Book Description

'Structure and Architecture' is an essential textbook for students and practitioners of architecture and structural engineering. MacDonald explains the basic principles of structure and describes the ranges of structure types in current use. Furthermore, the book links these topics directly with the activity of architectural design and criticism. An update of the first edition, 'Structure and Architecture 2ed' includes a revised opening chapter, and a new section that discusses prominent buildings constructed since the last edition was published in 1994.


Angus MacDonald deals with structures holistically, relating detailed topicsback to the whole structure and building. He aims to answer the questions: What are architectural structures? How does one define the difference between the structure of a building and all of the other components and elements of which it consists? What are the requirements of structures? What is involved in their design? An understanding of the concepts involved in answering these questions and an appreciation of how the structure of a building functions enhances the ability of an individual to appreciate its architectural quality. This book is unique in that it discusses the structural component of architectural design in the context of visual and stylistic issues.

Enables the reader to develop an understanding of how architectural structures function
Allows students to acquire a vocabulary covering the entire range of structure types and their appropriate use
Generously illustrated with many examples taken from contemporary buildings giving tips on how to evaluate architectural structures ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Enhanced with an expanded and re-written chapter
Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Angus MacDonald's Structure & Architecture showcases the relationship between architecture and structural engineering using both historical and contemporary examples. This new edition is enhanced with an expanded and re-written chapter dealing with structural criticism and the relationship between structure and architectural style; as well as a new section on the relationships between architects, builders and engineers, and the influence which these relationships have on architectural styles and forms. Structure & Architecture is an invaluable and highly recommended addition to any personal, professional, or academic architectural studies collection. ... Read more

Book Description

With their parallel lines and lack of vanishing-point perspective, axonometrics and obliques provide a clear, uncluttered vehicle for communicating spatial impact and the totality of a design idea. This first-ever complete designers and renderer¿s guide to creating presentation-quality axonometric and paraline drawings offers richly illustrated, step-by-step methods for constructing this popular form and putting it to use. Filled with techniques and useful tips, Axonometric and Oblique Drawing also features an international portfolio of award-winning drawings by renowned design professionals. This indispensable and richly illustrated guide is not only a reference for drawing techniques, but a rich source of design concepts, inspiration, and practical instruction. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The difference between reading and understanding...
I am suprised by the view from Russia. I think reading a book and understanding it are two issues which are completely different. Probably the reviewer does not understand the meaning of Axonometric and Oblique Drawing, or may be not trained in a related field to be equipped to understand the book. This book has a clear emphasis in design and use of various axonometric types for design presentation. I believe that when it comes to this particular topic uddin's book is the only complete source at this time. The strength of the book is in its showing the context of Axonometric drawings in Design Analysis, Design Process, and in Final Composed Presentation. There is a brief chapter on contemporary architects work using such drawings. The chapter on shades and shadows is particularly useful, since it simplifies shadow casting from simple to complex 3D axonometric drawings.

extremely useful book
I would recommend this book to all design professionals and especially to all teaching professionals and students in the field of architecture. I used the book as a guide to paraline drawing as a design tool last spring in a studio setting at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. The mystery of axonometric drawing was dispelled and my students were quickly using and producing detail and large-scale drawings to explain their intent. This is a real winner.

Tremendous text for academic instruction!!
Gives a great overview of the "history" of oblique drawings. Perfect for the text for architectural foundation classes focusing on drawing and avant-garde interpretations. A wonderful portfolio of VERY diverse drawings is included, for students to see professionals working with wnat might seem an esoteric concept while in school.

