Best architecture history books according to redditors
We found 201 Reddit comments discussing the best architecture history books. We ranked the 136 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
3. The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History
5 mentions
The City ShapedSpiro Kostof
When you use the pyramid inch, supposedly discovered by Isaac Newton, to measure the great pyramid at Giza, an astounding array of accurate measurements can be decoded.
The pyramid inch, or "PI", is 1.0011 inches, or 1.0010846752 British inches.
Here's a small list of these measurements:
Christoper Dunn has written two excellent books on the subject that the pyramid at Giza could function as a power plant, here's a link to the first
Joseph P. Farrell has taken that hypothesis further in this book by claiming the Great Pyramid could also function as a super-weapon
Farrell also demonstrates that even minute measurements like Planck's constant seem to be encoded in the pyramid as well, suggesting it was created by a civilization that had achieved extreme scientific sophistication.
Here's a lovely little snippet from Wikipedia:
"The Great Pyramid at Giza...was built with a perimeter of approximately 1760 cubits and a height of 280 cubits; the ratio 1760/280 is about equal to 2π. A few pyrimdologists [sic] conclude from this value that the pyramid builders had knowledge of π and deliberately designed the pyramid to incorporate the value. However, mainstream historians believe that ancient Egyptians had no concept of π and that it is merely a coincidence that the ratio of perimeter to height is about 2π."
Still think it's all a coincidence?
Edit: fixed typos and added #8 and the wikipedia quote from the article on "Pi"
I'm sure this has come up before, but I'm curious about coaster media that got you into the hobby like books, video games, movies, and tv specials. I know I and a few others were drawn in via Roller Coaster Tycoon (and this book too, in my case), but I'd like to know what other media's been particularly influential. I imagine RCT as being a huge breakthrough to the masses, but I have no idea if that's my nostalgia speaking or a statistically significant difference between the impact of that game and something like Planet Coaster.
It's pretty dated, but this book is great - https://www.amazon.com/Roller-Coasters-Seekers-Ultimate-Machines/dp/1402713339/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Roller+Coasters%3A+A+Thrill+Seeker%27s+Guide+to+the+Ultimate+Scream+Machines&qid=1569174159&s=gateway&sr=8-2
I had a book named The City Shaped that talked about this. A link to it on Amazon here
I've had this book by Robert Coker for ages. I like it - it's pretty big with some nice pictures, and goes through the evolution of coasters from Russian Ice Slides to classic woodies to gigacoasters.
An Essential Reading List For Designers
Source: www.tomfaulkner.co.uk
All books have been linked to Amazon for review and possible purchase. Remember to support the authors by purchasing their books. If there are any issues with this listing let me know via comments or pm.
Architecture
Communication Design
Fashion Design
Angela ButtolphEditors of Phaidon ?Furniture Design
Game Design
Graphic Design
Information Design
Industrial Design
(cont'd)
If you want to know more great spot like this, I suggest Forgotten New-York. There's also a group that do tour
People of the Book is almost pornography for bibliophiles. This book had me seriously considering going back to school to learn about document preservation.
I went through a period of wanting to read a lot of books about books about a year ago. I think I even have an old submission in r/books on the same subject. Here are a bunch of books I still have on my amazon wishlist that date to around that time. This will be a shotgun blast of suggestions, and some may be only tangentially related, but I figure more is better. If I can think of even more than this, I'll edit later:
The Man who Loved Books Too Much
Books that Changed the World
The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages
How to Read and Why
The New Lifetime Reading Plan
Classics for Pleasure
An Alphabetical Life: Living It Up in the World of Books
The Library at Night
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop
Time Was Soft There
I have even more around here somewhere...
Edit: Ok, found a couple more....
Among the Gently Mad: Strategies and Perspectives for the Book-Hunter in the 21st Century
At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries
Candida Hofer
Libraries in the Ancient World
The Business of Books: How the International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read
A Short History of the Printed Word
Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption
Medieval Illuminators and Their Methods of Work
The Book on the Bookshelf
A History of Illuminated Manuscripts
Bookmaking: Editing, Design, Production
Library: An Unquiet History
Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms
A Passion for Books: A Book Lover's Treasury of Stories, Essays, Humor, Lore, and Lists on Collecting, Reading, Borrowing, Lending, Caring for, and Appreciating Books
A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books
And yet I still can't find the one I'm thinking of. Will get back to you...
Fuck yeah, I found it!
That last is more about the woman who own the store than about books, but it's awash in anecdotes about writers and stories we all know and love. Check it out.
