Beach Houses 2 [Hardcover]

Images Publishing Group (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2003

Nestled into gnarled scrub or exposed to the wind and the surf, beach hosues are about environmental extremes. When the suburbs are left behind, it is these extremes that excite the senses. Whether it is a simple timber shack or a sophisticated architectural statement, a beach house is about fantasy and escape. Many of the beach houses featured in this book are exactly that - the stuff of their owners' dreams that have been realised by their architects' vision. They reflect fine contemporary residential architecture in an astonishing diversity of forms. They also provide a sharp contrast to city abodes, complementing instead the extreme and fragile coastal sites in which they are located, through imaginative and sympathetic design.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Images Publishing Dist Ac (2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1876907959
• ISBN-13: 978-1876907952
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,665,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Okay Book, January 8, 2005

By 

Ping Lim (Christchurch) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beach Houses 2 (Hardcover)

This architecture book features a whopping 52 beach houses in Australia. If readers were expecting smaller baches or huts that Australians were accustomed to, think again! The author includes designs from the conventional to the avant garde. Some of beach houses here are massive and they literally can store a whole rugby team and more! Naturally, all these beach houses are built in locations that command great vistas and naturally, would cost a lot of dollars to acquire. All beach houses come with a small brief, a easy to follow layout, and some pictures. An indulgent book to rummage through. There is a useful architect index at the back of the book with their contact information should readers decide to procure their services. Presentation is okay. Personally, I find there are too many houses in this book. It would be wiser to be more selective and condense the book with only a few choices and yet, expanding the depth of the projects such as interviews with the architect and the clients, constraints, and so forth. A bit of tensions and dramas would always heighten the sensations in reading this kind of book. We wouldn't want such book to be dry and uninvolving. In terms of being a coffee table book, it doesn't quite cut it either as it's lacking of that X-factor. Commendable effort but one can't help to think that it can be better.