Foundation Director who assisted Gehry in forming spaces to display arts.He's the person who urged Gehry to trust his intuition to come out with huge spaces & yet, sculptural in nature.In other words, Gehry is fortunate to work with professionals who remain objective in their judgements & never steer him away from his vision.This book oozes with beautiful pictures, taken from all angles imaginable, in different lighting, & even pictures of the Museum under construction.There's also Appendix at the rear of the book mentioning all you need to know about this iconalistic project of our time.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Criticism    3. Individual Architect    4. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    5. International Architecture - European    6. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    7. Specific Public Buildings Architecture    8. Individual architects    9. Public buildings: civic, commercial, industrial, etc    10. Spain   

Editorial Review

The second of three books published by the Center for Environmental Structure to provide a "working alternative to our present ideas about architecture, building, and planning," Read more

Reviews (60)

A great book for understanding your world
I always knew that I felt comfortable and relaxed in some places (houses, rooms, neighborhoods), but it was often hard to put my finger on why.After reading this book, I know.It's a bit hard to explain, but after Alexander explains the importance of, say, an entrance transition, you'll know why even though you feel completely relaxed around Bill, you're never relaxed at his house, which opens straight onto the street.Few books have changed my perceptions of my everyday world as much as this one.
planning and design resource
This resource book is a somewhat obscure but very useful tome on the use of space by people across cultural and generational bounds. For the practicing planning and design professional it offers useful insights that are sometimes obvious, but not always reduced to ths succinct perspective that the investigators bring to their study. It is a worthwhile addition to the library of reference books.

It makes you feel good...
Never before have I read a book which is nominally a textbook that made me feel "right". A Pattern Language succeeds without trying to define all the reasons that make places comfortable. Totally in tune with how people work, play and interact. Chris Alexander would have to be one of the most profoundly insightful people I have read. The man is a legend in his own time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. City planning    3. Criticism    4. Design & Drafting    5. Planning    6. Semiotics    7. Symbolism in architecture    8. Architecture / Design & Drafting    9. Art & Architecture | Theory & Criticism; Aesthetics    10. City & town planning - architectural aspects   

Reviews (7)

architecturestudent
i had used this book for a survey history course on architecture.since we only learn about european architecture at nyit, i didnt get to use the book much, almost a waste a money, but the pictures we seen in class were taken from the book were great.

My Antonia
I find My Antonia as a very boring, long book.The thing I enjoyed most about the book, not to mention the only thing, was how the characters were very in touch with their surroundings and nature.Little things in the land brought so much emotion and attitude to the characters.Besides this good characteristic everything else was very boring and told the childhood and early life of two average people.I do not recommend this book to anyone except for the extremely bored naturistic person out there.

Beautiful Pictures
I used this book for an arch. history class I took. The text is useful and the pictures are beautiful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Criticism    3. History    4. History - General    5. History of specific subjects    6. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    7. Prehistory   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Modern    4. Criticism    5. Esthetics    6. Individual Architect    7. Influence    8. Modern movement (Architecture)    9. Philosophy Of Architecture    10. Smithson, Alison Margaret    11. Smithson, Peter    12. Themes, motives    13. Architecture / Interior Design    14. Theory of architecture   

Reviews (1)

Compendio de sistemas estructurales
Es muy agradable poder contar con un texto que contenga una descripci�n completa de la mayor�a de las tipolog�as y sistemas estructurales disponibles en el abanico del dise�ador. Es una herramienta fundamental para orientar al estudiante contribuyendo a la formaci�n de un "criterio" profesional de selecci�n. Para el profesional es un manual de consulta permanente. Para el profesor un auxiliar muy valioso para la ense�anza-aprendizaje del comportamiento estructural. Como docente de facultad de arquitectura y profesional del dise�o estructural considero que es un texto para tener muy a mano tanto en la bilbioteca personal como en la de las Universidades.Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Building Construction    3. Criticism    4. Design & Drafting    5. Design and construction    6. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Structural Engineering    9. Tall buildings    10. Architecture / Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    11. Architecture-Criticism    12. Architecture-Design & Drafting    13. Technology / Construction & Construction Trades   

Reviews (4)

For every dreamer....
Bruce Mau is more than a designer.He is a futurist who has swapped fatalism for idealism.His vision of the future is based on facts, but you feel his undertone of optimisim.Massive Change is an utterly interesting read from cover to cover.The structure of the book and the writing style makes it a great resource of information.Massive Change is a necessity for the bookshelf of every intellect and every dreamer.

