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Jan 6, 2012 | No Comments
Achieving design value depends upon the collective efforts of all participants involved in the design and realization of buildings, necessitating the establishment of appropriate managerial frames as well as the assembly and maintenance of effective teams. Building design management is a rapidly evolving field and this special issue of the journal Architectural Engineering and Design Management examines a variety of approaches to design management from different perspectives. The underlying argument is for the better management of design value in an increasingly complex building sector. Written by international experts in the field, the core themes include the modelling, coordination and management of design information; the definition and realization of architectural value; digital outsourcing of architectural services; knowledge capital in architectural education; and the importance of cultural issues. Design management is addressed from the perspective of consultants and contractors, which helps to illustrate the dynamic interrelationships between people, technologies and management. This peer-reviewed publication will be invaluable reading for lecturers and students on architecture, built environment and civil engineering courses. The contents will also be of interest to professional architects, engineers and sponsors of design and construction projects. Download ebook: Aspects of Building Design Management If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)
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Nov 8, 2011 | No Comments
An update of the proven estimating text by Frank Dagostino, Estimating in Building Construction, 7/e, provides everything you need for a course in Estimating. It combines sound coverage of principles with step-by-step procedures to help students learn concepts more easily. Ideal for construction, architecture, and engineering students, it reflects the popular approach of tracing a complete project’s progress. Added in this edition is a discussion of computers in estimating, different types of estimates (e.g., square foot, project comparison, and assembly estimating), how to determine labor productivity, and how to determine labor burden. Download ebook: Estimating in Building Construction If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)
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Nov 8, 2011 | No Comments
Intended to bridge the gap between theory and practice, Structural Steel Design: A Practice Oriented Approach provides the essentials of individual component design while at the same time showing how these components are put together to form an entire building. Just like in real practice! This “holistic approach” is essential for any practicing engineer or any student looking to work in this field. Key features of this extraordinary text include: Realistic structural drawings Practical real-world examples including the use of the design aids in the AISC Manual A unique chapter on “Practical Considerations” provides a holistic design view while reinforcing the connection between structural elements and building design in practice. Case-study example to reinforce the holistic design view Step-by-step practical designs A detailed treatment of structural loads including gravity and lateral loads that is weaved seamlessly into the structural design process. Essential information including additional topics such as framing layout, floor vibrations analysis, Structural strengthening, torsion, and more! Download ebook: Structural Steel Design: A Practice Oriented Approach If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)
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Nov 3, 2011 | No Comments
The complete guide to site analysis—for better plans and better projects Context-sensitive site planning leads to better development proposals and, ultimately, to higher quality built environments. By responding to inherent site opportunities and constraints, context-sensitive development—and redevelopment—creates attractive and pedestrian-friendly places to live, work, and play. The expanded and extensively revised new edition, Site Analysis: A Contextual Approach to Sustainable Land Planning and Site Design retains the earlier edition’s emphasis on the site-planning process. With several project case studies from leading design firms and more than 180 illustrations, the Second Edition ref lects the state of the art in sustainable land planning and site design. Some of the topics covered include: Site selection and programming Mapping of physical, biological, and cultural attributes Site suitability analysis Conceptual design Design development Feasibility studies Site plan review Whether you are a student, a practitioner studying for a licensing exam, or a member of a local board or commission that reviews land development proposals, Site Analysis: A Contextual Approach to Sustainable Land Planning and Site Design will help you better understand the linkages between existing site and contextual conditions—and the sustainable design of the built environment. Download ebook: Site Analysis: A Contextual Approach to Sustainable Land Planning and Site Design, 2nd Edition If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)
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Oct 20, 2011 | No Comments
The Association of British Theatre Technicians produced its first guide to the design and planning of theatres in 1972. Revised in 1986, it became the standard reference work for anyone involved in building, refurbishing, or creating a performance space. Theatre Buildings – a design guide is its successor. Written and illustrated by a highly experienced team of international theatre designers and practitioners, it retains the practical approach of the original while extending the scope to take account of the development of new technologies, new forms of presentation, changing expectations, and the economic and social pressures which require every part of the theatre to be as productive as possible. The book takes the reader through the whole process of planning and designing a theatre. It looks in detail at each area of the building: front of house, auditorium, backstage, and administrative offices. It gives specific guidance on sightlines, acoustics, stage engineering, lighting, sound and video, auditorium and stage formats. Aspects such as catering, conference and education use are also covered. The information is supplemented by twenty-eight case studies, selected to provide examples which range in size, style and format and to cover new buildings, renovations, conversions, temporary and found space. The studies include Den Norsk, Oslo; The Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis; The Liceu, Barcelona; Les Bouffes du Nord, Paris; The RSC’s Courtyard Theatre in Stratford on Avon; and the MTC Theatre in Melbourne. All have plans and sections drawn to 1:500 scale. The book contains around 100 high quality full colour images as well as over 60 specially drawn charts and diagrams explaining formats, relationships and technical details. Download ebook: Theatre Buildings: A Design Guide If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)
