Shipping Container Book Reviews- ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Shipping Container Architecture and Construction Books- Read this before you buy! Do you feel you are ripped off by some of the new books out there regarding Shipping Containers, ISBU, Container construction, Shipping container homes, Prefabs or Container architecture? ...you're not alone. For those of you who haven't bought one yet, this Book Review is for you. Am I qualified to review these books? Absolutely? I don't write books but I read them; I have been a media consultant for "green energy" companies for the past 20 years; my husband is a successful building contractor here in Southern California, my son is an architectural engineer in Denver; we all know construction and container construction and we are all current members of the international shipping container organization (ISBA). Having said that, you only need to be an intelligent consumer to review books, videos and movies. Here's our professional and DIY consumer opinions about the books. We also had much influence from friends who have also read them and offered opinions.Rating System: The highest rating is 5 suns, but read "Comments" to understand the book content. In alphabetical order. ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Architecture and Hygiene Adam Kalkin (self published) $110 - $135 180 pages (2004) COMMENTS: We didn't buy it but found it in the library. It's nice if you are interested in container art and if you are an avid fan of Kalkin styles, thoughts and architecture. But unless you are a "super fan" of Kalkin's work you would be quite disappointed. NOTE: This is good art and history but has virtually nothing to do with construction methods. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Container Architecture Jure Kotnik (self published ) $24.07 - $34.95 200 pages (December 10, 2008) COMMENTS Thousands of photos of shipping containers. We didn't buy it but a friend had a copy. It's no longer in publication since there wasn't much except for photos. He may be a very good architect, however his crisscross stacking concept is quite misunderstood by most and can be dangerous and not acceptable to most engineers without considerable reinforcement. Reinforcement is a very costly element in architectural designs and will often defeat the purpose of container construction. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Container 4 Home Michael Schwarcz (A.musing Arts) $49.95 200 pages (Revised April 2010) COMMENTS: The quality and content of Container4Home is very far from what is claimed. Although highly pomoted by many websites, they only promote it because of receiving commissions. The greatest complaints are that you are simply paying for a $49.95 "Info-mercial" and not un-bias content. If you see the website design you can imagine the quality of the book. Virtaually all of my contacts with the NPSA organization and the ISBU Association are outraged that this book is being promoted by Google Ad websites.They feel it is causing a great deal of damage to the credibility of Container education and construction. There is too much focus on just normal, general construction information like plumbing and electrical and not some of the other important issues regarding shipping container construction. And you think you're getting "free" CAD software and plans? ...another surprise there! Readers are directed to another website to pay more. The bulk of the publication is geared towards promoting a brand of siding for an aluminum siding manufacturer. Don't expect an easy refund. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Container Technology A-Z ISBU Association (GreenCube Publishing) $38 320 pages (Revised May 2010) COMMENTS: Without a doubt, the overall best yet if you are looking for real meat of "how to" for every type shipping container construction project. This is a very usable format with great detail and experince which seems to cover every aspect of actual use and construction methods. Contains great graphics, priceless CAD drawings, very properly priced, and easy to read with searchable topics and updated Q&A section. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Intermodal Shipping Container Small Steel Buildings Paul Sawyers (self published) $19.98 112 pages (Revised September 2008) COMMENTS: Paul is a great guy and does a lot of research. The book itself is about average though and the information quite out of date. I believe most readers are a little disappointed. The graphics are nice but quite elementary and not sufficient for real construction. When it was originally published it may have been quite enlightening. Today most of what is there is freely available on the internet. This again, is a book being promoted mostly by websites who recieve a commission for the sale of the book. ________________________________________________________________________________________________