No comments about Architecture of Schools: The New Learning Environments, The New Learning Environments.

3 comments about Manual of Low-Slope Roof Systems.

1. I gave this book 4 stars and not 5 because it was not large enough. It should have been the next size format, so that the drawings would render better. That said, however, I must recommend this for several reasons: 1, there is a paucity of books on roofing, a mundane subject at best and of interest to few people. However, for those people, not much to choose from. "Low slope roof" is industry parlance for a commercial/industrial roof which will have layers of hot tar and roofing felt, then gravel, placed on a generally flat roof. This book explains it all, from a history of this type of roof, to various materials used, what to watch for, how to write specifications, and problems that might occur in the design or construction phases. 2, for those architects that design or specify roofs, it explains roofing in depth, and helps avoid expensive mistakes that experience alone woould teach.

   Although the book is expensive, the information given is worth every penny. Those who will buy this book will know that.




2. I reviewed this book for research on my own book, "The Roofing and Cladding System Handbook" by Robert N. Reid. It was a helpful book for anyone with a low slope roof and the diagrams and figures provided some really good information on causes of roofing failures in low slope systems and wind loads. The book also provided very good information for roofing asphalt. I acutally reviewed both the early version written in 1982 and this version written in 1996. I felt that this book is a very good book but it is especially helpful for roofing consultants, and others who specialize in roofing construction and problems.



3. In the opening chapters the authors identify many roofing industry problems... insufficient owner budgets, over-reliance on warranties, insufficient work inspection, poor design and construction, and lack of maintenance.

   Building owners, roofing designers, architects - the types of readers most likely to have an interest in this book - will know the problems first hand. And will appreciate the wealth of information presented. This text:

   Identifies and discusses in depth the myriad causes of roof failure; Presents roof design principles in light of current research; Reviews factors that influence roof design; Review the various (generic) roof systems in depth; And offers guidance for specifying and inspecting roofing work.

   The writing style is clear and consise, supported with graphs, current survey information, and other technical data.

   Readers will be armed with enough information to sort through the information and misinformation published by roof system manufacturers, select the best roof systems for their roof conditions and budgets, develop sound designs, and plow through most procurement and construction obstacles.

   Highly recommended.

1 comments about Site Design and Construction Detailing, 3rd Edition.

1. In this day of AutoCAD libraries and "canned" construction details from vendors, it is rare that a book of hand drafted construction details exists. If the reader can get past the nostalgia of the draftsmanship, and understand the communication that is taking place - black and white photos matched with actual construction documentation - then one should begin to understand the educational component. The idea is being able to have what an AutoCAD library doesnt, a matched pair of construction details with a photo of the constructed landscape element. Some early career professionals and, particularly, students may benefit from having a three dimentional representation of landscape elements. It helps to be able to see the finished product and a detail of the guts - you simply have better comprehension of what goes into construction and how the components come together.
   
   As for criticism of this piece, understand that most of the landscape features look dated - railroad tie retaining walls out of the 70's, glass block fountains from the 80's, heavy timber playgrounds that no municipality would ever build due to liability - theyre all in here! But do not let this deter you, one should still consider this for his or her professional library, because, after all, material requirements, connections and structural considerations dont chage with aesthetic style - the landscape still has to function and standards still have to be met.

1 comments about Faster Construction Projects with CPM Scheduling.

1. This is by far the most interesting and comprehensive book I've ever read on project scheduling. The concept of Momentology is much more viable than Critical Chain and should really deserve more attention.
   
   Although not for the novice scheduler, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in CPM.

No comments about Glass Houses.

1 comments about Corrugated Iron: Building on the Frontier.

1. An anonymous writer in 1833 called the public's attention to an architectural novelty that had appeared on the London docks: "Every observing person, on passing by it, cannot fail being struck... with its elegance and simplicity." What had brought this praise was the world's first building incorporating corrugated iron. One might think that the novelty of corrugated iron had surely led the writer into effusion about a subject otherwise unlikely to bring praise. And one might also think that a history of corrugated iron is one of the more unlikely subjects to be brought out in a colorful coffee-table book. There are many surprises in Corrugated Iron: Building on the Frontier (W. W. Norton & Company) by Adam Mornement and Simon Holloway, architectural historians who are enthusiasts for a material that provides shelter for millions and also is being used in upscale modern buildings with surprisingly beautiful effect. The authors say that corrugated iron has met diverse challenges of affordability, portability, utility, and strength, "but despite its many virtues, corrugated iron's contribution to society has rarely been acknowledged." Corrugated iron is everywhere, and because of this it has become invisible; this book is a handsome corrective to bring it back into view.
   
   Corrugated iron was invented by Henry Robinson Palmer, Architect and Engineer to the London Dock Company, in 1829. He foresaw that the material could be used both as cladding upon an architectural framework and arched to make free-standing spans for roofing. Corrugated iron had advantages that innovative architects could use. The brilliant engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel adopted it early, and designed London's Paddington Station to be roofed in the material, with the corrugations running horizontally. There are no tie rods and no longitudinal beams between the rafters, because the corrugations in the roof provide tensile strength. Corrugated iron was used on lighthouses, whaling stations, and agricultural buildings. Prefabricated houses were designed with corrugated iron roofs and walls, and there are many illustrations here from catalogues from which people ordered such houses. Here also are pictures of the houses themselves, many of which are still being used. Most corrugated iron dwellings, however, were meant to be relatively temporary structures. Gold rushes in America, Australia, and South Africa proved to be workshops for such use, when living in tents was just too temporary a housing solution. There is a whole chapter here on churches made from corrugated iron, showing many of them of rural simplicity, but others with some Gothic splendor. Corrugated metal was not restricted to buildings; it was used to build boats, and the World War I Junker aircraft of Germany had wings of corrugated aluminum.
   
   Corrugated iron will never escape completely its association with poverty. There are plenty of pictures here of shantytowns from all over the world, where corrugated iron is an architectural staple for improvised homes. There are other pictures of Nissan huts (the American version was the Quonset hut) used for wartime dwellings, and Buckminster Fuller used corrugated iron in a low-cost circular house called the Dymaxion Deployment Unit. The many pictures in the book's final chapter, though, show that corrugated metal has a place in the cladding of skyscrapers or in the homes of millionaires. Frank Gehry, for instance, has used it, and many of the modern buildings shown here are housed in huge loops or barrel forms of the material. It is used not only for its capacity to support and protect, but also as a sort of architectural sculpture. Many of the new and innovative buildings made from corrugated metal are from Australia, which has drawn on a tradition of using corrugated iron in the gold fields; there is no chance that these handsome, large houses of whimsical shape are going to be mistaken for shanties or for mobile homes. Corrugated iron is one of the most-used inventions humans have come up with, and paupers and tycoons are all taking advantage of it. Here is an intriguing history, full of colorful pictures, of an important architectural tool.

No comments about Dressed Stone: Types of Stone, Details, Examples (Detail Practice).

No comments about Timber Construction: Details, Products, Case Studies (Detail Praxis).

No comments about Concrete Creations: Contemporary Buildings and Interiors.

No comments about The Magic of Tents: Transforming Space.