J. K. Birksted, "Le Corbusier and the Occult"

The MIT Press | ISBN: 0262026481 | 2009-04-30 | PDF | 416 pages | 18,6 МB

When Charles-Édouard Jeanneret reinvented himself as Le Corbusier in Paris, he also carefully reinvented the first thirty years of his life by highlighting some events and hiding others. As he explained in a letter: "Le Corbusier is a pseudonym. Le Corbusier creates architecture recklessly. He pursues disinterested ideas; he does not wish to compromise himself.... He is an entity free of the burdens of carnality."

Le Corbusier grew up in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, a city described by Karl Marx as "one unified watchmaking industry." Among the unifying social structures of La Chaux-de-Fonds was the Loge L’Amitié, the Masonic lodge with its francophone moral, social, and philosophical ideas, including the symbolic iconography of the right angle (rectitude) and the compass (exactitude). Le Corbusier would later describe these as "my guide, my choice" and as his "time-honored ideas, ingrained and deep-rooted in the intellect, like entries from a catechism."

Through exhaustive research that challenges long-held beliefs, J. K. Birksted's Le Corbusier and the Occult traces the structure of Le Corbusier's brand of modernist spatial and architectural ideas based on startling new documents in hitherto undiscovered family and local archives. Le Corbusier and the Occult thus answers the conundrum set by Reyner Banham (Birksted's predecessor at the Bartlett School of Architecture) who, fifty years ago, wrote that Le Corbusier's book Towards a New Architecture "was to prove to be one of the most influential, widely read and least understood of all the architectural writings of the twentieth century."

International Code Council "2009 International Building Code: Looseleaf Version"

CENGAGE Delmar Learning - DIST | English | 2009-03-26 | ISBN: 158001724X | pages | PDF | 16 MB

Featuring time-tested safety concepts and the very latest industry standards in material design, the 2009 International Building Code® offers up-to-date, comprehensive insight into the regulations surrounding the design and installation of building systems. It provides valuable structural, fire-, and life- safety provisions that cover means of egress, interior finish requirements, roofs, seismic engineering, innovative construction technology, and occupancy classifications. This content is developed in the context of the broad-based principles that facilitate the use of new materials and building designs, making this an indispensable reference guide for anyone seeking a strong working knowledge of building systems.

Mastering Revit Architecture 2009

Publisher: Sybex | ISBN: 0470295287 | edition 2008-09-09 | PDF | 802 pages | 18,2 mb

Move beyond the basics of Revit and BIM and redefine your designs with this new edition of Mastering Revit Architecture. With updated coverage of Revit Architecture 2009 features, this comprehensive guide will help you discover best practices and tips that will make your projects smoother and their implementation easier. You’ll learn how applying key Revit and BIM priniciples to your designs will increase your productivity and improve your workflow plus develop a more thorough understanding of topics like design options and features, advanced modeling, and presentation techniques with the clear explanations and practical examples found in this book.

I've mentioned in previous posts our interest in building up the children's books part of the business - from publishing to distribution to retail.

On the publishing front, we've started the Autumn Wonders imprint. The first book in the imprint, Water Buffalo's Reward, was published early this year. This was the first book in the Asian Values series, and the second and third books are scheduled for publication later this year and early next year respectively.

Another series that we will be starting is the Hike It! series. This is a series of walking guides for children. The first book, Hike It! Bras Basah & Waterloo, will be launched in the first week of August.

On the retail front, we have built up a good collection of children's books with Asian themes at Select Books. Our related company, Summer Fields, has also built up a reputation for selling quality children's books.

On the distribution front, we've started to represent a few publishers with children's books. But this is an area that we want to continue to build on. We are actively seeking independent book publishers with children's titles that require a distributor in Singapore. We believe that we will be able to achieve better market visibility and efficiencies if we can achieve a critical mass of titles. As an independent publisher ourselves, we understand the needs and constraints of other independent publishers. So, we're eager to work out arrangements that will work for both parties. Contact us to meet up. At the minimum, we can have a good chat about a shared passion - children's books!

I've mentioned in previous posts our interest in building up the children's books part of the business - from publishing to distribution to retail.

On the publishing front, we've started the Autumn Wonders imprint. The first book in the imprint, Water Buffalo's Reward, was published early this year. This was the first book in the Asian Values series, and the second and third books are scheduled for publication later this year and early next year respectively.

Another series that we will be starting is the Hike It! series. This is a series of walking guides for children. The first book, Hike It! Bras Basah & Waterloo, will be launched in the first week of August.

On the retail front, we have built up a good collection of children's books with Asian themes at Select Books. Our related company, Summer Fields, has also built up a reputation for selling quality children's books.

On the distribution front, we've started to represent a few publishers with children's books. But this is an area that we want to continue to build on. We are actively seeking independent book publishers with children's titles that require a distributor in Singapore. We believe that we will be able to achieve better market visibility and efficiencies if we can achieve a critical mass of titles. As an independent publisher ourselves, we understand the needs and constraints of other independent publishers. So, we're eager to work out arrangements that will work for both parties. Contact us to meet up. At the minimum, we can have a good chat about a shared passion - children's books!

Allen G. Noble - Traditional Buildings: A Global Survey of Structural Forms and Cultural Functions

I. B. Tauris | 2007 | ISBN: 1845113055 | Pages: 368 | PDF | 16.78 MB

Based on a lifelong professional and personal interest, Traditional Buildings presents a unique survey of vernacular architecture across the globe. The reader is taken on a fascinating tour of traditional building around the world, which includes the loess cave homes of central China, the stilt houses on the shores of Dahomey, the housebarns of Europe and North America, the wind towers of Iran, the Bohio houses of the Arawak indians of the Caribbean, and much more. Professor's Noble's extensive travels have allowed him to examine many of the building at close quarters and the richly illustrated text includes photographs from the his personal collection. With its comprehensive and detailed bibliography the work will be welcomed by experts and non-specialists alike.

John Morris Dixon "Urban Spaces: The Design of Public Places"

Watson-Guptill Publications | English | 2001-09 | ISBN: 1584710233 | 329 pages | PDF | 40,4 MB

In less than two years since our first Urban Spaces volume went to press, hundreds of excellent urban spaces have been completed, and hundreds more proposed. The universal appeal of spaces where people can gather continues to generate new parks, plazas, lobbies, atriums, and malls. Both public and private clients are investing in creative urban spaces.

The Urban Land Institute has again cooperated with Visual Reference Publications to cosponsor this second volume showcasing urban spaces created by leading architects, landscape architects, urban designers, and planners. John Morris Dixon, FAIA, longtime Chief Editor of Progressive Architecture, will explain the design challenges and accomplishments of these outstanding projects.

As you travel through these superbly printed color pages, you will gather invaluable insights in the planning and design of such public spaces as the Civic Plaza in Phoenix, Gantry State Park in New York, and Paseo del Alamo in San Antonio. You will visit public facilities such as the Orlando International Airport and the Long Beach Convention Center in California; retail environments such as the Galleria at Roseville in California and the Park Meadows Retail Resort in Colorado; business complexes such as the 3M Headquarters in Mexico, Sears 2000 in Chicago, and the Conde Nast Building in New York; new in-town communities such as CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Florida and Atlantic Station in Atlanta, Georgia; planned communities such as Narragansett Landing in Rhode Island, the Lake at Las Vegas in Nevada, and Middleton Hills in Wisconsin. Going abroad, you will explore Scienceland in Shanghai, Cavendish Square in Cape Town, and Warringah Mall in Sydney.