Customer Reviews

Materials, Structures, and Standards: All the Details Architects Need to Know But Can Never Find

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a wonderful little reference book of architectural data, something like what you would imagine Graphic Standards would be if you reduced it to its most useful 10%, and organized it better. The material is clear, concise, and beautifully presented. In fact a book so graphically striking and thoughtful is fairly rare for a reference book.

I think the book would be useful to have around any office, but because of the introductory or foundational nature of some of the material (for example how to lay out a drawing sheet, numbering conventions) I think the book would be most useful to an architecture student or intern.

This book immodestly bills itself as a unique compilation of useful information for architects. It is devided into six sections dealing with Measure and Drawing, Proportion and Form, Codes and Guidelines, Systems and Componenets, Characteristics of Materials and a catchall final section entitled a Compendium. In turn, each section is illustrated with wonderful line drawings and quick run downs of architectural details.

I am doubtful that any architect or engineer would find this book helpful in their practice. The level of detail their professions require cannot be found in this slender volume. They rely on detailed, encyclopedic volumes of construction details.

This book is meant for architectural enthusiasts and non-professionals. I would recommend it highly for an owner who is overseeing a bulding project. This book is helpful in translating architectural and building terms into easily understood language. This volume would also be helpful to entry level general contractors, interior designers and people trying to design their own homes. This book is a well written introduction to an area of study that requires years of training and access to very detailed volumes of architectural details.

architectural graphic standard ALWAYS checked out in the library? and all you need to know is how wide the turning radius needs to be for this stupid parking lot? yea i've been there billions of times. my friends at school all started buying this book as a quick reference and it has great information inside. it's by no means exhaustive, but it definitely has enough to get a student by. the information is written and organized in a very accessible way. i highly recommend this book

I came across this book by accident, took it home, and immediately started using it that evening for an interior design project. I can finally remove all of the post-it notes from the colossal, "Time-Saver Standards" book and get to work without hunting any further. Genius!

This guide contains basic knowledge for getting up to speed quickly in preparing design and construction documents. It is a time saver. This guide is specially useful for those who have just graduated and working at a firm. I reference this book at least once a day. It is also priced reasonably for the architects budget.

this little book is great for all the minor everyday details, rules and standards you can never remember precisely, and are usually scattered across several different (large and expensive) reference sets. while in no way replacing these volumes, it certainly minimizes your time spent paging through them, or going online - - a highly recommended desktop reference.

The person who reviewed this book and gave it two stars was definitely unaware of what the book was meant to be. I would NEVER replace graphic standards or any other set of architectural data. However, it is a WONDERFUL quick reference guide for people just starting out in the field. It gives some easy ADA info, some AIA sheet numbering, and other easy to use reference material. I agree with the person that said an architecture student and intern would get the most use out of it. That said, it should be on every student's and intern's studio desk.

This book is a great quick reference tool. It has all of the essentials you need in the design field and very easy to read and access QUICKLY!

I bought this book last year when I started architecture grad school hoping it would be a one-stop resource for grad-level studio courses and it has been an OK resource. It is very well organized and covers a lot of basic, very handy, information: nominal material dimensions and standards, wood joinery, explains board feet and plywood grades, steel shapes in section & and how to interrupt what a W8x67 means, stair tread & risers guidelines, parking configurations, drawing set standards and abbreviations, and some detailing, code and structural basics. The problem for me is that I bought this book two years late, as I picked up a lot of this information the hard way in undergraduate school (B.S. architectural studies). I have now found myself using my classmate's copy of The Architect's Studio Companion (and have now bought myself a copy) more than this book as it covers structural, systems, and egress rules of thumb with much more depth.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone starting an undergrad architecture program or grad program w/o prior experience. There is a whole lot of good, basic architectural info in this book that will make life a little easier, but it lacks the depth to be a solid resource at a graduate level.

This book is so helpful in my studies. I would highly recommend it to anyone in the profession, or students trying to get an edge in class.