Missed opportunity
Bruce Mau's previous book - "Life Style" - was a pivotal publication that had something very fundamental to say about the practice of design. The argument woven into this survey of Bruce Mau Design's portfolio derived its edginess from an underlying, existential dilemma. On the one hand, Mau wanted to do justice to design's capacity to give "style" to sprawling, viral "life" (originally a very Nietzschean concept, later taken up and politicised by Foucault and Deleuze). On the other hand, there was the fear for the domestication of his practice to the status of banal, lifeless purveyor of images and artefacts - global capitalism's lingua franca. This tension between subversion and acquiescence turned "Life Style" into a poignant testimony.
AWESOME
I can't stop opening up this book and reading it. It's my daily bible for information. I'm addicted! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Criticism    4. Design - Book    5. Design - General    6. Graphic Arts - General    7. Cultural studies    8. Social & cultural anthropology    9. Technology / Social Aspects   

Reviews (3)

not detailed...very general overview of various green buildings
book is small format. covers about 50 building/urban projects which utilize green energy. however, most analysis is only one page to 2 page including diagrams and photos, and without any detail summary. the author have divided the book in sections such as "air we breath, skyscraper garden, energy, construction, and etc". Despite a clear outline, he uses too many buildings with very little detail instead of just using 1 or 2 buildings in great detail for each topic.
Information on the Surface
The book was a bit dissapointing.I anticipated reading more indepth detail about the featured projects with diagrams/pictures of the major energy efficient application.Instead the information is only on the surface.It provides beautiful pictures of the building, with two page excerpts of each project (mainly pictures with a paragraph description), a list of the energy efficient applicatios and small floor plans and elevations, if any.A few projects feature the sustainable application methods, such as a diagram of natural ventilation.Overall, it's a good reference to start your research and find a sustainable building to research on, but the information is limited.It's also a good reference for lists of sustainable applications, definitions and essays.The projects are also divided up in five categories: Energy, Light & Air, Greenery Water & Waste, Construction and Urbanism.There are a lot of projects within each category that will spark your interest.

Fresh air
"Big and Green: Toward Sustainable Architecture in the 21st Century", by David Gissen, is published in conjunction with an exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. from January 17 to June 22, 2003.The book clearly shows that a group of architects has addressed the energy and environmental challenges facing many countries as they industrialize and enter the global marketplace.Their buildings indicate that a breath of fresh air has reinvigorated architectural practice to produce buildings that are climate-responsive, energy efficient, and occupant friendly while cleaning rainwater, reducing air pollucion, and enhancing the local environment as opposed to degrading it.The forms and shapes of these new buildings express these new functions in an authentic and genuine manner rather than look like relatively normal buildings with alien technologies applied to them.These buildings give hope that architecture can improve conditions for a sustainable society and not remain an energy and resource sink. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Commercial buildings    3. Criticism    4. Exhibitions    5. Forecasting    6. History - Specific Styles    7. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    8. Sustainable architecture    9. 21st century    10. Architecture / General    11. Architecture / Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    12. Green Giants    13. Sustainability    14. Sustainable Skyscrapers    15. Urban & municipal planning    16. skyscrapers   

Reviews (2)

exceptionally insightful
Colin Rowe's essays are exceptionally insightful and truly enlightening.These essays were written decades ago but they're still enormously valuable and still very fresh.The first essay, from which the book takes its title and probably Rowe's most famous, is an analysis of the geometrical and proportional similarities between Le Corbusier's villa at Garches and Palladio's Villa Malcontenta.A brief but dense tour de force. Perhaps his next most famous essay is "Transparency: Literal and Phenomenal," written with Robert Slutzky.Also a real eye-opener.In other essays he discusses the curious relationship between the Chicago frame and modern architecture; neo-classicism and modern architecture; mannerism and modern architecture; La Tourette; 19th century thinking about architectural character and composition; and the architecture of utopia.These essays make you think, look at things differently, look at things you hadn't noticed, and they ultimately enlarge your understanding of architecture and your architectural field of vision.I'm grateful to Colin Rowe for that.After reading this book I bought his three-volume collection of essays, "As I Was Saying."I just had to have more.The essays in this book put your mind to work but Rowe's writing is also quite engaging.He's a genuinely independent thinker and a rigorous one too.These are wonderful essays and the book is highly recommended.

The classic collection of analytical essays by Rowe.
This collection of essays by Prof. Colin Rowe is considered to be amongthe most important analytical essays on architecture in this century. Prof.Rowe has won the Gold Medal in Architecture from Queen Elizabeth and wasProfessor of Architecture at Cornell for over 25 years. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Modern    4. Criticism    5. General    6. Modern Architecture    7. Architecture / General   

Reviews (1)

Enhanced with an expanded and re-written chapter
Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Angus MacDonald's Structure & Architecture showcases the relationship between architecture and structural engineering using both historical and contemporary examples. This new edition is enhanced with an expanded and re-written chapter dealing with structural criticism and the relationship between structure and architectural style; as well as a new section on the relationships between architects, builders and engineers, and the influence which these relationships have on architectural styles and forms. Structure & Architecture is an invaluable and highly recommended addition to any personal, professional, or academic architectural studies collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Buildings    3. Criticism    4. Design & Drafting    5. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    6. Structural engineering    7. Study & Teaching    8. Architectural structure & design    9. Architecture / Study & Teaching