Speed up my Brain: January 2014

The Timber-Frame Home: Design, Construction, Finishing - Tedd Benson

>> Friday, January 31, 2014

Learn to adapt the sturdy elegance of timber-frame construction to the needs of modern life. Hundreds of color photos and drawings showcase the latest designs, methods, and materials. About the Author Since 1974, Tedd Benson has championed high-performance, sustainable building. He and his custom design-build company, Bensonwood, have been featured on numerous shows in the PBS series, This Old House, as well as Good Morning America, and the Today show. The entire 2008-2009 season of This Old House followed Bensonwood's Weston project -- the first time TOH featured a newly constructed home. Tedd has authored four seminal books on timberframing, the first of which, Building the Timber Frame House, was instrumental in the revival of this centuries-old...

Cabinology: A Handbook to Your Private Hideaway - Dale Mulfinger

Wouldn't life be a whole lot better if somewhere out in the wild woody yonder sat a snug little cabin with your name on the mailbox? You know it would. If you have a cabin dream, this book is your ticket to making it real. With Cabinology as your map and architect and cabinologist Dale Mulfinger as your guide, you'll know the best way to approach every decision, from choosing a site for a new cabin, to remodeling an old one, to getting exactly the right fireplace for melting away all that ails you. Cabinology doesn't just guide you, it keeps you inspired. Throughout are photos of cabins small and large, great details and design tips, stories from other cabin owners around the country, and clever insights into getting a cabin of your own. About...

Great Streets - Allan B. Jacobs

About the AuthorDiscover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and mo...

Georgia O'Keeffe and Her Houses: Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu - Barbara Buhler Lynes

Georgia O’Keeffe’s two houses in New Mexico—at Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch—are essential elements in her paintings, but their history has never before been detailed. Quoting liberally from the artist’s letters, Barbara Buhler Lynes and Agapita Judy Lopez create a vibrant picture of O’Keeffe (1887–1986) and her homes, which have long intrigued the public. An essay by architect Beverly Spears describes the distinctive characteristics of adobe construction.The bountiful illustrations include photographs made especially for this book showing the houses as they are today, photographs of O’Keeffe at home by major photographers, and her paintings of the houses and the landscapes surrounding them.Praise for Georgia O'Keeffe and her Houses:“Beautifully...

Architecture Principia: Architectural Principles of Material Form - Gail Peter Borden

About the AuthorDiscover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and mo...

Colossal: Engineering Modernity - Suez Canal, Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, and Panama Canal - Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby

In this generously illustrated book, acclaimed Berkeley art historian Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby gives us the definitive account of a history that leads from Napoleon s encounter with the gigantic monuments of ancient Egypt to the building of the wonders of the industrial world: the Statue of Liberty, Suez Canal, Eiffel Tower, and Panama Canal. Though now landmarks as famed as the pyramids, Grigsby shows us that all four colossi owe their existence to French engineers and the fantasies of wealth, progress, and colonial expansion they and French financiers and politicians took as a call to destiny. Grigsby goes beyond the boundaries of art history to take her subject in the round. She sets the exploits of characters like Bartholdi and Eiffel against...

The Place of Houses -

About the AuthorDiscover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and mo...

Northern Delights: Scandinavian Homes, Interiors and Design - Emma Fexeus

Its timeless beauty, premium quality, and humane functionality make Scandinavian interior design ideal for homes, restaurants, offices, and any other rooms in which people should feel comfortable. If the goal were to build a house in which everyone would like to live, the architect would likely be Italian, the engineer maybe German, the gardener probably British, and the craftspeople either Swiss or Japanese. The interior designer of that house, though, should--beyond any doubt--be from Scandinavia. Hardly any other interior or product design is so timeless, so functional, so aesthetic, and of such high quality as that of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark. Throughout the years, countless pieces of furniture, objects, and buildings...

Multifamily Housing Development Handbook (Development Handbook series) -

>> Wednesday, January 29, 2014

About the Aut...

Nano House: Innovations for Small Dwellings - Phyllis Richardson

Forty examples of advanced, ingenious, and responsible homes—each with fewer than 650 square feet of living space. Space is at a premium in growing cities. In the countryside, we want to preserve nature and the landscape. In impoverished parts of the world, the necessity for sustainable and economical shelter is stronger than ever. Lifestyles and daily routines are also changing. We live in an interconnected world in which digital communication, information, and entertainment are pervasive. Yet basic human needs remain constant: a roof over our heads and somewhere to cook, eat, and sleep. Increasingly, we look for ways to occupy our habitats more ecologically, flexibly, and efficiently.Digital design tools, sustainable materials, and new...