What kind of hot climate?
Some things you could do are:
Take a look at Glenn Murcutts buildings, built for the Australian climate.
This is a good read also: https://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Architect-Johan-van-Lengen/dp/0936070420
not exactly what you asked for but [The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006IY9EY0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) blew my mind and I still use it as a resource. He does cover the contributions of Benjamin Banneker and other African Americans
I highly suggest purchasing resource books on urban design, urban planning, and city structure. I will list some for you. I like to keep the aid of resource books in my personal library collection, and I am finding that urban planning resource books are helping me greatly in my world-building process.
I highly suggest looking into the life work of urban planner and MIT lecturer Kevin A. Lynch. He studied how urban environments are heavily shaped and influenced by fundamental human values and perceptions. Cities reflected directly those whom lived within them according to Lynch.
Here is a list of books as well as a link to their Amazon page:
Provided on each page is a wide variety of other resource books depending on the time period you are aiming on world-building around. I hope this helped.
Two of my favorites:
The Barefoot Architect- This one is perfect for designing a post collapse home. It can help you pick the most suitable design for your climate, and gives detailed instruction on building without the aid of power tools. I always keep this in my BOB.
Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World- I love this one because it deals with the little things you need. How to for composting toilets, soaps, and all the personal hygiene products you'll ever need.
I hope these help!
Maybe something like this
https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B013P0X02G/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1481567533&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=cartography&dpPl=1&dpID=51A1vdzIDIL
Or even better :
https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/1616890584/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481567533&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=cartography&dpPl=1&dpID=51NXS6lf8RL
Aside from the fact that I wonder how you can be a city planner without already having a reasonable knowledge of architecture.
Most useful will be things like
The city Assembled - http://www.amazon.co.uk/City-Assembled-Elements-Through-History/dp/0500281726/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450647413&sr=1-1&keywords=the+city+assembled
Lessons for students in Architecture - hertzberger http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lessons-Students-Architecture-Herman-Hertzberger/dp/9064505624
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Architecture-Critical-History-Edition/dp/0500203954
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0714833568/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687582&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0500203954&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0Z665JV5G6RXW4Z3TFF4
https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/books/art-architecture-photography/sir-banister-fletchers-a-history-of-architecture-hd_100580874?pscid=ps_ggl_shopping&gclid=CODhn7ux68kCFVCZGwodLqgEDw&dclid=CNrar7ux68kCFYJBGQod0rkIJg
perhaps a bunch of documentaries
http://www.archdaily.com/467225/40-architecture-documentaries-to-watch-in-2014
I enjoy Jonathan Meads ones
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03vrphc
they are a bit quirky though
As an architecture student who asked himself this same question not so long ago I'd say:
The most introductory, simple to understand, first book you should pick up when ready to jump into some actual architecture. This is the book that you need to read even before architecture school, for your entrance test and just because.
This one is also an easy read that will make you realise how important architecture is for us as human beings, as a society, as a city, as a community, as people... how architecture is not just a free standing building by some "starchitect" in a magazine but a part of something bigger. Great read and one of my favourites.
Love him or hate him Le Corbusier changed the world and studying and understanding how and why will greatly help you understand architecture today. This book might be a bit philosophical and theoretical but it's written for people to understand, not just architects. A must read I'd say.
I'd say this is a book you should read to complement and expand on Aldo Rossi's. Genius Loci is the spirit of a place, it's character and distinctive self. Great read.
Great book to understand how Architecture are not just façades and photos but designed spaces and experiences and how we experience them with our senses, the way they make us feel. This book will make you look at architecture from a different perspective, and you will since then experience the world differently.
BONUS:
Hope this helps and gets you started on a good path. :) Have a nice day.
> What about the people who collaborated with Iraq during the occupation?
Meh. It's an invasion and occupation. Nothing stands out.
>Who?
People who are brown on the outside, but white on the inside. Folks who have been intellectually colonized.
>Cheese puffs?
Yes.
>Sure, that too.
Well if you want to read about Kuwait's urban history then I suggest this book.
Fulcanelli: Master Alchemist: Le Mystere des Cathedrales, Esoteric Intrepretation of the Hermetic Symbols of The Great Work
is 238 pages but it is not one of those things you can knock off in a day. I must have done 60 google searches before I got through the sucker.
Perhaps this book, which is a translation of a medieval bestiary. There is also Topsell's book, which is not medieval, but more 16th century. The Topsell book may be hard to get as it's out of print. I have both and found them an interesting mix of fantasy and reality.
