Surface Structures In Building

"Accepted as an inaugural dissertation by the Faculty of Building in the Technical Institute in Munich"--Title page verso.

Construction Details From Architectural Graphic Standards Eighth Edition Edited by James Ambrose A concise reference tool for the professional involved in the production of details for building construction, this abridgement of the classic Architectural Graphic Standards provides indispensable guidance on standardizing detail work, without having to create the needed details from scratch. An ideal "how to" manual for the working draftsperson, this convenient, portable edition covers general planning and design data, sitework, concrete, masonry, metals, wood, doors and windows, finishes, specialties, equipment, furnishings, special construction, energy design, historic preservation, and more. Construction Details also includes extensive references to additional information as well as AGS’s hallmark illustrations. 1991 (0 471-54899-5) 408 pp. Fundamentals of Building Construction Materials And Methods Second Edition Edward Allen "A thoughtful overview of the entire construction industry, from homes to skyscrapers…there’s plenty here for the aspiring tradesperson or anyone else who’s fascinated by the art of building." —Fine Homebuilding Beginning with the materials of the ancients—wood, stone, and brick—this important work is a guide to the structural systems that have made these and more contemporary building materials the irreplaceable basics of modern architecture. Detailing the structural systems most widely used today—heavy timber framing, wood platform framing, masonry loadbearing wall, structural steel framing, and concrete framing systems—the book describes each system’s historical development, how the major material is obtained and processed, tools and working methods, as well as each system’s relative merits. Designed as a primer to building basics, the book features a list of key terms and concepts, review questions and exercises, as well as hundreds of drawings and photographs, illustrating the materials and methods described. 1990 (0 471-50911-6) 803 pp. Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings Eighth Edition Benjamin Stein and John S. Reynolds "The book is packed with useful information and has been the architect’s standard for fifty years." —Electrical Engineering and Electronics on the seventh edition More up to date than ever, this reference classic provides valuable insights on the new imperatives for building design today. The Eighth Edition details the impact of computers, data processing, and telecommunications on building system design; the effects of new, stringent energy codes on building systems; and computer calculation techniques as applied to daylighting and electric lighting design. As did earlier editions, the book provides the basic theory and design guidelines for both systems and equipment, in everything from heating and cooling, water and waste, fire and fire protection systems, lighting and electrical wiring, plumbing, elevators and escalators, acoustics, and more. Thoroughly illustrated, the book is a basic primer on making comfort and resource efficiency integral to the design standard. 1991 (0 471-52502-2) 1,664 pp.

Tensile surface structures are the visual expression of an intensive rethinking of the topic of building envelopes by designers. Advances in design methods, materials, construction elements and assembly and erection planning in the field of lightweight construction are enabling ever more exacting applications of tensile structures with envelope and structural functions, especially in roofing over large clear spans without internal support. However, the particular mechanical characteristics of the materials used in the construction of textile structures demand consideration of the question of "buildability". This book provides answers by discussing the fundamental influence of material manufacture and assembly in deciding the most suitable type of building or structure and its detailing in the design process. The fundamentals of material composition, manufacturing process, patterning and the behaviour of flexible structural systems are all explained here, as well as their use as structural and connection elements, and special attention is given to the erection of wide-span lightweight structures. The erection equipment is described, as well as the lifting and tensioning process and the construction methods used to erect the characteristic types of tensile structures, illustrated with a selection of example projects. Forword by Werner Sobek.

"Accepted as an inaugural dissertation by the Faculty of Building in the Technical Institute in Munich"--Title page verso.

Tensile surface structures are the visual expression of an intensive rethinking of the topic of building envelopes by designers. Advances in design methods, materials, construction elements and assembly and erection planning in the field of lightweight construction are enabling ever more exacting applications of tensile structures with envelope and structural functions, especially in roofing over large clear spans without internal support. However, the particular mechanical characteristics of the materials used in the construction of textile structures demand consideration of the question of "buildability". This book provides answers by discussing the fundamental influence of material manufacture and assembly in deciding the most suitable type of building or structure and its detailing in the design process. The fundamentals of material composition, manufacturing process, patterning and the behaviour of flexible structural systems are all explained here, as well as their use as structural and connection elements, and special attention is given to the erection of wide-span lightweight structures. The erection equipment is described, as well as the lifting and tensioning process and the construction methods used to erect the characteristic types of tensile structures, illustrated with a selection of example projects.

This indispensable reference is an in-depth introduction to the fundamentals of the design of surface structures. It looks at some of the most innovative structures and technologies to date, demonstrating their use of materials in creating successful surface architecture.

A study of the building surface, architecture's primary instrument of identity and engagement with its surroundings. Visually, many contemporary buildings either reflect their systems of production or recollect earlier styles and motifs. This division between production and representation is in some ways an extension of that between modernity and tradition. In this book, David Leatherbarrow and Mohsen Mostafavi explore ways that design can take advantage of production methods such that architecture is neither independent of nor dominated by technology. Leatherbarrow and Mostafavi begin with the theoretical and practical isolation of the building surface as the subject of architectural design. The autonomy of the surface, the "free facade," presumes a distinction between the structural and nonstructural elements of the building, between the frame and the cladding. Once the skin of the building became independent of its structure, it could just as well hang like a curtain, or like clothing. The focus of the relationship between structure and skin is the architectural surface. In tracing the handling of this surface, the authors examine both contemporary buildings and those of the recent past. Architects discussed include Albert Kahn, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Alison and Peter Smithson, Alejandro de la Sota, Robert Venturi, Jacques Herzog, and Pierre de Meuron. The properties of a building's surface—whether it is made of concrete, metal, glass, or other materials—are not merely superficial; they construct the spatial effects by which architecture communicates. Through its surfaces a building declares both its autonomy and its participation in its surroundings.