The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling - Daniel D. Chiras

>> Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Passive solar heating and passive cooling—approaches known as natural conditioning—provide comfort throughout the year by reducing, or eliminating, the need for fossil fuel. Yet while heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking, few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved. Now Dan Chiras, author of the popular book The Natural House, brings those principles up to date for a new generation of solar enthusiasts. The techniques required to heat and cool a building passively have been used for thousands of years. Early societies such as the Native American Anasazis and the ancient Greeks perfected designs that effectively exploited these natural processes. The Greeks considered anyone...

The Cabin: Inspiration for the Classic American Getaway - Dale Mulfinger

>> Monday, January 27, 2014

An illustrated look at the surprisingly versatile cabin, with outstanding examples from around the country About the Author Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more....

Cabins: A Guide to Building Your Own Nature Retreat - David Stiles

"Clear, practical book ... full-color photos help do-it-yourselfers realize their dreams." -- Log Homes Illustrated The best-selling Cabins is back in print, at the same great value of its original price. This authoritative how-to title gives readers all the information they need to build their own cabin, including: A useful list of essential questions to consider during the planning processTypes of cabin construction, such as pole built, stick built, post and beam, stone, cordwood, wood siding, and the advantages of eachSite preparation, foundations, windows and doors, ladders and stairs, insulation, roofing, electricity, water systems and heatingEssential information on log cabinsCabin designs and their advantagesFurnishings and accessories...

Interior Graphic Standards - Maryrose McGowan

About the AuthorDiscover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and mo...

Building with Cob: A Step-by-Step Guide -

The ancient method of cob building uses a simple mixture of clay sub-soil, aggregate, straw and water to create solid structural walls built without shuttering or forms, onto a stone plinth. It is now undergoing a renaissance as an 'eco-friendly' building material because of its amazing 'green' credentials. 'Building with Cob' shows how to apply this ancient technique in a wide variety of contemporary situations, covering everything from design and siting, mixing, building walls, fireplaces, ovens and floors, lime and other natural finishes, and gaining planning permission and building regulation approval. It also explains in detail how to sensitively restore an old cob structure. This book is a step-by-step guide, lavishly illustrated with...

The American City: What Works, What Doesn't - Alexander Garvin

About the AuthorDiscover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and mo...

Container Atlas: A Practical Guide to Container Architecture -

>> Sunday, January 26, 2014

Container Atlas presents a wide range of projects in container architecture--a contemporary architectural phenomenon. It features container structures used as pop-up stores and temporary exhibits as well as sophisticated housing and office spaces that provoke and inspire while setting new standards in functionality and aesthetics. But the book is not only visually inspiring; it also documents plans, describes associated costs, and suggests concrete solutions for common problems. As such it serves as a practical reference for architects, planners, and cultural activists, as well as event and marketing managers, guiding them in deciding what types of containers are best suited to their upcoming projects. About the Author ...

Fundamentals of Residential Construction -

>> Saturday, January 25, 2014

About the Author...

Earthbag Building: The Tools, Tricks and Techniques (Natural Building Series) - Kaki Hunter

Over 70 percent of Americans cannot afford to own a code-enforced, contractor-built home. This has led to widespread interest in using natural materials—straw, cob, and earth—for building homes and other buildings that are inexpensive, and that rely largely on labor rather than expensive and often environmentally-damaging outsourced materials. Earthbag Building is the first comprehensive guide to all the tools, tricks, and techniques for building with bags filled with earth—or earthbags. Having been introduced to sandbag construction by the renowned Nader Khalili in 1993, the authors developed this "Flexible Form Rammed Earth Technique" over the last decade. A reliable method for constructing homes, outbuildings, garden walls and much more,...

The Third Teacher -

Created by an international team of architects and designers concerned about our failing education system, The Third Teacher explores the critical link between the school environment and how children learn, and offers 79 practical design ideas, both great and small, to guide reader’s efforts to improve our schools. Written for anyone who has school-age children in their life, from educators and education decision-makers to parents and community activists, this book is intended to ignite a blaze of discussion and initiative about environment as an essential element of learning. Including a wealth of interviews, facts, statistics, and stories from experts in a wide range of fields, this book is a how-to guide to be used to connect with the many...

Hotel Design, Planning, and Development (Second Edition) - Richard H. Penner

About the AuthorDiscover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more....

Earthship: How to Build Your Own, Vol. 1 -

New. Never read. Slight shelf wear. Ships within 24 hours. Satisfaction guaranteed. About the Author ...

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)