House Design: Art and Practice - Hardcover

De Vido, Alfredo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 047152980X ISBN 13: 9780471529804

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1996

Synopsis

"House design is a matter of care—care on the part of the clients who generate the need for houses and greater care on the part of the people with expertise, the architects and builders of houses."—from the Introduction

Throughout his distinguished career as one of America's leading residential architects, Alfredo DeVido has brought enormous care to both the aesthetics and livability of his houses. Influenced by the architectural traditions of Scandinavia and Japan, where he has lived and worked, DeVido's own work is renowned for its combination of good design, good value, and economic operation.

In House Design: Art and Practice, DeVido shares his personal design methodology, his innovative "modular system," and insights into the technical, aesthetic, and social dimensions of house design. Writing in a lively, engaging style, he examines virtually every aspect of a house, inside and out, from design and planning to construction and furnishing. He offers fresh insights into the basic human needs of comfort, privacy, and safety, and also sheds new light on the classic intangibles that contribute to good architecture—intellect, beauty, and emotion.

DeVido steers the reader through the intricacies of the client-architect relationship and offers valuable suggestions on how to design for specific people who will live in specific spaces on a day-to-day basis. A full complement of photographs, floor plans, and line drawings enhances the usefulness and pleasure of this invaluable book.

In House Design, professional architects will gain access to a rich resource of experience and expertise in every area of residential design. For the layperson who is contemplating building a new home, this book offers a rare opportunity to preview the entire process from the inside.

The architect's job is all encompassing.

In this illuminating book, award-winning residential architect Alfredo DeVido shares his expertise in meeting the singular challenges of domestic architecture. House Design: Art and Practice is a step-by-step overview of all the nuts-and-bolts, human factors, and numerous intangibles that must be successfully orchestrated to produce a good house. DeVido's experience as a designer of houses that combine good design, good value, and economical operation benefits both the professional and the layperson as he discusses the myriad issues that are often overlooked, resulting in misunderstandings, delays, and extra expense.

Among the topics explored in this comprehensive and eminently useful book are:

• The main types of houses and the unique challenges of each
• The roles of the key players in building and designing a house
• Working with clients: helping them discover what they want
• Aspects of livability: privacy, comfort, safety, lighting, furnishings, landscaping, and more
• The "intangibles" of good architecture: intellect, beauty, and emotion
• The architect's job: guidelines for planning and designing houses
• The design process, including a typical program with design considerations for both indoor and outdoor spaces
• Details of Alfredo DeVido's innovative modular design system
• The basic structures and techniques of house construction

House Design: Art and Practice is an indispensable resource for professional architects and designers, and an enlightening experience for laypersons who are considering building a new home.

About this title

From the Publisher:

In his engaging style, architect De Vido shares his award-winning residential design expertise including his innovative module system. Describes how to analyze a client, site and budget, and tailor your efforts accordingly. Identifies important aspects of a home's livability--privacy, thermal comfort, safety, etc. Provides the layperson with an excellent understanding of the design process as well as a structure for working with an architect. Features high-quality photographs of homes designed by various architects, hundreds of line drawings plus floor plans of new and historic houses.

About the Author:

ALFREDO DeVIDO, FAIA, is a New York-based architect who has designed award-winning houses since the late 1960s. Much in demand as a lecturer and professional awards juror, Mr. DeVido has also served as a visiting critic in architecture schools around the country.

About this edition

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 047152980X
• ISBN 13: 9780471529804
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256