Probably not what you're looking for, but if you're interested in the shape and design of CITIES specifically, I recommend Spiro Kostof's "The City Shaped". Really good primer on the evolution of city forms and why they're built the way they are. Should be more informative than just looking at pictures. <=)
Thanks, I had seen that a while back. Seems the MoMa has digitized a lot of their exhibition catalogs.
The exhibition occurred well before I was born, but some of the old-timer classicists in New York still talk about how deeply it affected them upon seeing those spectacular drawings on display. It was unlike anything they had seen before, and unlike anything they were doing in school.
I'm still floored at the beauty of those drawings and the architectural designs they produced then, and can't fathom myself being able to do anything of equal merit.
A book full of amazing full-color drawings of the Prix de Rome winners is available.
A book my friend just showed me is The Barefoot Architect
It focuses on how to build a house, or settlement in different kinds of climates so that the dwelling(s) don't struggle to create a comfortable living space, but instead create a comfortable living space passively, using solar heating, wind cooling etc.
If all human decisions were made from a good design perspective, we'd have long ago covered the world with effective systems and permanent housing with little upkeep. We'd have to work only a small amount to provide our needs, and things could look a lot like Utopia. That said, our lives would be quite different, and we'd likely not have grapes or oranges in the winter and we'd likely not have ipads or cell phones.
>I "keep making large claims" ?
Well, two large claims: that ancient cultures had technology at their disposal far beyond what we imagine, and that some Egyptian obelisks have markings that could only be created with laser precision. These aren't statements that should be tossed around haphazardly without honest investigation.
EDIT: Sorry! I hadn't realized this is the first time you posted! You made one large claim, not two.
>http://www.gizapower.com/Advanced/Advanced%20Machining.html
Your link is from Christopher Dunn's official website. He is a machinist, craftsman, and author, most notable for his book The Giza Power Plant, where he claims that no tools or knowledge existed that would account for the precision of the stonework, and that the pyramids harnessed earth energy using vibrations and sounds.
Christopher Dunn agreed to a debate with Margaret Morris 12 years ago, but unfortunately, he never showed. His theories have been openly challenged (here's a podcast and an article to start), and no engineers, archaeologists, or ancient historians have stepped up to support his claims.
These are the reasons why I can't accept your link as evidence that the pyramids were built by unknown technology and knowledge. The observations of one author, with a background in machinery and craftsmanship, is not enough to prove that extraterrestrials exist. It only proves what he believes about the architecture that he has observed.
If you've read Giza Power Plant, you're familiar with the thesis that the Great Pyramid is just a big maser, powered by harmonic resonance. It's really not that different from HAARP or any other ionospheric heater.
As for weather and your emotional state, yes, these are correlated, but it's no conspiracy. Given millions of years of evolution, your body is attuned to its environment in ways that make no sense to the modern world. When the weather is lousy out, its an evolutionary advantage that you become sluggish - for your thousands of generations of ancestors, chilling out in bad weather meant that they had a better chance of surviving and having offspring.
The resonant frequency of your brain has nothing to do with HAARP. This tech is intrinsically about modifying the ionosphere, which sits above where any weather mod program would be interested in.
I go to a Beaux-Arts-based program, and this by far is the most beautiful book we've used (it was required in our studio). It's only watercolor renderings of Rome, but every page is absolutely gorgeous. Hope this helps!
http://www.amazon.com/Ruins-Ancient-Rome-Architects-1786-1924/dp/089236680X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1321309335&amp;sr=8-2
If you are interested in this further, there is a great book that goes into the Hermetic study of the building of the Notre-Dame in Paris (as well as other Gothic cathedrals). It's called Fulcanelli: Master Alchemist: Le Mystere des Cathedrales. Here is sample page from the book. It does not go into scared geometry like your post, but it does decipher a lot of the artwork and stone carvings.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/roller-coasters-robert-coker/1111795744#
this one has pretty much every roller coaster thats popular back in 2006. the photos are amazingly good and the quality of writing is top notch.
good luck finding a copy though.
https://www.amazon.com/Roller-Coasters-Seekers-Ultimate-Machines/dp/1402713339?ie=UTF8&amp;*Version*=1&amp;*entries*=0
Totally agree. I will check out Park Ave.
