The Good House: Contrast as a Design Tool

by Max Jacobson, Barbara Winslow, Murray Silverstein

In everyday language the authors explain their theory: how strong contrasts open spaces combined with closed spaces, darkness with light, simplicity with complexity - can be orchestrated to produce harmony in a living environment. With the help of drawings and photographs of successful house interiors, the authors show you how to evaluate the architecture of your home by analysing significant houses of other architects. In great detail they provide...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0942391055
• ISBN13: 9780942391053
• Release Date: October 1990
• Publisher: Taunton Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Transitions

This is a nice, short little book with sketches and photos showing you how to properly design transitions that provide the proper contrast from inside to outside, up and down, light and dark, order and mystery, etc.It is a very basic book, which is probably more for a first year architect student, but it may also help to remind practicing architects what makes a house a home.

Short and sweet -- an undiscovered gem.

Tells you how to create the details that make a place special, using a simple but powerful theory of linked contrasts. Highly readable, can be put to use by anyone. Few books offer such design insight, none in so few pages. I rank "The Good House" alongside Alexander's classic "A Pattern Language".

Excellent reference for student architects!

As an architectural student, I found this book to be excellent. Unlike other architecture books which may highlight an architect or certain buildings, this book highlights the idea of "contrast" to stimulate how one can critically think about a design whether the project happens to be residential, public or institutional. The book also shows a myriad of different types of buildings of different styles to highlight the "contrast" concept clearly. I belive, this is an excellent refence book for students and architects alike!