It really has two personalities. The technical section at the first half is more than is included in drawing classes, highly technical. The second "half" gives a wonderfully deep cross-section of examples. These combine to serve as visual adis for students and professionals as well [several architecvture firms in my community -Southern California- have purchased this book for therir reference collection]. I think this speaks of the range of appeal.

bad book
This book is worthless and Anthonly Healy could write a better book. Contact him at heaant@dunwoody.tec.mn.us ... Read more

Book Description

This survey examines the emergence of modernism in Central European art, architecture and design, and its relationship to late nineteenth-century theories of style advanced by John Ruskin, Owen Jones, Gottfried Semper, and Alois Riegl.Schafter's study views nineteenth-century visual aesthetics within a broader intellectual context that is philosophical and scientific. It contributes to a new understanding of the origins of modernism outside of the premiere centers often associated with the Modern movement. ... Read more

Book Description

120 customizable perspective grids! Say goodbye to laboring over hand-drawn perspective grids! Architectural Perspective Grids, by renowned architects John Chen and Tim Cooper, provides you with over 120 ready-made grids on a DOS disk (AutoCAD or DXF format compatible), along with step-by-step instructions for using them to add more variety and accuracy to your work. Supported by a detailed tutorial and beautifully rendered drawings, you'll be able to create: exterior perspective grids of different angles, station points and eye levels, including floor plan grids for accurate construction; interior perspective grids for residential and commercial design; bird's-eye perspective grids for site planning and group buildings; three-point perspective grids specially designed to sketch perspectives of bigger buildings; and much more. ... Read more

Book Description

Each chapter deals with a different technique from which we can best represent and make explicit the forms of knowledge used by designers. The book explores whether design knowledge is special, and attempts to get to the root of where design knowledge comes from. Crucially, it focuses on how designers use drawings in communicating their ideas and how they `converse' with them as their designs develop. It also shows how experienced designers use knowledge differently to novices suggesting that design `expertise' can be developed. Overall, this book builds a layout of the kinds of skill, knowledge and understanding that make up what we call designing.

1. Provides an exploration of research techniques giving an insight into the source of design knowledge
2. Illustrates how designers interact with their drawings and with computers in developing their knowledge
3. Provides the latest debates on the nature of design knowledge ... Read more

Book Description

Since the book’s first publication, interest in the role of the body and the senses has been emerging in both architectural philosophy and teaching. This new, revised and extended edition of this seminal work will not only inspire architects and students to design more holistic architecture, but will enrich the general reader’s perception of the world around them.

The Eyes of the Skin has become a classic of architectural theory and consists of two extended essays. The first surveys the historical development of the ocular-centric paradigm in western culture since the Greeks, and its impact on the experience of the world and the nature of architecture. The second examines the role of the other senses in authentic architectural experiences, and points the way towards a multi-sensory architecture which facilitates a sense of belonging and integration.

... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lessons for students in architecture
As a student in architecture I would recommend this book to any person involved in any way of design. Not only buildings, because architecture also includes every aspect of the designing of space. This can thereforeinclude industrial design, automotive design, etc. The book dicusses theinteraction between people and spaces(buildings) using the human senses asmedium - the way we see, feel, hear and experience a space. It is a freshand captivating book and it is a real pitty that it is out of print. ... Read more

Book Description

HISTAORMINA presents new concepts of architectural education and urban design through the lens of an intensive two-week workshop held in September of 2001. With the unique coastal hilltown of Taormina, Sicily as both subject and setting, the authors led a team of European and American students in an exploration that combined visual and conceptual design, historical references, critical discourse, and both local and global issues with innovative new methods of individual creativity and collaboration. The results are documented in an extensive series of photographs of experimental models and constructions and the working processes that produced them. These are accompanied by comments from the students and a text by the authors explaining the concepts behind this new approach and describing its implications for the future. ... Read more

Book Description

Draw and detail exterior walls with ease Accurately specifying and designing exterior walls can challenge even experieced architects. That's why you need Fred Nashed's Time-Saver Details for Exterior Wall Design. The most comprehensive single source available for hassle-free exterior wall construction, this plain-language guide offers easy-to-follow strategies for calculating loads and stresses--ranging from concrete and steel bearing walls to glass curtains--as well as expert tips and techniques for avoiding common problems and pitfalls. Regardless of your experience, you'll find authoritative data you can use right away to solve virtually any design challenge, such as: cost, durability, redundancy, and maintenance issues; selecting the most suitable products and systems; types of walls and windows; pros and cons of common wall assemblies; drafting methodology; defelection on wall panel and window frames; and much more. ... Read more

Book Description

City Limits presents the work of the best of a new generation of architects, as selected by the jury of the Architectural League's annual Young Architects competition.

