Architecture is on the brink. It is a discipline in crisis. Over the last two decades, architectural debate has diversified to the point of fragmentation and exhaustion. What is called for is an overarching argument or set of criteria on which to approach the design and construction of the built environment. Here, the internationally renowned architect and educator Michael Hensel advocates an entirely different way of thinking about architecture. By favouring a new focus on performance, he rejects longstanding conventions in design and the built environment. This not only bridges the gap between academia and practice, but, even more significantly, the treatment of form and function in design. It also has a far-reaching impact on knowledge production and development, placing an important emphasis on design research in architecture and the value of an interdisciplinary approach. Though ‘performance’ first evolved as a concept in the humanities in the 1940s and 1950s, it has never previously been systematically applied in architecture in an inclusive manner. Here Michael Hensel offers Performance-Orientated Architecture as an integrative approach to architectural design, the built environment and questions of sustainability. He highlights how core concepts and specific traits, such as climate, material performance and settlement patterns, can put architecture in the service of the natural environment. A wide range of examples are cited to support his argument, from traditional sustainable buildings, such as the Kahju Bridge in Isfahan and the Topkapí Palace in Istanbul to more contemporary works by Cloud 9, Foreign Office Architects, Steven Holl and OCEAN.

Software services are established as a programming concept, but their impact on the overall architecture of enterprise IT and business operations is not well-understood. This has led to problems in deploying SOA, and some disillusionment. The SOA Source Book adds to this a collection of reference material for SOA. It is an invaluable resource for enterprise architects working with SOA.The SOA Source Book will help enterprise architects to use SOA effectively. It explains: What SOA is How to evaluate SOA features in business terms How to model SOA How to use The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF™) for SOA SOA governance This book explains how TOGAF can help to make an Enterprise Architecture. Enterprise Architecture is an approach that can help management to understand this growing complexity.

Web services are leading to the use of more packaged software either as an internal service or an external service available over the Internet. These services, which will be connected together to create the information technology systems of the future, will require less custom software in our organizations and more creativity in the connections between the services. This book begins with a high-level example of how an average person in an organization might interact with a service-oriented architecture. As the book progresses, more technical detail is added in a "peeling of the onion" approach. The leadership opportunities within these developing service-oriented architectures are also explained. At the end of the book there is a compendium or "pocket library" for software technology related to service-oriented architectures. · Only web services book to cover both data management and software engineering perspectives, excellent resource for ALL members of IT teams · Jargon free, highly illustrated, with introduction that anyone can read that then leads into increasing technical detail · Provides a set of leadership principles and suggested application for using this technology.

Today, with the advent of digital media technologies and the ability to conceptualize, express and produce complex forms using digital means, the question of the status of the architectural form is once again under consideration. Indeed, the computer liberated architecture from the tyranny of the right angle and enabled the design and production of non-standard buildings, based on irregular geometry. Yet, the questions concerning the method of form expression in contemporary architecture, and its meaning, remain very much open. Performalism takes up this discussion, defines it and presents changes in form conception in architecture, followed by their repercussions. The book is supported by a wealth of case studies from some of the top firms across the globe and contributed to by some of the top names in this field. With a unique and insightful emphasis on professional practice this is essential reading for all architects, aspiring and practicing.

This book describes Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and the significant factors which affect its adoption, such as governance, strategy, complexity, Return on Investment (ROI), business and IT alignment, culture and communication, costs, and security. The study on which this book is based, involved a quantitative analysis to investigate the influential factors for adopting SOA, paving the way to further research in the field.

This book argues that the Federal Government needs a new approach to IT management. Introducing a novel five-step process called performance-driven management (PDM), author Ira Sachs explains in detail how to reduce risk on large IT programs and projects. This is an essential tool for all IT and business managers in government and contractors doing business with the government, and it has much useful and actionable information for anyone who is interested in helping their business save money and take on effective, successful practices.