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The book opens with an anecdote about the San Francisco _ whether political, economic, technological, or now architecâ€" Opera House. The washrooms are accessed from the lobby â€" tural. He said once that we are as gods, so we better learn to but the Ladies has no more stalils than the Gents. Women . be good at it. Thank you Stewairt for pointing the way. need more time and space, a basic fact ignored by archiâ€" . *# * tects everywhere (including The Centre in the Square). So for Chuck Erion is the owner /operator of Words Worth Books o o 0 0o 0o 0o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0o 0 0 0o 0o o Street»it‘s a pity so tew citizens came out to see it. The interior * ka Mdo:v"mmn not even hinted aft by the exteâ€" fior.Edich floor opens onto this atium, with its brick planters, escalators and glass elevator. What goes into the clesign of a public space such as this? And what happens after the conâ€" fractor. and architect leave? : : +382 wvu:'mammmmmmmbu?éngm change in How Bulldings: Leam (Viking, 243 pages, $37.50) just published this month. it makes me wonder why no one said it before. With thousands of titles on architecture, howcur no one has looked at how bulldings evoive? A few years ago, Virgit Martin, a local wiiter, came close with a book called Changing Landscapes (now out of .print). He used pho: tographs taken from the same position as historical shots to â€" show the evolution of rural and urban landscapes. Stewart Brand uses the same technique with up to six shots of the same building over the span of a century. The Cape Cod coftage gradudlly is extended with wings, dorners and outâ€" buildings. Brownstone apartments are "remuddled" without respect to their classical styling. The photos are more than acâ€" companiment to the text. They helped inspire, and lead to iInsight and practical advice. â€" Stewart Brand is a thinker I‘ve followed ever since he started the Whole Earth Catalog back in the earty 1970‘s. From there he began the CoEvolution Quarterly, now called the Whole Earth Review. Along the way he wrote a book on MIT, The Media Lab, and heiped to found a computer conference called the WELL. His original background was in biology (including work with Gregory Bateson), evidenced by the number of blological metaphorsfor building forms and funcâ€" tion. The annotated bibliography that closes this book shows how thoroughly Brand explores any subject he takes on. Brand acknowledges his debt to Chris Alexander, author of A Pattern Language (Oxtord, 1977). I agree with his recommenâ€" dation: "The one book that everyone dealing with buildings (or towns) should have." 40 years the men have stood around and joked about the lingeup of women waiting to use the facilities. A case of stupidâ€" l‘otmoouhm, ofalu:tobor"r:eflm em.â€" bad design lead to modification by a building‘s users, which design pattems bridge generations and which fall to outlast curent fashion. His premise is that no building is built exactty as prescribed in the blueprints. All buildings (homes, offices, factories, instituâ€" tlons) take on a life of their own as the interact with their resiâ€" dents, neighbors and the elements. But architects pretend this isn‘t so. They design for today‘s styles and uses. They almost never consult with the occupants after they‘ve moved in ; they rarely admit to or learn from their mistakes. in a chapter called Magazine Architecture, Brand condemns the role of glossy unpeopled photos to establish an archiâ€" tect‘s reputation. Brand and his wife live on a refurbished tugboat, and his life a renovator has taught him a few things. He condemns vinyl and aluminum siding as a retrofit material because attractive gingerbread details get eliminated to speed the installation and it becomes a vapor barrier, trapping rot that goes unseen till it reaches disaster levels. He recommends taking pictures of waills before the drywaill goes on, and keepâ€" Ing these in a diary so that future renovators can evoive the rooms safely and efficiently. Stewart Brand has always chalienged staidâ€" assumptions, whether political, economic, technological, or now architecâ€" tural. He said once that we are as gods, so we better learn to be good at it. Thank you Stewart for pointing the way. *# % Chuck Erion is the owner /operator of Words Worth Books Just Call and Leave the Rest To Us. Only at: Waterioo‘s Network DRAWS FOR Show Times 12:30 â€" 5:00 â€" _ 9:30â€"12:30 PLUS! Battle of the Sexes Saturday, July 2/94 Valentino, Ferrari After Midnight STAGS, STAGETTES, BIRTHDAYS, DIVORCES, Too Hot to Handle FREE TABLE w w*