This year's winners were asked: In what ways do current modes of architectural production address cities as artifacts and cities as visions? The responses are varied and accomplished, from Petra Kempf's hand drawn series of diagrams of urban movement, transportation, and form, to Teddy Cruz's ongoing involvement in the development of the US/Latin American border, through SERVO's series of product lines, Thaddeus Briner's design for a football stadium, Manifold's RANT project, a design for Manhattan's east side, and nARCHITECTS's Hotel Pro Forma. Together these exciting new designers explore the possibilities for urban development in adroit texts and dazzling graphics. ... Read more

Book Description

Revised to incorporate the changes in opinions and attitudes since its first publication, the second edition of 'Places of the Soul' has brought Christopher Day's classic text into the 21st century.


This new edition of the seminal text reminds us that true sustainable design does not simply mean energy efficient building. Sustainable buildings must provide for the 'soul'. For Christopher Day architecture is not just about a building's appearance, but how the building is experienced. 'Places of the Soul' presents buildings as environment, intrinsic to their surroundings, and offers design principles that will open the eyes of the architecture student and professional alike, presenting ideas quite different to the orthodoxy of modern architectural education.

Christopher Day's experience as an architect, self-builder, professor and sculptor have all added to the development of his ideas that encompass issues of economic and social sustainability, commercial pressures and consensus design. This book presents these ideas and outlines universal principles that will be of interest and value to architects, builders, planners and developers alike.

* Author is leading authority in this field and has a throng of devoted admirers
* 1st edition is considered a classic in the industry and it has been renewed for the 21st century
* Sustainability and environmental design is one of the key areas of interest and study for architects today ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Primer on Sustainability and Humanism
Are you looking for a book that recognizes the need for designing buildings to meet lofty sustainability goals, but that also places human needs on an equal or superior plane? Do you look at new mechanistic buildings of steel, titanium and low-e glass and wonder how it's possible to feel inspired, or even comfortable, when you're in them? If you answer yes to these questions, then perhaps you would benefit from reading the second edition of Christopher Day's book, Places of the Soul, Architecture and Environmental Design as a Healing Art (Grammarians might suggest "as Healing Arts").

Day wrote the book in 1988, long before the birth of LEEDS, to address his perception of a growing lack of concern about human needs for variety in the form of spaces, the connection of spaces to nature and natural processes, and craft in the production of habitation. From his concerns one would assume that he was a student of the work of Christopher Alexander, particularly "A Timeless Way of Building". However, he moves beyond Alexander in citing the results of empirical studies that support his theses.

In the chapter Architecture: Does It Matter? Day discusses how good design adds value, increases productivity, reduces health care costs, and accelerates healing. He cites the work of Dr. Roger Ulrich that demonstrated faster healing of patients in ICU's with views of nature. Important to architects struggling with limited budgets is the cited research that demonstrates how a 6.5% increase in productivity can justify a building four times as expensive!

This book takes a broad-brush look at regionalism, vernacular architecture, the art of architecture, human and planetary health, quality versus quantity, making spaces livable, and even design as a listening process. Responding to criticism from clients that listening is a problem with some architects, the National Architectural Accrediting Board has made a recent change in its student performance criteria that emphasizes listening as a required skill.

From listening, Day moves to making buildings with soul, building as a health-giving process, silence and peace in architecture, and the creation of appropriate spaces for children. He concludes with an important chapter on the urban environment, the conflict between sustainable values and urban pressures, the needs of urban life, cities as places for people and for life, and whether eco-cities might be utopian or practicable.

