Architect's Portable Handbook Review

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(More customer reviews)This handbook brings together all the rules of thumb and reference facts for architects. Its quite the cheat-sheet for quick references especially in terms of costs. He has included cost (labor and materials as a % of the total) for just about everything in generic terms. Need to know a budget number for a solid core door relative to a hollowcore? its in there, painting by sf of drywall vs CMU or even fee % breakdowns. Having this book makes you look good and esp for architects that know the big picture but cant'remember the actual size of a conc block or what 11 block courses equal (vert or horiz) I tell people to get this book and keep it in your car or briefcase, so you can go look up the answer to those questions that put you on the spot esp on the job site.

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Organized in easy-to-follow CSI Materformat, which parallels typical job progression, the text covers initial planning and estimating through design and construction. Included are materials and specifications checklists, design data for major building materials and components details.

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DEWALT Blueprint Reading Professional Reference (Dewalt Trade Reference Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)This was an ok book but not for use in HVAC. Had very little information on how to read for HVAC.

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Covering a multitude of trade industries, the DEWALT Blueprint Reading Professional Reference gives plumbers, carpenters, roofers, electricians, flooring installers, and others access to valuable information.Readers will learn how to read and understand blueprints, sections, elevations, schedules, site plans, architectural plans, structural plans, plumbing plans, HVAC & mechanical plans, electrical plans, and more.A comprehensive glossary of terms and abbreviations is also included for those on-the-job situations when a quick refresher is a must!
Reference tool for:- plumbers- carpenters- roofers- electricians- flooring installers- HVAC technicians- MRO staff- any other trade professionals
Illustrated with real blueprint sections and symbols broken down by the specific trades

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How Buildings Work: The Natural Order of Architecture Review

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(More customer reviews)HOW BUILDINGS WORK is just a great book, even more interesting than Macaulay's THE WAY THINGS WORK. Buildings are everywhere, and most everyone uses buildings of various kinds for various purposes. Yet how a building works is often a mystery. In this way, I think buildings are much like computers; most people who use them have no clue about the inner workings of them.
Edward Allen takes us through the functions of a building without going into traditional architectural theory. This book is more concerned with the needs that buildings must fulfill, and how we can fulfull them. He discusses water, waste, heat, ventilation, lighting, accoustics, energy, structure, and more, first by explaining each particular concept, and then by examining how problems can be solved with the knowledge of those concepts.
While this isn't a book on theory, neither is it a wholly practical book. That is, it won't equip you with the skills to go and build a house. But it will open your eyes to the various elements of buildings and building construction and you may think "Aha!" the next time you look at a building and observe a strange structural or design detail. You don't have to be an architecture freak to enjoy the book either. You just need to be curious.

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Interior Designer's Portable Handbook: First-Step Rules of Thumb for the Design of Interiors Review

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(More customer reviews)Don't let the compactness of this book fool you. As a student of Interior Design, this little handbook is invaluable to me! The quick reference material is detailed yet concise. It has everything from basic space planning layouts to building codes. There are even notes pages at the end of each section so you can add on to your little handbook. It's like having textbooks from 5 different classes compiled in one little, easy to carry book.

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This handy, one-stop answer book helps interior designers, decorators and architects come up with fast, on-the-spot design solutions by putting the latest codes and standards, costs, materials and specification information at their fingertips. It includes materials and specification checklists for fast and easy interior design decisions and solutions. The content organization follows the logical progression of the design process. It describes updated unit costs for furnishings, fixtures, and other interior components and systems.

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The Green Studio Handbook, Second Edition: Environmental Strategies for Schematic Design Review

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(More customer reviews)Anybody interested in sustainable design concepts will enjoy this book immensely, but it will be most useful for architects and designers looking to use its ideas in both planning and execution. It's for planning more than for AD looky-lous, but makes for plenty of ideas. There's more depth than the first GSH, but it's not a major overhaul; the conceptual detail is still there, as are the well-shot photos, but a little more of each this time out. There's a wealth of inspiration here for arch students and practising architects alike, and plenty of real-world results. Kwok and Grundzik write well, and all told this is a book bound to be frequently consulted by many designers as more and more folks demand intelligent, sustainable building.

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Learn how to integrate green strategies into your building design. This practical handbook provides an essential introduction to green design strategies--helping you to understand how to save energy, water, and material resources.

It provides the information required to make judgments about which strategy to use and includes tools to enable you to incorporate the chosen strategy during the early stages of design.

Each of the forty-two selected environmental strategies includes a description of principle and concept, step-by-step procedures for integrating the strategy, annotated design tables and charts, key issues to be aware of when implementing the strategy, and references to further resources. Over 500 sketches and color photos illustrate concepts and applications.

In this second edition, 10 new case studies are included to show successful implementation of green strategies and assessments of building performance. Site analysis and glazing strategies have been added and new tables and updated drawings simplify the application of concepts, preliminary system sizing, and integration of strategies.

Using real building projects as a guide, designers will be able to make informed choices about the most competitive and effective way to design a green building.

The Green Studio Handbook is a reference guide and source of inspiration for students in design studios and architects in professional practice.

From a review of the first edition: "An excellent starting point for aspiring students. It is also a useful tool for the experienced architect looking to communicate key ideas and principles concisely."

Alison G. Kwok, Ph.D., AIA, LEED AP, ASES Fellow, is a licensed architect and a professor of architecture at the University of Oregon. She has taught in architecture programs in California, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Japan, and New York.

Walter T. Grondzik, PE, LEED AP, ASES, and ASHRAE Fellow, is an architectural engineer and a professor of architecture at Ball State University. He has taught in architecture and architectural engineering programs in Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Saudi Arabia.

Provides information required to implement green design ideas with confidence and accuracy.
Practical information provided in an easy-to-use format.
Full color images throughout.
Featured Excerpts from The Green Studio HandbookRead a case study on the green renovation of the main branch of the Cambridge Public Library

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The Architect's Studio Companion: Rules of Thumb for Preliminary Design Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is designed to help architects in their design of new buildings. Spedifically, the book is organized about the common building codes in place around the United States. The intent of the book is to minimize the time that an architect need spend on checking building codes themselves so that he can proceed to working on the design of the building.
The book establishes a simple system of seven steps to help the architect in his initial design effort.
The first step is to determine the Building Code and occupancy, then check as to what types of construction are permitted by the code, move on to a preliminary structural design, consider using daylighting, plan for mechanical and electrical systems, determine building code requirements for egress and accessibility, and finally parking.
By having all this informaion at your fingertips a great deal of time can be saved.

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The architect's favorite handbook-more informative and easier to use than ever!The Architect's Studio Companion is the laborsaving design resource that architects and builders have relied on for years. Now in its fourth edition, this industry standard continues its reputation as a reliable tool for the preliminary selecting, configuring, and sizing of the structural, mechanical, and egress systems of a building. Bestselling authors Edward Allen and Joseph Iano reduce complex engineering and building code information to simple approximations that enable the designer to lay out the fundamental systems of a building in a matter of minutes and get on with the design.Now in a flex binding that makes it even easier to use, The Architect's Studio Companion, Fourth Edition provides quick access to reliable rules of thumb that offer vital help for selecting, configuring, and sizing:* Structural systems* Heating, cooling, and electrical systems* Egress provisions, including exit stairways, parking garages, and parking lots* Daylight provisionsThe book concludes with precalculated tables of building code height and area limitations.

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