Artists' impressions in architectural design

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Deanna MacDonald

Japan is equally as well known for its ecologically-sensitive traditional homes as it is for cutting-edge, green technology. "Eco Living Japan" presents 19 contemporary Japanese houses which exemplify the most recent trends in sustainable design in Japan. This is wabi-sabi for the 21st century! With over 250 photos, drawings, plans and lively, informative text, this sustainable architecture book offers a picture of green living in contemporary Japan and provides inspiration and practical ideas for those creating homes in North America and other 4 season climates. Each project presents different aspects of Japan's current movement toward a more sustainable living environment as well as its focus on fine craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. The book's content is informative and enjoyable for both professional architects and forward-thinking homeowners. Anyone with an interest in Japanese design and trends in sustainable living will find fresh ideas for their own home projects. These homes work in harmony with their environments and with the people who inhabit them "green design" at its best!"

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Virginia McLeod

This work provides analysis of both the technical and the aesthetic importance of details in modern timber architecture. Featuring the work of renowned architects from around the world, it presents 50 of the most recently completed and influential timber designs for both residential and commercial architecture.

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John Malam

Explores world-famous man-made structures of the ancient and modern world, discussing how they were built, why they are important, and how architecture may change in the future.

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William N. Morgan

During more than a thousand years before Europeans arrived in 1540, the native peoples of what is now the southwestern United States and northern Mexico developed an architecture of rich diversity and beauty that harmonized well with the sweeping landscapes of mountains and deserts in which they lived. Vestiges of thousands of these dwellings and villages still remain, in locations ranging from Colorado in the north to Chihuahua in the south and from Nevada in the west to eastern New Mexico - a geographical area of some 300,000 square miles. This study presents the most comprehensive architectural survey of the region currently available. Professionally rendered drawings comparatively analyze 132 sites by means of standardized 100-foot grids with uniform orientations. Reconstructed plans with shadows representing vertical heights suggest the original appearances of many structures that are now in ruins or no longer exist, while concise texts place them in context. Organized in five chronological sections, the book examines architectural evolution from humble pit houses to sophisticated, multistory pueblos. The sections explore concurrent Mogollon, Hohokam, and Anasazi developments, as well as those in the Salado, Sinagua, Virgin River, Kayenta, and other areas, and compare their architecture to contemporary developments in parts of eastern North America and Mesoamerica. The book concludes with a discussion of changes in Native American architecture in response to European influences. Written for a general audience, the book holds obvious appeal for all students of native Southwestern cultures, as well as for everyone interested in origins in architecture. In particular, it should encourage younger Native American architects to value their rich cultural heritage and to respond as creatively to the challenges of the future as their ancestors did to those of the past.