Measure and Construction of the Japanese House

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.

Its many reprints attests to this book’s importance in providing practical information on traditional Japanese architecture. A fundamental reference for anyone interested in building a Japanese-style house or structure.

Fascinating. Loaded with detail. And the drawings are beautiful pre-CAD. I referred to it regularly in the design and building of a very spare back-yard covered deck. And this is only part of the originally published book. Mr. Engel is one of those great intellectual resources - a knowledgeable, sharp intellect brought to bear on a special subject.

This book is wonderful if you want to learn about the details into actually making a real Japanese house. There is ton of pictures and drawings that help to visually explain what is being described. It can also give a lot of ideas as to what it should look like, what materials you should use, what additional features can be added, etc.

I have always admired the beauty of Japanese architecture and construction, and I love this little book for all of the pictures and plans. It is easy to read and any novice or architect wanna be like me will appreciate this very thorough introduction to the art form.

This a great book about the technique used in Japanese house design (who knew it was so modular?) and also much about the type of joints used and where in the house they are used. Not a whole lot about how to actually do that kind of construction but plenty about how the designs and layout work and why.

In all fairness I was expecting a little more than detailed spec drawings. In fact, this was not the book I wanted. On the other hand, if you are seriously in love with Japanese architecture and are a carpenter, architect or general contractor... this is the book for you. Lots of "how to"... a smattering of "why", but no eye candy to inspire you. Definitely for someone who is already a hard core fan of the art of the Japanese house. It lost a star for me simply because even a 'how to' book needs more than line drawings of joint work to be great.

High technical book with clear drawings and explanations. Many plans too few elevations and sections, but all details very well

This is a great reference book. If you want details on layout, dimension, construction of joinery, framing, buildings, etc. this book provides numerous examples with all the details. Great for design, architecture of Japanese buildings. If you are looking for a picture book for inspiration for creating a Japanese feel for a house--this is the wrong book for you.

Si te gusta trabajar con madera, y la arquitectura japonesa es imprescindible como iniciación. Son solo 150p sí, pero excepcionalmente ordenado con muchisimos diagramas, explicaciones y digamos "blueprints". Da gusto investigar en el libro, merece la pena sin lugar a dudas. Este libro es la versión corta de (The Japanese House: A Tradition for Contemporary Architecture 1964 by Heinrich Engel), prometo que algún día lo tendré en mi biblioteca.

Livre qui donne toutes les cotres des maisons japonaise du sol (même les types de fondation )au toit même si vous n’avez pas pour projet de vous construire une vraie maison japonaise vous saurez tout (ou presque) des maisons traditionnelles japonaises

This is a great book if you are interested in the Japanese way of woodwork and housebuilding. It is a good entree book and gives you a big inside in techniques.

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