Two Walls And A Roof

Architects, we like to believe, shape the world as they please. Reinier de Graaf draws on his own tragicomic experiences to present a candid account of what it is really like to work as an architect. To achieve anything, he notes, architects must serve the powers they strive to critique, finding themselves in a perpetual conflict of interest.

This is the story of an Irish family from Cork Ireland. It documents how they survived in the 50's and 60's and will take you on a roller coaster ride of every emotion, sometimes all on the same page. Here you will read of an inspiring mother, always encouraging her six children to laugh at life, and believe in tomorrow. She did this inspiring while battling a domineering old grandmother, and an alcoholic husband, as her children drank tea from their jam jars, and read by a candle. Its a book filled with humor, drama, and dreams that come true, culminating in the author meeting his American dream. It's said the book is like, Irish Stew for the Soul. You will feel uplifted when you finish reading a book that seems to be everyone's story.

Based on information obtained from a review of the literature and from liaison with committees concerned with the development and revision of voluntary standards, it was found that there is a dearth of research information contributing directly to the development of test methods. Most of the research conducted on building components has been carried out either to observe the behavior of a sample of a particular type of construction or to evaluate the performance of a specimen against some performance requirements. However, helpful inferences can be made on the basis of some of the documentation, especially that contained in reports of full-scale tests on housing. An up-to-date status report of voluntary test standards activities (in the U.S.) was prepared through verbal and written communication with members of the technical subcommittees of ASTM Committee E-6 on Performance of Building Construction.