Robert Brown Butler

Architecture Laid Bare! In Shades of Green, © 2013, 458 pages, 232 illustrations

If knowledge is power, you'll feel like an army after you've read this book. If you would like to improve the architecture you live and work in, yet endlessly worry how you would deal with conflicting regulations, subjective whims of designers, and exploitive contractors, this thick reference will save you its selling price a thousand times over. Written with engaging wit by an architect of fifty years' experience who has authored six previously acclaimed books on architecture, this little Britannica combs through every essential material and method of construction used in today's buildings, strips away the skin of current styles and questionable constructions, and burrows to the very bones of what architecture is about —to give you an elemental and practical knowledge of how the spaces that enclose you make you comfortable, simplify your activities, soothe your psyche, and satisfy your everyday needs.

This reference also explains what green architecture is, the pros and cons of LEED, and how our society can best achieve a sustainable architecture in today's ecologically ravaged world. Hence its subtitle is In Shades of Green.

SELECTED PASSAGES

… Another tip for owners about to embark on any construction project, large or small, is to keep a Book of Entries. This is a record of every material delivered and every hour of work performed, as suggested in figure 2-11. If you can't obtain the listed information from the contractor, insist, if you can, that s/he keep a similar record for the project, and insist, if you can, to be allowed to examine it when you want. Better yet, you keep such a record and have the contractor keep one, and compare them occasionally, perhaps during weekly conferences. This is one of the most thorough ways an owner can show an interest, keep informed, be involved, and have the confidence to assert oneself when necessary. Also if any construction or legal dispute arises, you can present before a judge a record of all that transpired.

REVIEWERS' ACCOLADES

… Architecture Laid Bare is a testimony to the highest standards of journalism, home construction, and brutal honesty. For example, I was shocked to know about the high amount of formaldehyde in new pressed wood products in new homes. I also found Butler's advice ingenious for new home owners. Additionally, I loved the section on Acoustics and the suggestions for eliminating sound in an outdoor area. I highly recommend Architecture Laid Bare to every homeowner who wants to have a healthy home, save money, and live a green lifestyle. Luv2Read, Amazon Reviewer

… Architecture Laid Bare is more than just a great book for demystifying the entire architecture process for the layman. Butler writes in a convivial, conversational style that makes even the most technical passages easy to digest. He also peppers the text with anecdotes and stories of his colorful and exciting life. These stories help illustrate the concepts and techniques Butler discusses, but also make for entertaining reading all on their own. Also filled with detailed illustrations and fascinating photographs, this is as complete a book on architecture as you could ever want, whether you own a home or not! AVB_NY

With minor editing and professional promoting, I believe this book would sell well to the general public.

Selected Works

Fiction

In this tantalizing tale of ruthless exploitation that could easily be titled The Wolf and The Rabbits, Conan Cain, a real estate mogul from New York, will stop at nothing —including betraying his country to its most menacing global enemy— to use the office of the Presidency to stuff his pockets with billions of dollars while Democracy totters as an innocent bystander. Due to the sleuthing of a retired journalist who limps on a cane whose shaft contains a digital antenna that can detect the President’s conversations from outside the White House, our principled but perishable democracy is saved from being ruled by a greedy tyrant and his aquisitive cronies.

Nonfiction

Exceptionally 'user friendly' from beginning to end, Disaster Handbook is comprehensive, profusely illustrated, practical, exceptionally well organized and presented, and is enhanced with the inclusion of an Addenda that covers surviving a plane crash, a train wreck, a sinking ship, and even a shooting. Disaster Handbook should be a part of every personal, family, and community library reference collection. - Midwest Book Reviews

Architecture Laid Bare is more than just a great book for demystifying the entire architecture process for the layman. Butler writes in a convivial, conversational style that makes even the most technical passages easy to digest. He also peppers the text with anecdotes and stories of his colorful and exciting life. These stories help illustrate the concepts and techniques Butler discusses, but also make for entertaining reading all on their own. Also filled with detailed illustrations and fascinating photographs, this is as complete a book on architecture as you could ever want, whether you own a home or not! AVB_NY

These seven thin books describe more than a dozen typefaces designed for computers. Some of these typefaces include every letter and diacritic mark used in more than seventy American-variant languages spoken around the world, and some typefaces are novelty faces. The guidebooks describe their attributes and list the keystrokes to type their characters.

Excellent resource for professionals who need ready access to common architectural design issues. Provides excellent empirical techniques not available in academic texts. Real time saver. … Johnny Elliott, Amazon Reviewer

… I found [The Ecological House] to be way ahead of its time as to its ideas on building environmentally sound houses and its analysis of the differing activities of each room. This brilliant rethinking of the purpose of the various rooms was notable. I was most impressed that his thinking enabled him to divide the multipurpose "living room" into smaller "formal, passive, and active" centers that were much more efficient. The numerous drawings it contained were most helpful in illustrating the author's very important ideas on designing for the most efficient and money saving ways to build homes, including locating the house to deal with differing climates, constructions that modified extremes of weather, and original ideas on size and layout of contents of individual rooms. This book should be in the libraries of every serious "green" enthusiast. Like I said, it was WAY ahead of its time. Beth Caldwell, Amazon Reviewer

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