Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Writing Art and Architecture


Writing Art and Architecture
Andrew Benjamin,
re.press | 2010 | 186 pages | PDF | 10,9 MB

In his new book, the eminent philosopher Andrew Benjamin turns his attention to architecture, design, sculpture, painting and writing. Drawing predominantly on a European tradition of modern philosophical criticism running from the German Romantics through Walter Benjamin and beyond, he offers a sequence of strong meditations on a diverse ensemble of works and themes: on the library and the house, on architectural theory, on Rachel Whiteread, Peter Eisenman, Anselm Kiefer, Peter Nielson, David Hawley, Terri Bird, Elizabeth Presa and others. In Benjamin's hands, criticism is bound up with judgment. Objects of criticism always become more than mere documents. These essays dissolve the prejudices that have determined our relation to aesthetic objects and to thought, releasing in their very care and attentiveness to the 'objects themselves' the unexpected potentialities such objects harbour. In his sensitivity to what he calls 'the particularity of material events', Benjamin's writing comes to exemplify new possibilities for the contemporary practice of criticism itself. These essays are a major contribution to critical thought about art and architecture today, and a genuine work of what Benjamin himself identifies as a 'materialist aesthetics'.


 

Watercolorist's Guide to Painting Buildings


Watercolorist's Guide to Painting Buildings
Richard Taylor,
David & Charles | 2000 | 128 pages | PDF | 19,3 MB


Buildings-old and new, ornate or simple-provide an endlessly intriguing subject for watercolorists. Author and artist Richard Taylor gives you all the techniques for capturing perspective, proportion, light and shade, detail and texture. After deciding on the right materials, try your hand at everything from sheds and shacks to classical architecture with formal designs, arches, and elegant frontage. Capture the weathered appeal of a crumbling, ruined boatyard; by using lots of water, and downward vertical strokes with the brush, all the dramatic effects of ageing emerge on the paper. Stone steps leading up to a quiet Mediterranean courtyard shine in dappled light and warm shadows-deep in the interior, leafy branches, potted plants, windows, and a statue catch the eye. Or, paint quadrangles, cloisters; terraced homes, town houses, and street life. Throughout, 120 paintings in various stages of completion, show the effects of color, shadowing, and balance. A Selection of F&W's Book Clubs.


 

Using the Building Regulations: Part C: Site Preparation & resistance to contaminants & moisture


Using the Building Regulations : Part C : 
Site Preparation & resistance to contaminants & moisture
Butterworth-Heinemann | June 21, 2007 |  232 pages | PDF | 4 Mb


As the Building Regulations and Approved Documents have become more and more complex, they have become increasingly unfriendly for a professional user. Compliance is only possible by understanding a wide range of supporting documentation. Alternative approaches are implied, but not described or analysed.

This book examines Approved Document C on Site Preparation and takes the user through all the key stages of preparation, compliance, inspection and enforcement. It offers practical advice on using not just the traditional routes to compliance but also on the alternative approaches suggested but not explained in the Approved Documents. The advantages and disadvantages of each form of compliance are analysed in depth.


 

Transient Airflow in Building Drainage Systems


Transient Airflow in Building Drainage Systems
John Swaffield,
Sp-n Press | 2010 | 362 pages | PDF | 8,8 MB

Giving you the first comprehensive presentation of the ground breaking research undertaken at Heriot Watt University, with Research Council and industrial funding, this book brings a new perspective to the design of building drainage and vent systems. It provides the building services community with clear and verifiable design methods that will be robust enough to meet challenges such as climate change and water conservation; population migration to the mega cities of the developing world, and the consequent pressures of user concentration; the rise of the prestige building and the introduction of new appliances and control strategies. These all combine to make traditional codified design guidance insufficient. Many assumptions in existing codes defining the entrained airflows within building drainage vent systems cannot be theoretically supported, so designers concerned with these systems need analysis and simulation capabilities which are at least as reliable as those enjoyed by other building services practitioners.

The Method of Characteristics solution techniques which are well established in the pressure surge field are now used to provide solutions for drainage designers. The material is applied to a whole range of abstract scenarios then to a series of real world applications including the forensic modelling of the SARS virus spread within Amoy Gardens in 2003 and the refurbishment of the O2 Dome. Applications to specialised services, including underground station drainage and highly infectious disease treatment facilities are discussed and demonstrated, alongside the use of design and simulation techniques in support of product development.

Aimed at both professional and academic users, this book serves both as a design aid and as a core text for specialist masters courses in public health and building services engineering.


 

The Messina Strait Bridge : A Challenge and a Dream


The Messina Strait Bridge : A Challenge and a Dream
By Fabio Brancaleoni, Giorgio Diana, Ezio Faccioli
CRC Press | English | 2009-09-23 | 334 pages | PDF | 52 MB


This book describes the enormous depth of work carried out since the early seventies on the Messina Strait Bridge, up to the recent award of the detailed design and construction contract. This important work has included extensive studies, concepts and design developments, with far reaching applications, which have all confirmed the feasibility of this huge endeavour and have led to the optimisation of costs and expected performance levels.

