Reviews for The Gallery of Maps in the Vatican

The average rating for The Gallery of Maps in the Vatican based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-01-24 00:00:00 Scott Stevenson It is very rarely that a book hits all the sweet spots such as being entertaining and informative in equal parts. Started reading the book out of just mere curiosity as it dealt with my profession and was expecting something dry and academic. Was pleasantly surprised to note that my initial opinion was flawed.Clarity was enhanced by the photos,detailing and extremely apt captions. There are nice small bits of unintended hilarity as well,for example, the bit where a flaw in the concreting led to a stain which was worshipped as a 'blessed' apparition of Mary by religious Christians.Also another where a crack in the concrete appears ironically right next to the measure the designer has put in place just to combat that very flaw. The author has explained a lot of complex procedures in a simple,easy to understand manner which I am sure will appeal to designers who think more in pictures rather than words most of the time.Loved the bit about tuned mass dampers for bridges ,pressure equalised wall construction and Ando concrete. He has also mentioned the corrective procedures that were taken at site as well as better measures and preventive action that could have been taken instead which I found very interesting.A handy tool is also the summary found at the end of each chapter for quick and easy information retention. Highly recommend this book to any designer in the field of construction.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-03-06 00:00:00 Lucas Forastieri As an artist I found this book to be very beautiful and inspiring. I love the combination of new technology and art in the old buildings. Ancient carvings grouped with neon. The colors pop and the photos look touchable. I wish I could inhabit these spaces.