By the way, is that documentary based on the book 740 Park Ave? I highly suggest reading that. Very fun easy read. Eye opener for anyone not familar with the truely upper crust of society.
http://www.amazon.com/740-Park-Richest-Apartment-Building/dp/0767917448
http://mgross.com/writing/books/740-park/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/740_Park_Avenue
Hopefully this one isn't news to you: http://www.amazon.com/740-Park-Richest-Apartment-Building/dp/0767917448/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1462417119&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=740+park
Well, I’m a woman, and I grew up in NYC, and, no, I can’t say I’ve ever witnessed an aggressive panhandler specifically targeting women and children, but it’s possible that I have and don’t remember. I can say that I never felt personally targeted because I was a child or a woman.
When you live there, you quickly learn to not make eye contact with the panhandlers and just keep walking. The unfortunate reality is that homeless people and panhandlers begging for money just become a part of life after a while, and you learn to navigate them like you learn to navigate every other facet of living in the city. But I will say that my encounters with what I would define as “aggressive” panhandlers and homeless people, as in those who made me genuinely fear for my or other people’s safety, were few and far between, and the vast majority of those few were obviously very mentally ill.
I also have to challenge the theory that the uber wealthy will leave the city if a homeless shelter is opened in their neighborhood. First, “billionaire’s row” is a bit of a misnomer for that neighborhood. It wasn’t a particularly notable neighborhood until they built 157 W. 57th St., and I feel like this “billionaire’s row” label is just a marketing strategy aimed making that neighborhood appear more desirable than it is.
The actual “billionaire’s row” in Manhattan is on the Upper East Side, between 5th Ave. and Park Ave., from roughly 86th St. to 66th St. Within or just outside of that geographical area, there are three centers that serve the homeless, including a women’s shelter and a residence for formerly homeless men and women with mental illnesses. The third is an outpatient clinic on 73rd & Madison, which opened in 2007, and treats mentally ill and drug addicted homeless people. The clinic’s location is pretty much smack dab in the middle of probably the wealthiest stretch of blocks in the city, in terms of residents’ net worth. It’s three blocks away from what is arguably the most exclusive apartment building on the entire island.
And because I happen to know exactly where this clinic is located, I can tell you that if you weren’t looking for it, you’d have no idea it was even there.
So, please, spare me your histrionics and doomsday scenarios about how providing services and shelter to homeless people in wealthy neighborhoods is going to cause property values to plummet, crime to spike, billionaires to flee to Greenwich or Bedford and the city’s tax coffers to dry up. This is NY. Please don’t lump us in with the literal shit show happening on the west coast.
its $60 online brand new
lower ur price lmao
This book is a great one; it's one of my personal favorites. It's got wonderful pictures, plenty of information, and includes every Pritzker Prize winner (kind of like Architect of the Year in a way). Anyways, it's good for a coffee table or a student.
If anyone is interested: The Secret Architecture Of Our Nation's Capital: The Masons and the Building of Washington, D.C. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006IY9EY0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_nLIlDbRQ4D0AF
I would suggest this Modern Architecture: A Critical History by Kenneth Frampton
This is a very good start.
I just bought it 45 seconds ago because it's been in my Amazon cart for over a year, but he may enjoy it as well. Or he may ask why you got him a book about rocks for Christmas.
There's a huge body of architecture to understand. I would highly suggest to start by reading this book by Jackie Gargus as an introduction to architectural history. Some other fantastic books are:
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Complexity and Contradiction by Robert Venturi
Towards a new Architecture by Le Corbusier
Modern Architecture: A Critical History by Kenneth Frampton
Space, Time and Architecture by Sigfried Gideon
The Dynamics of Architectural Form by Rudolf Arnheim
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For more contemporary readings on architecture I would suggest
Red is not a Color by Bernard Tschumi
S, M, L, XL by Rem Koolhaas
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All of these will lead you to hundreds of more specific papers and discussions surrounding architecture.
Okay, I'm not going into architecture really but I would like to have some advice. I'm in illustration and I'm looking on learning how to design and get the fundamentals of architecture. I'm pretty decent at perspective (I'm in technical illustration) and I mainly want to learn the thought process. Some books mentioned in this thread are pretty interesting and I'm contemplating on maybe buying one or 2. Although before I do I was wondering if anyone can enlighten me on these books I've found on my own but unsure about the quality:
http://www.amazon.com/City-Shaped-Patterns-Meanings-Through/dp/0821220160/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1373412339&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=The+City+Shaped%3A+Urban+Patterns+and+Meanings+Through+History
^ This books seems really promising, but of course the price puts me off a little (I plan on buying more than one book) anyone have this book? Seems really great for inspiration and learning how cities develop.
