Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 7
 A great reference about japanese architecture May 5, 2000
ROBERTO (MIAMI, FL 33181- 1137, FLORIDA USA)
79 out of 81 found this review helpful
If you are an architect interested in japanese constructional systems, this is THE BOOK for you. If you aren't but find japanese culture a fountain of inspiration for living, you must read this extraordinary piece of art. Perhaps it don't shine like a jewel, but once you open it, you'll find the work of a man who decided to share his mastery. In this book, diagrams, materials, craftmanship, even detailed descriptions of the human space requirements are fully explained with precision and simplicity. Every page, and every example in them, is a world that must be carefully examined. And when doing so, you'll find that what the author is showing us, is more than a book about japanese houses: is the heart of the japanese carpenters and architects living in its pages.
Clearly Illustrates Traditional Japanese Construction July 28, 2001
Barbara Nostrand (Syracuse, NY USA)
31 out of 31 found this review helpful
Anyone who wishes to build a Japanese tea room either in the garden or attached to their house could do well to start with this book. You can also use this book to design accents for a single room, or to craft an entire house. It was written by a German architect who lived in Japan several decades ago and carefully measured surving older buildings as well as studying architecture there. While there are more detailed books in Japanese, this may well still be the best available book in English.
Outstanding "How to", not a coffee table book! October 24, 2008
Rose A. Kings (Santa Ana, CA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am a professor and I use this book to introduce beginning architecture students to working with a grid system and putting a beautiful space together. It is actually an excerpt from a very old and hard to find volume, which I have seen and I would have to say that this volume does a great job of taking the essentials of how to design and construct a Japanese structure and making it extremely affordable. There are lots of scaled drawings and diagrams, but no pictures (the bulk of Engels' research and work was done a lifetime ago). Great reference book, but not a glossy coffee table book.
Book for Architects June 21, 2009
Mother Macabre
This book was a gift for my architect son, and I haven't heard any complaints out of him.
Great book: exhaustive, detailed and copiously illustrated January 30, 2010
Caretta Erik (Vicenza, Italy)
The book, taken from the larger volume "The Japanese House: A Tradition for Contemporary Architecture", describes exhaustively how the traditional Japanese house is built.
Every topic from plan layout down to shoji or tokonoma proportions is covered in detail, with amazing technical drawings and lot of examples: you will be able to build your own Japanese house, from foundation stones to the top of the roof.
Particularly interesting are the schemes of joints needed for every part of the house, and the continuos focus on some particular features like modular order, flexibility or standardization.
If you are not used to technical drawings the book may appear a bit complex, since there are no photos illustrating the building, but everything is very well done.
I recommend this book to everyone with a strong technical interest on Japanese traditional buildings.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 7
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