Attention is focused not only on the design itself, but also on the context for the project (e.g. historical, geological, seismo-tectonic and wind conditions; structural and mechanical properties; project management and financial aspects; and environmental considerations), and on the great challenges involved. Thus, considering the innovations and specific solutions adopted in overcoming the challenges presented by constructing a world record span of 3,300 metres at this site, it becomes clear how the Messina Strait Crossing will take its place as a masterpiece in bridge engineering history.

This book will be of interest to bridge and structural engineers, geotechnical and wind engineers, mechanical and earthquake engineers, graduate students in all these areas and all others with a broad interest in bridge design and engineering.


 

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

The Handbook of Sustainable Refurbishment : Volume 1 : Non-Domestic Buildings


The Handbook of Sustainable Refurbishment : 
Volume 1 : Non-Domestic Buildings
 Nick V. Baker,
Earthscan | 2009 | 190 pages | PDF | 10,7 MB


The refurbishment of existing buildings is a neglected subject within sustainable architecture; attention is usually focused on new buildings. Old buildings can use large amounts of energy and provide poor internal conditions for occupants. They may have high heating demand, poor lighting, poor ventilation, solar penetration and glare, and poor control of heating and cooling. Demolition is an option but the alternative of refurbishment is starting to be seen as more sustainable in terms of architectural value, materials use, neighborhood disruption and waste disposal. Building new is more carbon intensive and carries many wider environmental impacts. In addition, the potential impact of low energy refurbishment is much greater than that for new build since there are many more existing buildings than will be built in the next 10 - 20 years, the period over which many CO2 emission targets apply.

The Handbook of Sustainable Refurbishment: Volume 1: Non-Domestic Buildings offers architects, engineers and a wide range of building professionals practical advice, illustrated by real examples. It moves from principles of sustainable refurbishment to specific design and engineering guidance. It emphasizes the need for an integrated approach by showing how refurbishment measures interact with one and other, and with the occupants, and how performance is ultimately influenced by this interaction.


 

The Fundamentals of Interior Architecture


The Fundamentals of Interior Architecture
Naomi House & John Coles


Now students of architecture and interior design can get a full introduction to interior architecture and its history in one authoritative volume. The Fundamentals of Interior Architecture, the first in a series on the subject, is also the only book on the market that approaches the topic in a detailed, educationally focused way. Whether "home" is the simplest railroad flat or the halls of Versailles, interior architecture reflects our times. Discover the intriguing past and the exhilarating present of architectural interiors and furnishings, drafting and presentation skills, space planning, materials, lighting design, professional practices, 2D design, color theory, 3D design, drawing and illustration skills, and the use of CAD. A great price and handy paper binding make this book a must-have for everyone interested in how we live and work today.

The Building Environment : Active and Passive Control Systems


The Building Environment : Active and Passive Control Systems, 3rd Edition
Vaughn Bradshaw

To capitalize on today's rapidly evolving, specialized technologies, architects, designers, builders, and contractors work together to plan the mechanical and electrical equipment that controls the indoor environment of a building. The Building Environment: Active and Passive Control Systems, Third Edition helps you take advantage of design innovations and construction strategies that maximize the comfort, safety, and energy efficiency of buildings.

From active HVAC systems to passive methods, lighting to on-site power generation, this updated edition explains how to strategically plan for and incorporate effective, efficient systems in today's buildings. It covers the underlying thermal theories and thermodynamic principles and focuses on design that enhances the building environment and minimizes the impact on the world's environment.


 

Friday, February 1, 2013

Sound Insulation


Sound Insulation
Carl Hopkins,
Bu.tter worth-Hei.ne mann | 2007-10-01 | 648 pages | PDF | 7,4 MB

Sound insulation is an important aspect of building performance. This book is a comprehensive guide to sound and vibration theory and its application to the measurement and prediction of sound insulation in buildings. It enables the reader to tackle a wide range of issues relating to sound insulation during the design and construction stages of a building, and to solve problems in existing buildings. The book has been written for engineers, consultants, building designers, students in acoustics, researchers and those involved in the manufacture and design of building products. Key aspects are that it:
* Explains the fundamental theory using examples that show its direct application to buildings
* Guides the reader through the links between measurement and theory
* Explains concepts that are important for the application, interpretation and understanding of guidance documents, test reports, product data sheets, published papers, regulations and Standards
* Makes direct reference to ISO and EN Standards on sound insulation
* Contains a large number of illustrations showing measurements, predictions and example calculations for quick reference

Carl Hopkins previously worked on building acoustics and environmental noise at the Building Research Establishment. During this time he was involved with sound insulation in research, consultancy, standardization, and building regulations as well as being an advisor on acoustics to government departments. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool within the Acoustics Research Unit of the School of Architecture.
* Guides the reader through the links between measurement and theory
* Makes direct reference to ISO and EN Standards on sound insulation.
* Contains a large number of illustrations showing measurements, predictions and example calculations for quick reference.


