Designing your client's house

by Alfredo De Vido

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0823071421
• ISBN13: 9780823071425
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: Whitney Library of Design
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.

Customer Reviews

An essential read for architect's, particularly starting professionals

I just completed reading (and will reread again) this book and it was just what I needed at this point in my career. Having started my own practice a little over a year ago, most of my projects have been houses or remodelling of apartments. This is not a coincidence since small scale projects are what most starting professionals are offered in the beginning if at all. I've been trying to find a way to fulfill my professional duties while still trying to pay myself to stay in business and this book has really made me understand what my duties are as well as what is not. I'll try to elaborate~ I came across this book recently while visiting a past employer's office and the copy he had was the original first print from 1983. The book was pretty tattered, but that only added to it's allure since the title was exactly what I was doing professionally. In any case, I borrowed the book and started reading that night. From the beginning, I felt like I got a refresher course on what an architect does professionally in this society. Being trained as a modernist since college and seeking out only modern or progressive designs, there were several times I felt really discouraged when clients asked for a "classical" feel to their houses. However, after reading the introduction, I realized that the outer design should be something to consider a little later in the planning stage and not something that should be so rigid. The most important thing is that architects are, in the most part, experts in building design (regardless of -isms) and that includes a vast knowledge in costs, new constructions methods, etc.etc. This is probably obvious to others, but after trying to stay on such a straight and narrow path towards rigid modern designs that I prefer may not be the wisest business decisions in my current career stage. In any case, this book is a great manual in "How to design your client's house." Written by a very prolific and talented architect Alfredo De Vido, it includes many case study examples of houses that have been successful in being economical, respectful of site and client's needs. amassingdesign.blogspot