The Concrete House And Its Construction

"The purpose of this book is to make clear the advantages of concrete in the construction of dwellings. ... as applied to houses [in the United States]"--Page 6

Excerpt from The Concrete House and Its Construction The demand for fire-resisting, durable and sanitary construction has been the dominant note in most that has been said and written on the subject of architecture during the last decade. The American dwelling of the best class is a model of convenience, comfort and beauty, and these attributes may be found even in houses of moderate cost. But with rare exceptions, three fatal defects accompany modern construction. Modern houses are not fire-resisting, not durable and, to a lesser degree, not sanitary. Knowledge of these facts, coupled with that newly awakened, irresistible demand for vastly increased economy and efficiency in the nations industrial and social development, has led American architects to concentrate every effort toward the solution of the problem. They found that the highest standard of fire-resisting construction was so closely allied with extreme durability and sanitary excellence as to embrace these three important structural reforms under that single head. Iron and steel did not, unless protected, represent fire-resisting construction, and in this investigation many other materials were rejected as non-fireproof in themselves. In the average house, fire starting in the cellar soon transforms the building into a smoking ruin. Only the eternal vigilance of our fire departments, maintained at a cost of more than $100,000,000 annually, prevents the destruction of thousands of homes each year. A study of the fire losses of this and European countries shows our annual loss to be $2.51 per capita, while in the cities of the six leading nations of Europe it is only 33 cents. That fire-proof construction is the exception rather than the rule, is due mainly to a mistaken idea of its cost. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Prospective homeowners will welcome this introduction to a durable, energy-efficient new building technology: insulating concrete forms (ICFs). Written by a top expert in the field, and organized in an accessible question-and-answer form, it will help homebuyers decide whether an ICF is right for them and how to get the most for their money. Every aspect of planning and construction is covered, from exactly what an ICF is to the intricacies of building a concrete house, from choosing a contractor to selecting a suitable design for the system. There’s crucial advice on how to make sure construction goes smoothly, diagrams and photos to illustrate every point, beautiful ICF homes on display, and explanations of how these homes differ from conventional ones and why they cost less to maintain.

Concrete-design and build with the construction material of the future With its virtually infinite plasticity, its constructional versatility, and its simple and straightforward building technology, concrete is the building material of the present. In addition to careful design and constructional planning, the invitation of bids and the building contract are the keys to a successful implementation. Building with Concrete provides the basic information needed to work with the material, with special attention to the architect’s role in planning and construction management. It describes current trends in concrete technology and the development of innovative new types of concrete, with firsthand reports by architects in the field. It also describes the new version of the DBV/BDZ data sheet "Exposed Concrete."

Published during the Great Depression era, the following book is intended to assist the readers in building their own small houses. A small house here is determined not through its size - but rather its cost; it is expected that a house can be built with a maximum budget of 42 cents per cubic foot.

Robust and raw, concrete has been a rudimentary building material for centuries, but it is only relatively recently that architects have begun exploring its softer, tactile side in the design of houses. Concrete is durable, recyclable, and thermally efficient, and it goes up quickly compared to wood or metal framing. The appeal for architects, though, is its plasticity and potential for magic, making poetry out of the mundane. Witness concrete's endless form-making possibilities in this collection of contemporary homes by A-list architects in diverse locations across Japan, Australia, Spain, Brazil, South Africa, the US, and more. Along with exquisite color photography and plans, the architects share their design approach to projects ranging from 10,000 square feet on spectacular sites, to compact urban gems. This close-up of 20 striking houses celebrates the texture and physics of a material that has long been taken for granted.