Product Description

Now in its Fourth Edition, Fundamentals of Building Construction is an essential textbook that has been used by thou-sands of students annually in schools of architecture, engineering, and construction technology. The best-selling reference focuses on the basic materials and methods used in building construction. Emphasizing common construction systems such as light wood frames, masonry bearing walls, steel frames, and reinforced concrete, the new edition includes new coverage of green design and energy-efficient construction energies, and is based on the International Building Code(r).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57035 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 912 pages

Review
"In the new fifth edition of Fundamentals of Building Construction, Allen and Iano set a new benchmark by incorporating sustainability issues into a mainstream construction textbook, section by section, as in this concise overview from the first chapter. We also look forward to a future edition of their outstanding book in which appropriate sustainability considerations have penetrated every topic and page." (ArchitectureWeek, April 13, 2009)

From the Publisher
An introduction to the art of building, it has been revised and updated to reflect changes in the industry. Describes the materials used since ancient times--wood, stone, brick and the techniques by which they are made into buildings today--before proceeding to structural steel, reinforced and prestressed concrete, float glass, extruded aluminum, advanced gypsum products, synthetic rubber compounds and plastics. Deals with whole systems of building including foundations, framing, roofing, interiors, electrical and mechanical systems. Each chapter contains a summary, list of key terms and concepts, review questions and references. Illustrated with over 300 line drawings and 700 photographs.

From the Back Cover
The new, updated edition of the leading book on building construction

This new edition of the bestselling reference, Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods provides the complete, up-to-date coverage of building construction practices that thousands of professionals and students of architecture, engineering, and construction technology have been relying on for years. Using the new International Building Code® as its basis, this classic guidebook covers the complete range of construction activities, from excavating and foundations to cladding and interior finishes. It’s organized around a detailed treatment of the structural systems most widely used in North America: heavy timber, wood light frame, masonry, steel, light gauge steel, and reinforced and precast concrete.

New features of this Fourth Edition include:

• Detailed consideration throughout the book of issues of sustainability and "green" building
• A set of illustrated essays, "From Concept to Reality," that demonstrate how technical decisions are made in real-world building projects
• References to key Web sites for the latest construction information
• Dozens of new photorealistic drawings, photographs, and drawings
• A companion Web site that includes learning resources complementing the book

Fundamentals of Building Construction, Fourth Edition makes available to students and professionals an array of construction information that is unprecedented in scope and quality.

Customer Reviews

Surpassed expectations
Being a student in Construction Management Edward Allen's book was assigned as our text book. The course entitled materials and methods is intended to teach future construction manajors about the wide variety of materials on the market today as well as tradional methods of constructing with these materials.
The book is chalked full of knowledge most of which would take a person hours, even days of research to uncover with other sources. It is very comprehensive. If you are active in the comercial building construction this book is a must for your refrence shelf. Residential construction owners/workers would gain considerable knowledge from the book it has plenty of useful information however I feel the book is leaning more towards heavy commercial.

Great Book on Construction
Simply put, this is one of the best technical textbooks I've ever read. It's basic stuff for someone just starting out in the discipline of architecture, but I'm keeping it as a reference for future professional use. It is clearly written and well illustrated and worth it's high price. I wish Allen would now write a book on Environmental Control Systems--everything in that field is too dry and too technical.

Interesting and informative
I had this as a textbook for an Architectural Technology class as an undergrad ARCH major. Detailed with illustrations and photos of actual ongoing construction projects, this book was very informative for showing details and connections necessary to the making of a building. While not necessarily written for the layman, it would definitely be useful to anyone wondering "how you put it together." There are moments when it can become dry, but as I said, I used it as a textbook, therefore a lot of my reading was REQUIRED. It's not mandatory that one read this cover to cover, but it would definitely be handy for examining processes and checking details of wall sections.