Customer Reviews

100 of the World's Best Houses (Architecture)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although this book has more than a handful of great contemporary homes, we get only a teasing glimpse of each of them. The author would have been better off reducing the number of houses covered, and doing a more in depth coverage of each of them. The book could have been improved by calling it, 25 or 50 of the worlds best houses, and doing a more comprehesive spread on each house. The few pictures we get of each house are of good photographic quality, but the scene selections and angles the houses are shot at, don't give the best representation of them. I have seen several of these same houses in other publications (books or magazines) and have seen them shot from better angles. Another complaint, but this one is subjective, is that, for me, there were too many "woodsy" houses in the book.
I realize that this is only my opinion and taste, but for me, I like my contemporary homes very minimal and sleek, and with a touch of industial in the mix, with no sign of wood. There are a few like that in the book, but the majority of them are mostly wood based.
I did purchase and keep this book, feeling it had enough fresh ideas to merit keeping it. Again everything is relative, and compared to most other contemporary architecture books, this ones a keeper.

This coffee-table book is massive in size. I wouldn't say that it's a cerebral book which offers much in architecture literature. The introduction is rather superficial which defines the meaning of private dwellings by Catherine Slessor, the managing editor of The Architectural Review. Her comment is simply most of the featured dwellings here are commissioned by affluent clients & they do have an impact upon the landscape, fulfillment of their lifestyle circumstances, enabling them to express themselves as much as the architects who design those dwellings. The book cut into the chase immediately with illustrations of 100 houses which span around the world. I'm pleasantly surprised that some houses in New Zealand are featured too. There are many types of houses ranging from International House to Deconstructivism to Post Expressionism to Minimalism to Intelligent House (regulating the temperature in the house by using passive means to conserve energy) & the list goes on. Should readers would like to read more about those houses, there are briefs provided at the end of the book. It would be good if there are headings given in the book but obviously, it's not done in this instance. It would be ideal if contact information for architects are provided in this book as some architecture books would have done. There are enough pictures to keep us interested and ocassionally building plans. It would be interesting if editor shares with us how she picks those houses that are featured in this book because I would like to think that preferences are rather subjective. Therefore, for what she thinks is the best 100 houses in the world, other people might not necessarily think so. Perhaps, the choice of the title of the book is questionable. Anyhow, this book does provide us with a broad view of available houses in the world. I wouldn't say that this is a definitive architecture book or a book that you should have in your collection. However, as a reference material, it shall made do. A book with enormous potential but ultimately, disappointing. By the way, many of the houses here come from the States. Is it because other places in the world are devoid of creativity or that Americans do put a lot of effort into their homes?

I have seen almost every house in this book published before and the ones that i hadn't seen weren't anything special. In fact several of the homes are quite old by Moore Ruble, Predock, Gwathmy, etc. If you have a collection of residential books allready, pass this one over.

This book provides a nice selection of contemporary home design, and not just the unatainable homes often depicted in such volumes. Floor plans are included, and the photography and quality of reproduction is first-rate. Highly recommended.

`100 of the Worlds Best Houses' is a glossy coffee table book that is light on text and heavy on sumptuous images. The paper quality is amazing and shows the images off very well and the collection of houses on offer will have even the most luke warm lover of architecture drooling and fantasising about their own dream house! Some selections are more apt than others and obviously depending on taste some resonate more than others as well. But for a collection of stunning architecture photography to inspire you to dream about your own designs and to go out and learn more, this is an unbeatable and weighty tome. P.S. be sure to check out the second volume to this book `Another 100 of the Worlds Best Houses' which has more of the same stunning house design and book layout.

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This book gives a complete perception of the houses described, because of plans and multiple views inside the houses. That is what I expected from a book like that: not only a compilation of pictures