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Architecture-Francis-D-Ching/dp/1118142063/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1373412493&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Introduction+to+Architecture
^ again another promising book but the price Q.Q Same issue as the other book above. Feedback is appreciated.
http://www.amazon.com/Architectural-Graphics-Francis-D-Ching/dp/0470399112/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1373412567&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Architectural+Graphics
http://www.amazon.ca/Interior-Design-Illustrated-Francis-Ching/dp/1118090713/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&amp;colid=9P9QTDTSZXLG&amp;coliid=I248RXWWVDQ6NZ
I'm basically looking at Ching's books. Last one is a .ca amazon.
Sort of in the same vein, if you are interested in this sort of thing... I bought Forgotten New York about a year ago and it has remained one of my favorite coffee table books to this day. You will learn an insane amount of New York's history. amazon
https://www.amazon.com/City-Shaped-Patterns-Meanings-Through/dp/0821220160
Forgotten New York: Views of a Lost Metropolis is a really interesting book. The author's website is awesome too. He basically just goes exploring different parts of the city and talks about their history. In his book and on the site he talks about places in all the boroughs, not just Manhattan.
Look through a broad survey book like Modern Architecture by Curtis. Pick one that you're interested in. Don't pick something because other people like it. Select an architect you like personally and you'll be more motivated to learn about them. It'll be more fun that way for sure.
I can't be THAT smart, because I can't tell for sure if your comment is sincere or you're being a smart-arse :)
I'm an architect, I know stuff, but can't possibly pretend to know everything in the field- it is vast, so you never stop learning.
There's a lot of good online resources if you just want to look at the subject of architecture/ design. Here are just a few for you to check out if you really are interested:
http://www.dezeen.com/
http://archidose.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.designboom.com/
http://bldgblog.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.ilikearchitecture.net/
http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/
http://inhabitat.com/
http://fuckyeahbrutalism.tumblr.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_architecture
http://www.architizer.com/blog/history-of-modern-architecture-through-movies/
Also, Some Great Books:
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Architecture-Critical-History-Edition/dp/0500203954
http://www.amazon.com/Towards-New-Architecture-Dover/dp/0486250237/ref=pd_sim_b_7
http://www.amazon.com/101-Things-Learned-Architecture-School/dp/0262062666/ref=pd_sim_b_5
Greatest of Centuries
This was my textbook for Arch 101. Thank God I stuck with it after that disaster of a class. The field has no textbook, but Architectural Graphic Standards is THE desk reference for drafting and space planning. There is also a list of books that NCARB puts out for exam study suggestions that you may want to look into.
Examples of books you will be using in school:
The Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice
Architectural Graphic Standards
Canadian Handbook of Practice for Architects,
Design With Climate
Victor Olgyay
Design With Nature
Ian L. McHarg
Designing Places for People
C. M. Deasy, FAIA
A History of Architecture: Settings & Rituals
Spiro Kostoff
The Image of the City
Kevin Lynch
Modern Architecture
Alan Colquhoun
The New Urbanism
Peter Katz
A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction
Christopher Alexander, Sarah Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein
Programming for Design: From Theory to Practice
Edith Cherry
Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture
John Musgrove, Editor
Site Planning, Third Edition
Kevin Lynch and Gary Hack
Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the
Decline of the American Dream
Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zybeck,
and Jeff Speck
Sustainable Design Fundamentals for Buildings
National Practice Program
Fundamentals of Building Construction, Materials, and Methods,
Fourth Edition
Edward Allen
If you want some starter/introductory texts on medieval manuscript illumination:
Raymond Clemons/Timothy Graham: Introduction to Manuscript Studies
Christopher de Hamel: A History of Illuminated Manuscripts
JJG Alexander: Medieval Illuminators and their Methods of Work
If you're interested in late 15th/early 16th centurymanuscript research (around the date for the Wallerstein Codex), I can send you additional titles (my area of specialty is late 15th/early 16th century Flemish MS illumination)
> Besides, I'm not particularly concerned with the medieval era as such, because that dealt with the particular difficulties of transitioning from a pagan society to a Christian one.