Places of the Soul is an excellent primer for students of architecture seeking a balance between design for sustainability and for human needs, between a mass-produced machine aesthetic and one that includes hand-craftsmanship, and between sterile mind-numbing sameness and invigorating variety. It is illustrated with photographs and drawings of buildings and places in Great Britain that, while relevant, could be supplemented with more recent global examples. This book raises challenging questions about the buildings and places we will design and build, and the affect they will have on us as people and as a society.

The Book That Never Ends!
My God, I was forced to read this book for a construction management class at a four-year university in the United States and struggled through every minute. I don't know what was more frustrating, having to read this dull-minded and repetative junk or reading four words at a time because for whatever reason the prestigious author, Christopher Day, was forced to go against conventional thinking and put two columns on each page. This was hands down the worst book I have ever read throughout my life. The guy is hypocritical of everyone who lives in an ordinary house and works in an ordinary job in an ordinary office building. Sorry Mr. Day, but most of us don't have the time and monetary security to write a 200-page book regarding soulful places. We just trudge off to work everyday in our non-biologically inducing office buildings. A bunch of junk!

Wordy but Thought-provoking
A bit wordy and repetitive, but some of his ideas are first rate. The pictures are really nice too.

A must read book!
This is a seminal piece of work, that I would recomend for anyone involved with homes and living spaces, (I think that means everyone!) There is much wisdom in this book, and it is as much a book about how we live as it is a life philosopy book.
Best book I have read about our 'third Skin'

Beautiful examination of spirit in design
PLACES OF THE SOUL is a very satisfying, powerful look at how the architectural environment makes an impact health, thought, and especially spirit. Mr. Day's writing is beautiful, drawing the reader through ideas of space, light, structure, environment, location and intention. Reading it was both inspiring and informative. An elegant book about an important subject. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderfully Written! Extremely Helpful! Great Guide!
Vern wrote an easy to follow, educational guide for those who are having a custom home designed. It's written in laymans terms and it offers questions even those in the industry may not think to ask. Beautiful renderings and photos add to this spectacular book. From a woman who has grown up in a family of architecture, I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Book Description

The very first school for architecture came into being when the Ecole Polytechnique opened its gates in Paris in 1794and with this, the profession of the architect as we understand it today was born. Using preiously unpublished texts and visual material, Ulrich Pfammatter traces in fascinating detail the origins and subsequent development of the scientific and industrial training of architects and engineers. He explores the growth of the architecture schools in Paris, Karlsruhe,Zurich, London and the USA, and by considering important exponents such as Durand, Reynaud, Mary, Weinbrenner, Semper, Dufour, Klenze, Eiffel and Jenney he provides a detailed exposition of this important chapter in civil engineering and architectural history. ... Read more

Book Description

New low-slope roof systems explained. Here's all the detailed information you need to stay current with the big increase in usage of single-ply and modified bitumen membranes and the unique problems they present. It's all in the third edition of The Manual of Built-Up Roof Systems, by C. W. Griffin and Richard Fricklas. Updated with a wealth of research and code updates from Hurricanes Hugo, Andrew and Iniki, the guide gets you up to speed on all the essentials--roof system performance, emerging materials, drainage, wind uplift, vapor control, fire resistance, thermal insulation, reroofing, and much more. And you'll even find field-tested solutions for such current roof system problems as lap-seam failures, membrane shrinkage and fastener backout. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Fills a need
I gave this book 4 stars and not 5 because it was not large enough. It should have been the next size format, so that the drawings would render better. That said, however, I must recommend this for several reasons: 1, there is a paucity of books on roofing, a mundane subject at best and of interest to few people. However, for those people, not much to choose from. "Low slope roof" is industry parlance for a commercial/industrial roof which will have layers of hot tar and roofing felt, then gravel, placed on a generally flat roof. This book explains it all, from a history of this type of roof, to various materials used, what to watch for, how to write specifications, and problems that might occur in the design or construction phases. 2, for those architects that design or specify roofs, it explains roofing in depth, and helps avoid expensive mistakes that experience alone woould teach.

