Customer Reviews

The Architecture Pack : A Unique, Three-Dimensional Tour of Architecture over the Centuries : What Architects Do, How They Do It

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a New Media designer, I appreciate the interactivity nature of this book. A book that you HAVE to turn around to read, structures you have to build, and the lighting of MY room falling through the building skeletons - all these are things that "interactive CDRoms" cannot offer.

The most wonderful book production I've ever seen so far ! Well researched on historical facts.Well summarised topics, considering the complexed scope of architecture that sometimes perplexes people who are involved in its creation and people for whom it is created.Excellently composed illustration. An ingenious way of illustrating the topics. It makes architecture much more fun, interesting and inspiring than the actual practice of it in reality (from an x-architect's point of view). I'm sure it is a good collection for architects who still have keen interest in architecture. The book represents the effort level needed to excel in any creative areas.

I have been a high school teacher of Engineering Graphics and Residential Architecture for 34 years. This book is a great introducer to architecture and becomes a magnificent motivator. This is a superb effort! It saves a lot of time & explains major theories beautifully. The reaction of my students to this book has been tremendous. I am really pleased with the results and highly recommend it.

If this book had met only 1/2 of my expectations, I would have been pleased. It exceeded them. Every page is a series of surprises and delights. Whether you're interested in Architecture, or just love classy gadgets, this is your book. I cannot imagine anyone who, getting this book as a gift, would not be delighted. Read the product description, and add 50%. The only down sides are the long delivery time, and the book's delicacy. One is torn between wanting to look at its contents repeatedly, and the fear that the book might be damaged by too much handling. Order two!!

It's just cool. We got one for Christmas and it was our favorite gift. It is loaded with clever ways to look at, understand and appreciate architecture, with a lot of 3-D pop-up features. A great gift for an architect or the very urbane, cultured sort who has everything or is hard to impress.

I purchased this book for two younger children (ages 6 and 10)with the expectation that it would be something they could enjoy forseveral years. That objective was certainly fulfilled, but, what surprised me was how easily the children picked-up some of the more complicated concepts and examples. The models were a tremendous stimulus to their imagination and their curiosity, especially because the models operated in several different ways. This book should be a required purchase for anyone with interest in their habitat, whether it be ancient or modern. By the way, the adults thought it was great too.

I've had this book for a week now and still haven't got round to reading it. I open it several times a day and just play and play. It's a technical marvel. If Q designed a book for James Bond it would look like this. Can't wait to stop playing and start reading!

Contrary to other architecture books that are muddled with academicians' essays, which in turn are filled with architecture terms that amateurs like myself wouldn't possibly understand, this book or pack is informative, playful, and easy to understand. Just say that it's a crash course into architecture rather having you going thru 5 years training in a varsity with working experience. The pack guides you to the fundamentals of architecture like the origin of architecture, when is architecture becoming a distinctive profession as in miedevel time, architect is a stonemason, sculptor all blended into one; the influence of Classicim, unavoidabability of learning about Palladio and Vitruvius; structure and form; new materials & shapes; art & architecture blended as one; the changing city, influenced mostly by our usage of cars; the process, with Richard Meier's Getty Centre as a case study. To top this pack off, there a booklet informing readers of prominent &/or infleuntial architects & architecure terms commonly heard & used respectively(quite concise); timeline stipulating the architecture breakthrough since the beginning of time & where does those famous architects stand in the passage of time; a model of Schroeder house for us to build. The journey through this pack is simply a revelation, surprises everywhere & never failed to bewilder me. I'm adamant that the pop-up buildings is an art in its own rite & what about the enclosed "Mission Impossible" glasses that enable us to see the inner structure and exterior structure of buildings so that we would appreciate architecture more? Before I forget, there's also a cassette narrated by the author. Believe me, you will spend hours and hours immersing yourself in this pack forgetting how time flies when you are enjoying yourself the most. Highly recommended for architecture enthusiasts. A note of caution though, due to the fiddly but fine detailing in this book, readers are urged to handle the pack with utmost care, & it would be wonderful to have a second edition, continuing on where the author has left off in 1997.

What a gorgeous book!! A historical overview of architecture, with exquisite and intricate pop-ups to illustrate the text. I can't even imagine the work that went into designing this book. It's a treat for the mind, as well as for the eyes. Well worth the (full) price!!

I first bought a copy of this book for my nephew, but I had played with it and shown it to my friends so much that I needed to buy a second copy to give away. This book is so carefully produced, and with such incredible quality, that it's hard to believe that they can sell it so cheaply.