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Sep 21, 2011 | No Comments
How does the architectural design become reality? After a successful presentation come the phase of tenders and that of their realization. Design must now be reformulated into working drawings. That s exactly what Liebing, a renowned expert for plan views and detailed views, calls the other architecture . Working drawings constitute the basis for the real construction itself. In the firms, mostly young architects are charged with these tasks. But during education, this topic is often addressed insufficiently. The correct transformation of a presentation design into working drawings for a bid and its realization is however essential for the quality of execution. The Other Architecture understands itself as a practical manual for young architects and as a complement in the field of building construction for students. Download Here If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)
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Sep 1, 2011 | No Comments
The second edition of MECHANICS OF MATERIALS by Pytel and Kiusalaas is a concise examination of the fundamentals of Mechanics of Materials. The book maintains the hallmark organization of the previous edition as well as the time-tested problem solving methodology, which incorporates outlines of procedures and numerous sample problems to help ease students through the transition from theory to problem analysis. Emphasis is placed on giving students the introduction to the field that they need along with the problem-solving skills that will help them in their subsequent studies. This is demonstrated in the text by the presentation of fundamental principles before the introduction of advanced/special topics. Download Here If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)
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Jul 13, 2011 | No Comments
This book is a remarkable feat of scholarship — so remarkable in fact that I put it in the same league as the great classics of the field that had so much to do with setting the direction of Comparative Education. Indeed, this volume goes further than earlier classics to reveal, through textual analysis and interviews with key figures, how the epistemological foundations of the field and crucial professional developments combined to, as the title indicates, construct Comparative Education. Manzon’s work is indispensable — a word I do not use lightly — for scholars who seek a genuine grasp of the field: how it was formed and by whom, its major theoreticians, its professional foundations, and so on. Clearly too, this book marks the rise of a young star, Maria Manzon, who shows promise of joining the ranks of our field’s most illustrious thinkers. Erwin H. Epstein Director, Center for Comparative Education Loyola University, Chicago, USA Download Here If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)
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Jul 9, 2011 | No Comments
At present, material energies – that is thermal variation, air velocity, spectrums of light and electricity – remain a largely untapped source of innovation and inspiration for architects. Commonly relegated to the production of ambience – ‘moods’ or ‘effects’ – energies tend to be explored, in a design context, as little more than metaphor or poetics. Alternatively, they are regarded wholly as a resource for providing preconceived, rule-of-thumb interior comfort zones or as a set of measurables for determining ‘energy efficient’ buildings. Energies looks at ways of elevating these materials from their dependence on surfaces and services and in so doing, deploying them as building materials in themselves; thus redefining our physical boundaries through a wholly new means of spatial organisation. The publication propels the sustainability debate forward by making ‘material energies’ the catalyst for experimental design. The issue deals with a wide range of scales of design, from architecture to building design and that of landscape and urban planning Contributors include Michelle Addington, Petra Blaisse, Penelope Dean, Helene Furjan, An Te Liu, Zbigniew Oksiuta, Philippe Rahm and WEATHERS. Download Here If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)
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Jul 6, 2011 | No Comments
The announcement of Rio de Janeiro as the 2016 Olympic host city has placed Latin America on the world’s stage. Latin America has not been the centre of international architectural attention and pilgrimage since the mid 20th century when economic growth triggered the development of Modernist urban design and architecture on an epic scale. Since then the centralised, utopian planned model has broken down. Mass migrations from the countryside and erection of informal settlements have left cities socially and spatially divided. Within this context and in the mist of globalization Latin America is set to go though major change once again. In recent decades, resourceful governments and practices have developed innovative approaches to urban design and development, less to do with the utopian and totalitarian schemes and more to do with “urban acupuncture”, working within rather than denying the framework of informality to stitch together disparate parts of the city. This title of AD will explore the current urban issues faced by Latin American cities and the response of alternative local practitioners at different scales. Large-scale urban case studies, such as the revitalisation of Bogotá and Medellin, will be featured alongside architectural practices, research-based organisations and university studios working at a grass-roots level. Contributors include: Saskia Sassen, Hernando de Soto, Ricky Burdett and Bogotá ex-mayor Enrique Peñalosa. Featured architects: Teddy Cruz, UTT-Urban Think-Tank, Jorge Jauregui, Alejandro Echeverri, MMBB and Alejandro Aravena. Download Here If you liked this post, buy me a beer. (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.5 for a pitcher)
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