[.uk] Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods (ISBN 0471183490)

Book Description:
This Third Edition of the classic Fundamentals of Building Construction offers a panoramic view of today's construction systems-from foundation to roof, exterior cladding to interior finishes. Every common system of construction is covered, including wood light frame construction, heavy timber, masonry, steel, sitecast concrete, and precast concrete. New chapters offer coverage of light gauge steel frame construction and detailed information on selecting windows and doors. Architect and author Edward Allen addresses the history, theory, and practice of each type of construction, including typical details of assembly. The lucid text is supported by more than 600 photographs and 400 line drawings, many of them arranged in sequences that illustrate construction operations step-by-step. More than 200 of the illustrations were prepared especially for this new edition. These include photographs of recent work by Horst Berger, Helmut Jahn, Cesar Pelli, Frank Gehry, Eric Owen Moss, Steven Holl, and Suzane Reatig. This book is an essential reference for students of architecture, civil engineering, and construction technology. It finds everyday use in virtually every architecture firm in North America.

Good Enough:
I found this book to be very good. The materials and methods used in construction are vast and constantly changing. This book does well at giving the reader a good working knowledge of both. There may be better sources, but this one is good enough.

Excellent Resource:
I am still using my 1985 Edition! It is a resource you will want to keep around. The technical background and drawings are great! It has some of everything - residential and nonresidential. Thanks Edward Allen-great book.

Construction Methods & Materials:
This is BY FAR one of the best and most thorough construction books I've seen to date. There are many drawings and pictures to show what is being talked about. Excellent book.

Basic Info:
This book has alot of information in it both on the actual materials properties and production and on the structural methods and forms

A *MUST* have!:
I am a construction engineering major and we used this textbook in our construction materials class, and I must say that it is fantastic. It covers a wide array of materials and methods used throughout the construction industry and it gives history lessons on said materials and processes. *This is a definite MUST HAVE for any architects, civil/structural engineers, construction managers/engineers, as well as M.E.P. engineers and applied engineering designers/ET's.* -M.