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Book Description
Illustrated with hundreds of
illuminating line drawings, this classic guide reveals virtually
every secret of a building's function: how it stands up, keeps its
occupants safe and comfortable, gets built, grows old, and dies--and
why some buildings do this so much better than others. Drawing on
things he's learned from the many buildings he himself designed (and
in some cases built with his own hands), Edward Allen explains
complex phenomena such as the role of the sun in heating buildings
and the range of structural devices that are used for support, from
trusses and bearing walls to post-tensioned concrete beams and
corbeled vaults. He stresses the importance of intelligent design in
dealing with such problems as overheating and overcooling, excessive
energy use, leaky roofs and windows, fire safety, and noisy
interiors. He serves up some surprises: thermal insulation is
generally a better investment than solar collectors; board fences
are not effective noise barriers; there's one type of window that
can be left open during a rainstorm. The new edition emphasizes
"green" architecture and eco-conscious design and construction. It
features a prologue on sustainable construction, and includes new
information on topics such as the collapse of the World Trade
Center, sick building syndrome, and EIFS failures and how they could
have been prevented. Allen also highlights the array of amazing new
building materials now available, such as self-cleaning glass,
photovoltaics, transparent ceramics, cloud gel, and
super-high-strength concrete and structural fibers. Edward Allen
makes it easy for everyone--from armchair architects and sidewalk
superintendents to students of architecture and construction--to
understand the mysteries and complexities of even the largest
building, from how it recycles waste and controls the movement of
air, to how it is kept alive and
growing. |
