BUILDING

How Buildings Work: The Natural Order of Architecture

 

Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: 2005-07-13
Sales Rank: 56972
ISBN / ASIN: 019516198X
EAN: 9780195161984
Binding: Hardcover

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.
Review:

Excellent introduction to architecture

The underlying premise of this book is that architecture is an imitation and application of the principles of nature. To build is not merely to impose our will on nature. It is to cooperate with nature.

Shelter is a natural human need. Building is the art of meeting that need. It does so, according to Allen, by following the example of nature herself and applying her principles. An organic analogy runs through the book. Buildings live and breathe. A building, like a human body, is matter so arranged that it interacts dynamically with its environment and thus perpetuates the arrangement. Buildings, however, are highly dependent on human beings, whom they serve. The parts of buildings, e.g., the roofs, walls, windows and mechanical systems must work together with the other parts in such a way as to “survive” but most importantly to provide optimal human shelter. Buildings that outlive their usefulness “die.”

My favorite passage from the book is a section entitled “People as the Measure” (pp. 169-171). Drawing on his extensive knowledge of the history of architecture, Allen explains how “people literally became the measure of buildings.” For example, the brick… was standardized in medieval times within a range of sizes and weights that could be easily manipulated by the left hand of the mason, leaving the right hand free to operate the trowel.” Allen cautions against bulk materials manipulated by machines instead of people: “[T]he finished product will not automatically display the human-scale texture that hand-sized components have and that occupants often subconsciously identify with.”

This book was very educational for me, a Ph.D. in philosophy who has left academia to help run a construction business. I highly recommend it to new students of architecture or engineering or anyone who has amateur interest in those fields.
Review:

Mandatory Reading If You’re Thinking of a New House

This is a book on how buildings are designed. It’s not a book on how to design a building, that’s the architect’s job. It’s a book on what the architect is going to do to design the building you want.

The book contains hundreds of line drawings on the components of a building. This is how a wall is built, this is how heat circles around a room, this is how a truss structure holds up the roof, this is how electric power is brought into the house and distributed.

This is not a book on how to design a house, you can put the bedrooms anywhere you want, you can have as many bathrooms as you want. This is the basic design of how the building does its job of providing the walls that make up the bathroom, keep it warm/cool, with water inside but kept where you want it.

I consider this book to be interesting to anyone interested in the subject. I consider this book to be mandatory reading for anyone even thinking about building a house or having one built.
Review:

Great Introduction for the Novice

I approach this book as someone who likes to walk around old neighborhoods and look at houses. I have collected architectural field guides for years and I can identify most building styles. However, I had little idea how buildings worked.

This book was enjoyable because the writing style was simple and straight to the point. One does not need a technical background to get a lot out of the book. Edward Allen’s skillful line illustrations also add a great deal. If I could not understand the technical description, the simple illustration helped me with the underlying principle.

To give you an example of why this book is helpful to a non-specialist. I have heard of septic systems my entire life. However, I had no idea how they worked. With the help of very clear illustrations and straight forward writing, this mystery has been solved. This book is a great introduction to all those interested in architecture. Highly recommended.
Review:

What buildings are

HOW BUILDINGS WORK is just a great book, even more interesting than Macaulay’s THE WAY THINGS WORK. Buildings are everywhere, and most everyone uses buildings of various kinds for various purposes. Yet how a building works is often a mystery. In this way, I think buildings are much like computers; most people who use them have no clue about the inner workings of them.

Edward Allen takes us through the functions of a building without going into traditional architectural theory. This book is more concerned with the needs that buildings must fulfill, and how we can fulfull them. He discusses water, waste, heat, ventilation, lighting, accoustics, energy, structure, and more, first by explaining each particular concept, and then by examining how problems can be solved with the knowledge of those concepts.

While this isn’t a book on theory, neither is it a wholly practical book. That is, it won’t equip you with the skills to go and build a house. But it will open your eyes to the various elements of buildings and building construction and you may think “Aha!” the next time you look at a building and observe a strange structural or design detail. You don’t have to be an architecture freak to enjoy the book either. You just need to be curious.

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Assessing Building Performance

 

Publisher: Elsevier
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: 2004-12-13
Sales Rank: 345302
ISBN / ASIN: 0750661747
EAN: 9780750661744
Binding: Paperback
Manufacturer: Elsevier
Studio: Elsevier
The building performance evaluation (BPE) framework emphasizes an evaluative stance throughout the six phases of the building delivery and life cycle: (1) strategic planning/needs analysis; (2) program review; (3) design review; (4) post-construction evaluation/review; (5) post-occupancy evaluation; and, (6) facilities management review/adaptive reuse.

The lessons learned from positive and negative building performance are fed into future building delivery cycles. The case studies illustrate how this basic methodology has been adapted to a range of cultural contexts, and indicates the positive results of building performance assessment in a wide range of situations.

*Practical advice on assessing and monitoring building performance.
*Illustrated with practical case studies.
*Written by a unparalleled team of international experts.

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CHAPTER 1 SEISMIC DESIGN FOR BUILDINGS

Paragraph 1-1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
1-2 BACKGROUND
1-3 APPLICABILITY
1-4 CONFLICTS AND MODIFICATIONS
1-5 IMPLEMENTATION
1-6 STRUCTURE OF THE UFC
1-7 COMMENTARY
1-8 PROCEDURES FOR APPLYING UFC 3-310-04 FOR STRUCTURAL DESIGN
1-8.1 Seismic Design in Regions of Low Activity
1-8.2 Progressive Collapse Analysis and Design
1-9 PROCEDURES FOR APPLYING UFC 3-310-04 FOR DESIGN OF ARCHITECTURAL, MECHANICAL, AND ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
1-10 REVISIONS
1-11 CREDITS
1-12 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONSAPP A REFERENCES
APP B 2003 BUILDING CODE MODIFICATIONS FOR CONVENTIONAL SEISMIC DESIGN FOR DOD BUILDINGS
APP C SIMPLIFIED ALTERNATIVE STRUCTURAL DESIGN CRITERIA FOR SIMPLE BEARING WALL OR BUILDING FRAME SYSTEMS
APP D ALTERNATE DESIGN PROCEDURE FOR BUILDINGS AND OTHER STRUCTURES IN SEISMIC USE GROUP III
APP E DESIGN FOR ENHANCED PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: SEISMIC USE GROUP IV
APP F GUIDANCE FOR SEISMIC DESIGN OF ARCHITECTURAL, MECHANICAL, AND ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
APP G GUIDANCE ON APPLICATION OF UFC 3-310-04 AND IBC 2003

 

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Builder’s Foundation Handbook

Chapter 1 Figures
Figure 1-1: The impact of basement insulation is monitored on several modules at the
foundation test facility at the University of Minnesota.
Figure 1-2: Benefits of Foundation Insulation and Other Design Improvements
Figure 1-3: The impact of slab-on-grade foundation insulation is monitored in a test
facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Figure 1-4: Decision-Making Process for Foundation Design
Figure 1-5: Basic Foundation Types
Figure 1-6: Points of Radon Entry into Buildings
Chapter 2 Figures
Figure 2-1: Concrete Masonry Basement Wall with Exterior Insulation
Figure 2-2: Components of Basement Structural System
Figure 2-3: Components of Basement Drainage and Waterproofing Systems
Figure 2-4: Termite Control Techniques for Basements
Figure 2-5: Radon Control Techniques for Basements
Figure 2-6: Soil Gas Collection and Discharge Techniques
Figure 2-7: System of Key Numbers in Construction Drawings that Refer to Notes on
Following Pages
Figure 2-8: Concrete Basement Wall with Exterior Insulation
Figure 2-9: Concrete Basement Wall with Exterior Insulation
Figure 2-10: Masonry Basement Wall with Exterior Insulation
Figure 2-11: Concrete Basement Wall with Interior Insulation
Figure 2-12: Concrete Basement Wall with Ceiling Insulation
Figure 2-13: Pressure-Preservative-Treated Wood Basement Wall
Chapter 3 Figures
Figure 3-1: Concrete Crawl Space Wall with Exterior Insulation
Figure 3-2: Components of Crawl Space Structural System
Figure 3-3: Crawl Space Drainage Techniques
Figure 3-4: Crawl Space Drainage Techniques
Figure 3-5: Termite Control Techniques for Crawl Spaces
Figure 3-6: Radon Control Techniques for Crawl Spaces
Figure 3-7: System of Key Numbers in Construction Drawings that Refer to Notes on
Following Pages
Figure 3-8: Vented Crawl Space Wall with Ceiling Insulation
Figure 3-9: Unvented Crawl Space Wall with Exterior Insulation
Figure 3-10: Unvented Crawl Space Wall with Interior Insulation
Figure 3-11: Unvented Crawl Space Wall with Interior Insulation
Chapter 4 Figures
Figure 4-1: Slab-on-Grade Foundation with Exterior Insulation
Figure 4-2: Structural Components of Slab-on-Grade Foundation with Grade Beam
Figure 4-3: Structural Components of Slab-on-Grade Foundation with Stem Wall and
Footing
Figure 4-4: Drainage Techniques for Slab-on-Grade Foundations
Figure 4-5: Termite Control Techniques for Slab-on-Grade Foundations
Figure 4-6: Radon Control Techniques for Slab-on-Grade Foundations
Figure 4-7: Soil Gas Collection and Discharge Techniques
Figure 4-8: System of Key Numbers in Construction Drawings that Refer to Notes on
Following Pages
Figure 4-9: Slab-on-Grade with Integral Grade Beam (Exterior Insulation)
Figure 4-10: Slab-on-Grade with Brick Veneer (Exterior Insulation)
Figure 4-10: Slab-on-Grade with Brick Veneer (Exterior Insulation
Figure 4-12: Slab-on-Grade with Masonry Wall (Exterior Insulation))
Figure 4-13: Slab-on-Grade with Concrete Wall (Insulation Under Slab)
Figure 4-14: Slab-on-Grade with Masonry Wall (Insulation Under Slab)
Figure 4-15: Slab-on-Grade with Masonry Wall (Interior Insulation)
Figure 4-16: Slab-on-Grade with Brick Veneer (Insulation Under Slab)
Chapter 5 Figures
Figure 5-1: Steps in Worksheet to Determine Optimal Foundation Insulation
Figure 5-2: Formulas Used as a Basis for Worksheet 1
Figure 5-3: Formulas Used as a Basis for Worksheet 3
Chapter 2 Tables
Table 2-1: Insulation Recommendations for Fully Conditioned Deep Basements
Table 2-2: Insulation Recommendations for Unconditioned Deep Basements
Table 2-3: Fuel Price Levels Used to Develop Recommended Insulation Levels in Tables 2-
1 and 2-2
Chapter 3 Tables
Table 3-1: Insulation Recommendations for Crawl Spaces
Table 3-2: Fuel Price Levels Used to Develop Recommended Insulation Levels in Table 3-1
Chapter 4 Tables
Table 4-1: Insulation Recommendations for Slab-on-Grade Foundations
Table 4-2: Fuel Price Levels Used to Develop Recommended Insulation Levels in Table 4-1
Chapter 5 Tables
Table 5-1: Weather Data for Selected Cities (page 1 of 2)
Table 5-2: Insulation R-Values and Costs for Conditioned Basements (page 1 of 4)
Table 5-2: Insulation R-Values and Costs for Slab-on-Grade Foundations (page 4 of 4)
Table 5-3: Heating Load Factor Coefficients (HLFI and HLFS)
Table 5-4: Cooling Load Factor Coefficients (CLFI and CLFS)
Table 5-5: Initial Effective R-values for Uninsulated Foundation System and Adjacent Soil
Table 5-6: Heating and Cooling Equipment Seasonal Efficiencies1
Table 5-7: Scalar Ratios for Various Economic Criteria
Table 5-8: Energy Cost Savings and Simple Paybacks for Conditioned Basements
Table 5-8: Energy Cost Savings and Simple Paybacks for Conditioned Basements
Table 5-10: Energy Cost Savings and Simple Paybacks for Crawl Space Foundations
Table 5-11: Energy Cost Savings and Simple Paybacks for Slab-on-Grade Foundations

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