Although the book is expensive, the information given is worth every penny. Those who will buy this book will know that.

Roofing Book Provides Helpful Information
I reviewed this book for research on my own book, "The Roofing and Cladding System Handbook" by Robert N. Reid. It was a helpful book for anyone with a low slope roof and the diagrams and figures provided some really good information on causes of roofing failures in low slope systems and wind loads. The book also provided very good information for roofing asphalt. I acutally reviewed both the early version written in 1982 and this version written in 1996. I felt that this book is a very good book but it is especially helpful for roofing consultants, and others who specialize in roofing construction and problems.

Help for building owners, consultants and architects...
In the opening chapters the authors identify many roofing industry problems... insufficient owner budgets, over-reliance on warranties, insufficient work inspection, poor design and construction, and lack of maintenance.

Building owners, roofing designers, architects - the types of readers most likely to have an interest in this book - will know the problems first hand. And will appreciate the wealth of information presented. This text:

Identifies and discusses in depth the myriad causes of roof failure; Presents roof design principles in light of current research; Reviews factors that influence roof design; Review the various (generic) roof systems in depth; And offers guidance for specifying and inspecting roofing work.

The writing style is clear and consise, supported with graphs, current survey information, and other technical data.

Readers will be armed with enough information to sort through the information and misinformation published by roof system manufacturers, select the best roof systems for their roof conditions and budgets, develop sound designs, and plow through most procurement and construction obstacles.

Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a book of theoretical essays by architect Stan Allen, which examine the ways in which the modes of representation and techniques of realization available to the architect affect the practice of architecture. Allen shows how these models of representation are put into play in specific buildings by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Le Corbusier. While the practice of architecture is circumscribed by a function, the many practices that contribute to the realization of this task affect the look of our cities and the spaces we live in.
Allen's essays, organized into three sections:
Representations
Buildings
Media

The final essays analyze the role of media in architecture, specifically the reproduction of buildings in photographic form, and the impact of computer-aided design techniques. ... Read more

Book Description

'Taking Shape' explores the evolution of scientific and academic theories that have resulted in the concept of sustainability. Susannah Hagan uses this as a basis to argue for developments in the future and argues that these theories are not 'just an intellectual and aesthetic regression' as they are often perceived to be. By focusing on the impact of the new theories of sustainable technology and new materials in architecture, Hagan moves the discourse and practice of environmental sustainability within architecture towards a greater degree of awareness of both its cultural significance and cultural potential. In short, it demonstrates the capacity of sustainable architecture to embrace cultural and technical innovation.

Enables you to understand the evolution of the theoretical arguments behind sustainability
Allows you to project into the future of sustainability technology rather than just examining the current situation
Provides you with a valuable insight into the relationship between the physical and cultural context and architecture ... Read more

Book Description

Baker outlines the current perceptions of science, art, and philosophy that have impinged upon architecture.This discussion compares Futurism, Constructivism, Suprematism, High-Tech, Deconstruction and the attitude of the Avante-Garde with the phenomenology of Bachelard and Heiddeger. ... Read more

Book Description

Written by Arthur Kornblut, AIA, this course is a comprehensive review of the architect's services in administering the construction of building projects.

Among the subjects covered are:
* Standard construction contracts.
* Review and approval of materials and equipment.
* Determining compliance with drawings andspecifications.
* Field samples and testing.
* Changes in the work.
* Progress payments.

Also included in the course are maintenance of project files, preparation of final inspection lists, processing documents for project close-out, and assessing the responsibility for construction failure.

Each lesson is supplemented with a review quiz, and the course is concluded by a major simulated examination. Complete explanations of all quiz and exam answers areincluded. ... Read more

Book Description

Advanced Applications in Noise and Vibration presents treatments of acoustic and vibration phenomena together with summaries of the latest knowledge, analysis and methods currently available for dealing with practical problems. ... Read more