As a Catholic Medievalist myself I'm just going to mention that with the exception of the later Roman Empire and some parts of Northern Europe in the (very) early Middle Ages, this is simply not true. The pagan world was as much a memory then as it was in the Early Modern Era, even if the memory was not too distant of a memory. The transition was long done and Roman temples long either abandoned or replaced with churches for centuries. Read GK Chesterton's biography of Saint Francis of Assisi for a good perspective on it in the language of a layperson. Otherwise I would recommend The Greatest of Centuries by James J. Walsh.
you can also go with Barefoot Architect, it's incredibly useful to figure out how houses are built depending on climate and available local resources.
https://www.amazon.com/Barefoot-Architect-Johan-van-Lengen/dp/0936070420
That's what I thought of too. Here's one that looks cool: https://www.amazon.com/Bestiary-English-Version-Bodleian-Library/dp/085115753X/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=085115753X&amp;pd_rd_r=J0MP3HV5CG4PX17ETPRX&amp;pd_rd_w=3FdIL&amp;pd_rd_wg=cNRnK&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=J0MP3HV5CG4PX17ETPRX&amp;dpID=51K2DkiIjFL&amp;preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&amp;dpSrc=detail and you can find more by searching bestiary at your favorite bookseller.
my ability to explain it is subpar to all the places i've read about it. if you wish to read about it, the books i'd point you to would be The Giza Powerplant, http://www.amazon.com/The-Giza-Power-Plant-Technologies/dp/1879181509 & Lost Technologies of Ancient Egypt: Advanced Engineering http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Technologies-Ancient-Egypt-Engineering/dp/1591431026/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y
if you google a bit, you can find the epub/pdf/mobi versions of these books easily enough, and read them to make your own oppinion. But once you read these books, be prepared to roll your eyes each time some 'fact' about egypt is brought up. Its infuriating. And quite amazing to believe this tech existed.
Was this the book?
Good eye! I actually also have this translated version, so the big Folio is for drooling over the pretty pictures. It is really beautiful.
I saw this in the tore the other day and am still considering buying it Architecture Pop-up Book
To be honest with you, I don’t think anyone even knows or cares about it. In qatar, the most visited place is Avenues Mall, which has a Venetian theme with a canal running through the interior. There’s no end in site to the mall building, and locals want enormous villas on enormous plots and can afford it. The attitude, at least it seems to me, is that newer is always better. Big shiny Starbucks.
There’s an attempt in Qatar to create a new part of town that’s inspired by traditional architecture. The project is called Msheireb, and it aims to get locals to move back into downtown Doha. It’s by a British firm, but it feels too corporate to be genuinely traditional in any sense.
In kuwait, I feel that locals now view the detached villa typology, where the villa sits in the centre of the plot with a front lawn and backyard, as traditional. It reminds them of the 60s and 70s. There isn’t a single part of town that could be called authentic or traditional. Souq Mubarakiya was rebuilt in the 1960s and old Kuwait City was masterplanned by Peter and Alison Smithson also in the 60s.
There are a few great black and white photos in Kuwait Transformed of Kuwait Town before its demolition that are very reminiscent of old Tunis, or this photo of Ghadames
The company involved in kuwait’s larger masterplan, Minoprio, Spencely, Macfarlane, had never designed anything outside of britain when they were commissioned. It’s a tragedy.
Books,
I have this coffee table book How to Read Churches that is very rudimentary, but also informative.
How to Build a Cathedral is a lot more detailed but also a lot longer.
Kenneth Frampton is one of my personal favorites in terms of modern architectural history.
I would suggest starting out with a book that says a little about a lot, rather than an in-depth book about a particular style or period.
I believe the consensus answer is that the western US states are dry due to the rain shadow of all the mountains between the Pacific coast and the Rocky Mountains...
But you do have a point. The presence or absence of forests and woodlands do change regional climates. Woodlands, somewhat like large bodies of water do reduce temperature extremes. Read this book -- it tells the story of how the deforestation of New England between 1620 and 1820 MADE the stones rise to the surface (cleared land freezes, so stones rise from frost-heave, woodland soil doesn't usually freeze). No Europeans in New England: few stones, lots of trees. Europeans move to New England: clearcut all the trees, farm intensively, more and more stones appear at surface, 200 years later, farmers create 250,000 miles of stone walls in New England. Then the farmers packed up in the 1820's and move to points west (mostly towards the Ohio River Valley by riding the Erie Canal). Remaining Yankees get jobs in mills, or fishing or whaling...
Today New England is again full of trees (they do come back if allowed). But the all the stones and stone-walls make the whole region unsuitable for large-scale agriculture.
kenneth frampton modern architecture
https://www.amazon.com/Stone-Magnificent-History-Englands-Walls/dp/0802776876
Have you ever read anything by Christopher Dunn? If not you should try The Giza Power Plant at least. If you liked "The Pyramid Code" you would probably find this quite the read!