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Prefab: Adaptable, Modular, Dismountable, Light, Mobile Architecture
 
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Prefab: Adaptable, Modular, Dismountable, Light, Mobile Architecture [Hardcover]

Alejandro Bahamon (Author)
2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)


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Book Description

0060513586 978-0060513580 February 2003
This book is the first of its kind to document the increasing awareness among architects and clients worldwide of the benefits of prefabricated architecture: light, modular, dismountable, transportable, mobile, adaptable, self-supporting and recyclable projects that will make life easier for the 21st century nomads. Introducing over 25 projects designed by progressive architects, PreFab takes a look at an assortment of intriguing briefs whose functions range from single-family houses and guest pavilions to offices and bars. Through its countless photographs, plans and drawings, PreFab proves to be an informative record for architects, students, clients, and anybody within the construction industry.

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About the Author

Alejandro Bahamon, born in Colombia in 1971, is an architect who has been working and living in Spain for the last 4 years. After working as a photographer, architect and architectural editor in Colombia, he moved to Barcelona to develop a Ph.D. program on new architectural tools. Currently he has his own architectural office in Barcelona, Spain, where he develops interior design, architectural and landscaping projects that combine with his academic and publishing work. He has collaborated as a freelance writer and co-editor in publications for G.G., Axxis magazine, Arquitecturas magazine, and the Barcelona School of Architecture. Today, he works as an editor for Loft Publications.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 184 pages
  • Publisher: Hearst Book Intl (February 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060513586
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060513580
  • Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.7 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,685,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

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2.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Well, the pictures are pretty..., November 29, 2005
This review is from: Prefab: Adaptable, Modular, Dismountable, Light, Mobile Architecture (Hardcover)
As a consumer and soon-to-be first-time homeowner, I borrowed PREFAB: ADAPTABLE, MODULAR, DISMOUNTABLE, LIGHT, MOBILE ARCHITECTURE, by Alejandro Bahamon, from my local library, in hopes of learning more about prefabricated/modular homes.

Although the book's Amazon listing implies that PREFAB is a useful guide for individuals looking to build a prefabricated home ("PreFab will prove to become the definitive reference for architects, contractors, homeowners, and anyone else interested in creating a prefabricated structure"), the author doesn't really offer any practical advice for consumers who are considering building a modular home. Rather, PREFAB seems as if it's geared more towards art or architecture students - it features a number of unusual and/or experimental prefab projects, many of which are NOT single-family dwellings. Some of the modular buildings profiled in PREFAB include bus dwellings, small office buildings, studios, visitor centers, apartment buildings, and pedestrian bridges. Those buildings that are meant as single-family dwellings are highly customized, with little general appeal: cliff houses, tree houses, tiny, 200-square-foot homes, even a "floating island"! Thus, I definitely would NOT recommend this book to the average consumer, who's just looking for practical, real-world information on modular construction.

Although I picked up PREFAB expecting something totally different, it would be unfair to give the book a negative review just because it was not what I anticipated. Yet, even as an art/architecture book, PREFAB is fraught with a number of problems. The book was originally written in Spanish (I assume, given the author's name), and translated into English by Bill Bain. Consequently, the text is absolutely atrocious. I don't know if this is the author's, translator's, editor's, or publisher's fault (or some combination thereof), but the book is almost unreadable! There are a number of grammatical, punctuation, and even spelling errors. Sentences run on and on, and many don't even make any sense at all!

Some examples, taken word-for-word, typos left as-is:

"The Yardbird prototype was constructed in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, where the client and the architect shared common go a is with regerd to the region's landscape, which to a part of the neoclassical architectural legacy of Thomas Jefferson and the developmental center of modern architecture during the first decades of the twentieth century."

"The Studio couldn't be simpler in its desingn. It is a room some 64.5 by 37.5 square feet elevated by raw steel columns a small building is based on standard dimensions and prefabricated building materials."

Huh!?

As if the writing isn't hard enough to read, most of the text is white, printed on a black background. It literally jumps out at the reader in a migraine-inducing optical illusion!

This design issue is particularly puzzling, as the rest of the book is aesthetically pleasing. PREFAB is filled to the brim with color pictures, floor plans, and elevations of the various projects featured within its covers. Many of the buildings are simply breathtaking; even the ones that are bare and minimalist have unique and unusual qualities that make them interesting to the senses, if nothing else.

Unfortunately, the text that accompanies the pictures is sub par (and that's putting it nicely!). I suspect that this is mainly due to the English translation and editing as opposed to sloppiness on the author's part. If you're an architecture student or aficionado who speaks fluent Spanish, try to find a copy of PREFAB in its native language. On the other hand, if you don't speak Spanish or are a consumer looking for practical advice on prefab/modular home construction, steer clear of this book - it will offend both your wallet and your senses!
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4.0 out of 5 stars really pre fab projects, January 3, 2010
This review is from: Prefab: Adaptable, Modular, Dismountable, Light, Mobile Architecture (Hardcover)
It was useful for me. I could show to our architect what our idea was when having to go for a new house and wated it to be different, affordable and respectable with the environment
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