Building Structures: From Concepts to Design [Hardcover]

Malcolm Millais (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0415336228 | ISBN-13: 978-0415336222 | Edition: 2

A thorough introduction to building for the non-expert, this book is a one-stop book reference source for knowing everything important about building structures.

Readers:

• follow the history of structural understanding
• grasp all the concepts of structural behaviour via step by step explanations
• apply the concepts to a simple building
• see how the concepts also apply to real buildings from Durham Cathedral to the Bank of China
• use the concepts to define the design process
• see how the concepts inform design choices
• understand how engineering and architecture have diverged and what effect this has had
• learn to do simple but relevant numerical calculations for actual structures
• enter the world of structural theory and see how modern techniques are applied.

With over 400 pages and over 1000 user-friendly diagrams, this book is a must for anyone who has to or would like to understand the fascinating world of structures.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'How I wish that, when I was introduced to the "theory of structures" and "strength of materials", Millais' book had been available to replace the dense and boring tomes that I was presented with.' – Derek Sugden, The Architects' Journal

'Has someone ever urged you to "go back to first principles" but you could never find out what they were? Well, here is the book that will get you much, if not all, of the way there.' – Structural Engineer

'[Provides] the historically-minded reader with an informative insight into structural matters, from which a better understanding of buildings should come. ' - Construction History

'This book uses simple language to explain complex structural concepts and mathematical calculations. Ideal for students of 1^st and 2^nd years.' – Lecturer, University of Liverpool

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis; 2 edition (May 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415336228
• ISBN-13: 978-0415336222
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,671,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Conceptual theory of structures, August 7, 2010

By 

A. I. Haque - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Building Structures: From Concepts to Design (Paperback)

This book is excellent for understanding the underlying concepts of the theory of structures. There is information about materials, stresses, and structural analysis. A background in statics is required to understand this book. This book is NOT intended for laymen! I would not even recommend it to architects unless they have a solid structural background.

The main drawback is that the analysis details are in the appendix of the book. This book is useful as a complement to an undergraduate education in structural analysis, but it is NOT a text on the subject. If I ever get to teach a course on structures, I would use information from this book to provide a conceptual framework.

2.0 out of 5 stars Examples?, December 17, 2009

By 

J. Knox "College Student" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Building Structures: From Concepts to Design (Paperback)

The examples are non existent throughout the text (only separated in later chapters) so this book really wasn't helpful with learning how to calculate forces within structural members. It is helpful in the aspect that it teaches you what occurs within structural members as force is applied, the problem is that they do not apply numeric forces and break down how to solve it through example. This left me with a poor understanding of how to calculate action/reactionary forces within a truss or a beam or what have you.

I should mention that this book was assigned to me as a text book for a beginner's college course on structural analysis. This book had no role in studying for tests, or for teaching me how to calculate by example. Do not buy it if you intend to use it for a college course on structural analysis. If you would like to purchase it to understand the complications and the inner workings of structural members, be my guest. I intend to keep the book (and not sell it back) because it helps with comprehension. I just believe that building structures is an extremely mathematical based process and to not have examples with the teachings is balderdash.