Striking full-color photography complements a study of the use of theourtyard in indoor and outdoor design, capturing a diverse array of exampleshat range from ancient Rome and medieval Europe to modern-day San Diego,racing the history of the design style, and explaining how a courtyard canet the mood and tone of any structure.

"Courtyards presents a survey of courtyards, contemporary design guidelines, and a diverse selection of examples. Readers will acquire a basic understanding of the balance that must exist between garden and building, including practical advice for planting."--BOOK JACKET.

"A "must-have" treasury of inspiring ideas and useful tips for homeowners looking to enhance the beauty of their homes with handsomely designed and landscaped courtyards and patios. The book includes a full source list that directs readers to mail-order suppliers for plants, materials, containers, and other items. 150 color photos."--

This book demonstrates, through discussions on sustainability and regional identity, and via a series of case studies, that the courtyard housing form has a future as well as a past.

In the North African land of Morocco, every dar-dwelling, religious institution, or commercial building is organized around an interior, walled courtyard that provides privacy from the bustle of urban streets and an outdoor space for social interaction and tranquil meditation. Over the course of centuries, ornamental schemes have evolved to incorporate not only native plant life but also intricate water features and patterned tile work known as zellij, all of central significance to the Moroccan culture and climate. Vitally important for providing shade and catching breezes in an arid landscape, Moroccan gardens are designed and cultivated with vibrant color and aromatic plants. Author Achva Benzinberg Stein explores the three main types of gardens the simple and elegant paved patio form of the ouest ed-dar, the more elaborately planted riyad, and the agdal, an open, cultivated landscape. Striking color photographs, including numerous aerial views, show gardens and courtyards in Marrakech, Fez, and elsewhere."

Gardens have changed significantly over the last couple of decades, and clever architects and designers know that incorporating an outdoor living space can improve a dwelling's aesthetic, not to mention its value. In the 1980s, manicured lawns framed with box hedges and annuals were a common site. It seemed that both space and water supply were unlimited. Courtyards for Modern Living presents beautiful gardens which have been designed for locations around the world that represent the changed reality of drier climates, and heralded in a preference for native species, drought-tolerant plants, and even a new popularity of the humble succulent. Contemporary houses also reflect a move towards enjoying larger houses built on smaller sites, so that available space is turned into a multifunctional courtyard that is usually accessed from the kitchen and living areas. Author Stephen Crafti ( Beach Houses Down Under, H2O and Ultimate Urban Makeover presents an inspired study of what makes outdoor rooms so appealing. Including many tips to guide the architect or the DIY enthusiast, Courtyards for Modern Living features courtyards, balconies and gardens that are extensions of the very house itself.

Cultural sustainability is a very important aspect of the overall sustainability framework and is regarded as the fourth pillar alongside the other three: environmental, economic, and social sustainability. However, the concept is neither fully explored, nor widely accepted or recognized. This book elicits the interplay of nature-culture-architecture and theorizes the concept of cultural sustainability and culturally sustainable architecture. It identifies four key themes in Chinese philosophy: Harmony with Heaven, Harmony with Earth, Harmony with Humans, and Harmony with Self, along with Greek philosopher Aristotle’s physics: form, space, matter, and time, it sets them as criteria to evaluate the renewed and new courtyard housing projects constructed in China since the 1990s. Using an innovative architectural and social science approach, this book examines the political, economic, social, and spatial factors that affect cultural sustainability. Supported by a multiplicity of data including: field surveys, interviews with residents, architects, and planners, time diaries, drawings, photos, planning documents, observation notes, and real estate brochures, the book proposes new courtyard garden house design strategies that promote healthy communities and human care for one another, a concept that is universally applicable. The volume is a first opportunity to take a holistic view, to encompass eastern and western, tangible and intangible, cultures in the theorization of cultural sustainability and culturally sustainable architecture. It is a comprehensive contribution to architectural theory.

A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids, 2016 Told from the perspective of the tree outside Anne Frank's window—and illustrated by a Caldecott Honor artist—this book introduces her story in a gentle and incredibly powerful way to a young audience. The tree in the courtyard was a horse chestnut. Her leaves were green stars; her flowers foaming cones of white and pink. Seagulls flocked to her shade. She spread roots and reached skyward in peace. The tree watched a little girl, who played and laughed and wrote in a diary. When strangers invaded the city and warplanes roared overhead, the tree watched the girl peek out of the curtained window of the annex. It watched as she and her family were taken away—and when her father returned after the war, alone. The tree died the summer Anne Frank would have turned eighty-one, but its seeds and saplings have been planted around the world as a symbol of peace. Its story, and Anne’s story, are beautifully told and illustrated in this powerful picture book.

This volume deals with the various types of the courtyard house, which utilizes the courtyard as an intimate outdoor living space. A presentation of the courtyard as a building block of the city is followed by coverage of the complete spectrum of types—cluster, network, carpet, terraces, etc.

Essays, drawings, plans, and over 200 black-and-white photographs document the courtyard housing in Los Angeles. The style, expressed in both grand and humble dwellings, was at its height in the 1920's and 1930's, but is still around to provide privacy and greenspace in the dense urban area. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR