Catalogue Of Prefabricated Elements

For a number of years, modular construction – the use of prefabricated elements in architecture – has once again become a subject of lively discussion and debate. Long written off as monotonous, today’s building components are actually highly differentiated and capable of supporting and enhancing the architect’s creativity. Numerous structures work with prefabricated components; for single-family homes the figure is ninety-eight percent, and modular systems are available that meet high aesthetic standards. This book provides an overview of the various different systems and their possible uses, particularly in the areas of housing, office, and industrial buildings. It explains the processes and components of modular construction and the behavior of the various materials when this construction approach is used. The authors offer strategies for planning and designing with prefabricated systems so that the architect can use them productively. Numerous drawings explain the principles of modular construction, while built examples forge a link between those principles and the practical activity of building.

This book presents a comprehensive approach towards the industrialization of building. It argues that only industrialization and automation can bring radical changes necessary to the building industry.

Coast lines have been and still are the central lines of civilization around the world with still increasing pressure from both sides – the hinterland and the sea – with all its foreseeable and unforeseeable impacts by means of nature or mankind. While the response of nature to such impacts is flexible in the way that all morphological changes with all the consequences are tolerated as part of the system, humanity cannot tolerate short-term or long-term changes without being threatened in its physical and economical existence. The objectives of this Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on Environmentally Friendly Coastal Structures were: - to contribute to the critical assessment of existing knowledge in the field of coastal and environmental protection; - to identify directions for future research in that area; - to promote close working relationships between scientists from different countries and with different professional experience. The latest trends in research on coastal and environmental protection were summarized and developed during the meeting. Seventeen papers are presented in this book, attempting to cover all related aspects as completely as possible – coast, engineering structures, water, sediments, ecosystems in their complicated interaction.

Now in its second edition: the trailblazing introduction and textbook on construction includes a new section on translucent materials and an article on the use of glass.