Packed Tower Design and Applications : Random and Structured Packings


Packed Tower Design and Applications : Random and Structured Packings 
Second Edition
Ralph F., Jr. Strigle

During the last 25 years, significant changes have taken place in both the design of tower packings and the application of packed columns. Increasingly, concerns have turned from capacity to energy efficiency and the environmental impact of processing operations. This new edition has been retitled and updated throughout to reflect these changes and the expanded uses for structured packages. It provides basic information on the operation mechanism of packed columns, as well as practical methods for designing such columns, proven methods that have been used over the last decade to design columns as large as 46 feet in diameter and for separations requiring as many as 128 theoretical stages. The procedures presented are based on the author's practical experience acquired over 40 years, and have in many cases been developed as a result of real-life modifications. The numerous and varied major applications of packed columns are reviewed, so that their advantages as compared to other mass transfer devices can be determined. Particular characteristics of a system that need to be considered to ensure successful column operation are discussed.
 

 

Mirror of the World : A New History of Art


Mirror of the World : A New History of Art
Julian Bell,
Publisher: Thames & Hudson | 2007 | PDF | 496 pages | 6.2 MB

A vivid and compelling history of human artistic achievements, from the first stone fashioned into a figure by a hunter-gatherer to the latest new media and installation work.With remarkable clarity, Julian Bell tells the story of how art has evolved through the millennia and across the world. He follows the changing trends in the making and significance of art in different cultures, and explains why the art of the day looked and functioned as it did. Key images and objects—some of them familiar works of art; others, less known but equally crucial to the story—act as landmarks on the journey, focal points around which the discussion always centers. Along the way, Bell answers fundamental questions such as "What is art and where does it start?" and "Why do humans make it and how does it serve them?"Previous histories tended to focus only on the masterpieces of Western art, in the process excluding the work of women or non-Western artists, or else considering developments around the world as separate, unrelated phenomena. Bell's achievement is to take a global perspective, bringing the distinct stories together in one convincing narrative. He draws insightful and inspired connections between different continents and cultures and across the millennia, which results in a rich and seamless introduction to the world of visual creativity.Hundreds of carefully selected illustrations show how artists from different ages and societies often shared the same formal, technical, and aesthetic concerns, while others took divergent paths when their vision dictated it. 460 illustrations, 300 in color.

 

Materials for Architects and Builders, Fourth Edition


Materials for Architects and Builders, Fourth Edition
Arthur Lyons,
Butterworth-Heinemann | 2010 | 440 pages | PDF | 15,8 MB

Materials for Architects and Builders covers the broad range of materials used within the construction industry and is a descriptive introduction to their manufacture, key physical properties, specification and uses.
This new edition has been completely revised and updated to include the latest developments in materials, appropriate technologies and relevant legislation. The current concern for the ecological effects of building construction and lifetime use are reflected in the emphasis given to sustainability and recycling. An additional chapter on sustainability and governmental carbon targets reinforces this issue.
The book is illustrated in colour throughout with many photographs and diagrams showing materials and building components both individually and in use. Chapters list up-to-date British and European Standards, relevant Building Regulations together with related Building Research Establishment publications and suggested further reading.

 

Managing quality in architecture : A handbook for creators of the built environment


Managing quality in architecture : A handbook for creators of the built environment
Charles Nelson,
2006-07-27 | PDF | 320 pages | 7.50 MB

This handbook addresses the question of how best to manage quality in architecture for the mutual benefit of design practices and their clients. Based on research from the last two decades, it explores the general principles, tools and techniques that can be adapted to the unique culture of any design practice.
The book addresses all aspects of quality in creating the built environment, with international contributions representing some of the best thinking that exists in design practice management. It is aimed at the entire design team - those who have a role in design inputs, design processes and design execution; including project managers, contractors, suppliers and clients. An accompanying website also provides commentary and updates on the text.
Topics are linked to relevant sections of the current quality standard, and the standard is interpreted as to its application to design practice. Practices interested in establishing an ISO 9001-compliant quality system will find all the tools they need.
The interpretation of quality is comprehensive. The focus is completely practical, rather than theoretical, affording readers a concise picture of how the issues of excellence and quality performance flow across every aspect of design practice. This focus provides the vital link that distinguishes truly successful practices from the rest, Here, simply, is the answer to the forces of commoditization that challenge all designers in today's competitive environment.
The text is augmented and supported by chapters from twenty-two authoritative contributors, a foreword authored by Eugene Hopkins, and illustrations by graphic artist Michael Lindell.
Key case studies are also provided focusing on:
Anderson-Brulé Architects, San José CA
Add, Inc., Cambridge MA
Geyer Pty Ltd, Melbourne, VIC Australia
Harley Ellis Devereaux, Southfield MI
RVK Architects, San Antonio, TX
* The only book for the design and construction industry that references the current (2000) version of the Quality Standard ISO 9001
* Over 20 expert contributions from around the world represent the best thinking in design practice management
* Accompanying website will enable readers to access nearly 1000 pages of related information; a virtual encyclopaedia on the topic