Beach Houses of Australia and New Zealand 2 (ISBN 1876907959)

An Okay Book:
This architecture book features a whopping 52 beach houses in Australia. If readers were expecting smaller baches or huts that Australians were accustomed to, think again! The author includes designs from the conventional to the avant garde. Some of beach houses here are massive and they literally can store a whole rugby team and more! Naturally, all these beach houses are built in locations that command great vistas and naturally, would cost a lot of dollars to acquire. All beach houses come with a small brief, a easy to follow layout, and some pictures. An indulgent book to rummage through. There is a useful architect index at the back of the book with their contact information should readers decide to procure their services. Presentation is okay. Personally, I find there are too many houses in this book. It would be wiser to be more selective and condense the book with only a few choices and yet, expanding the depth of the projects such as interviews with the architect and the clients, constraints, and so forth. A bit of tensions and dramas would always heighten the sensations in reading this kind of book. We wouldn't want such book to be dry and uninvolving. In terms of being a coffee table book, it doesn't quite cut it either as it's lacking of that X-factor. Commendable effort but one can't help to think that it can be better.