Understanding Buildings [Paperback]

E Reid (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1988

This book meets the needs for a basic, yet comprehensive and up-to-date, introductory text to building technology for students in architecture and the other disciplines in building design. The wide coverage is organised under the chapter headings: structure, enclosure, climate services, utility services, lighting, acoustics, fire safety, the future? The treatment in each case is concentrated on the close relationship between good design practice and the basic underlying scientific and practical principles, but stopping short of the high level theory which is to be found in other more closely specialised texts.This well illustrated and highly readable book will be invaluable to the student and of interest to the practitioner too, both in architecture and in its related technical fields.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A most useful tool for developing intuition in architectural engineering for architects, engineers, and builders alike." Omer Akin, Carnegie Mellon University

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

James V. Stone is a Reader in the Psychology Department at the University of Sheffield, England and the author of Independent Component Analysis (MIT Press, 2004).

Esmond Reid is an architectural writer and consultant.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Longman (February 15, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582009715
• ISBN-13: 978-0582009714
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,225,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, simple, complete coverage of building systems, July 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Buildings: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Paperback)

Mr. Reid presents each aspect of building development and construction simply and clearly while constantly highlighting their significance in the overall project development and construction process.

The manner and tone of the material presented, as well as the text and illustrations make this book a valuable reference for people needing to grasp any or all aspects of building projects large, intermediate or small in scope and size.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suitable for the General Reading Public, August 13, 2005

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Understanding Buildings: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Paperback)

I am a fan of architecture with little technical background. I was drawn to this book because I wanted to increase my understanding of architecture by learning how the mechanical systems within buildings work. I began this endeavor with E. Allen's "How Buildings Work: The Natural Order of Architecture", perhaps the best introduction to the subject. Having enjoyed that book, I wanted to get to the next level of complexity.

Esmond Reid's "Understanding Buildings" is an intermediate level book. The writing is at college freshman level and was easy to understand for a reader with no engineering or other technical background. The many line drawings helped immeasurably in getting across basic points.

For the true beginner, I would recommend E. Allen's book. If you like that work, "Understanding Buildings" is an exciting progression in beginning to understand how the buildings we interact with on a daily basis work. Highly recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Architectural And Engineering Primer, July 10, 2004

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Understanding Buildings: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Paperback)

This book was written mainly for aspiring architects and civil engineers, and covers almost all types of building systems thoroughly. It is very detailed and has separate chapters for important topics such as structure, climate services, lighting, acoustics, fire safety, etc. Although the author largely stays away from mathematics, he is always clear and concise in dealing even with complex analytical problems. As an example I would give his excellent treatment of two and three-hinged portals, and the fascinating parallels he draws between the engineering ideal of arches and the different types of portals. He covers all major construction techniques from timber platform frame construction (generally of houses), to more complex forms such as the hyperbolic paraboloid (opposed double curvature), and the esoteric "hyperboloid of revolution", the opposed double curvature architecture (almost always in concrete) common in power station cooling towers.

His writing on accessory systems such as heating, air conditioning, ventilation, and fire detection and prevention are both introductory and comprehensive. In all areas from structure to systems he is careful to explain real-world rationale in an approachable format that is both thorough and easy to understand.

This book is wonderful. It should be read by every student in engineering or architecture school (the section in chapter one on stresses is of enormous value to technical students), and I would further recommend it to practicing professionals as an excellent conceptual 'refresher course' of real world building systems wisdom. This is an excellent book.