Product Description

The fourth edition of Introduction to Building continues the authoritative overview of the many design and practical considerations associated with the creation and maintenance of buildings. It has been updated to include current legislation and new government guidelines.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the various aspects of building and development from initial planning and design through contract procurement to construction. With regard to maintenance and repair of existing buildings, traditional construction procedures are retained from the previous editions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47274 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From the Back Cover

The fourth edition of Introduction to Building continues the authoritative overview of the many design and practical considerations associated with the creation and maintenance of buildings. It has been updated to include current legislation and new government guidelines.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the various aspects of building and development from initial planning and design through contract procurement to construction. With regard to maintenance and repair of existing buildings, traditional construction procedures are retained from the previous editions.

Key features

• clear and concise text, supplemented with comprehensive illustrations
• references to relevant statutes, current Building and Construction Regulations,      British and European Standards
•  new illustrations have been added where appropriate and existing illustrations have been modified with due regard for established techniques
•  updated information on new construction, with regard to fuel conservation and control of carbon emissions
• topics covered include the requirements of a building: appearance, durability, dimensional suitability, strength and stability, weather exclusion, sound control, thermal comfort, fire protection, lighting and ventilating, sanitation and drainage, security, cost, building processes, building team, communication and construction methods
• updated references to contractual procedures and revised Joint Contracts Tribunal forms

Introduction to Building is recommended for students of all construction-related courses, including architecture, building technology, construction management, building surveying, quantity surveying, estate and facilities management.

Derek Osbourn was Head of the School of Architecture and Interior Design at the Polytechnic of North London, and an examiner for the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Roger Greeno is a consultant, examiner and established author of many construction papers and publications.

Customer Reviews

This book is terrible... there are so many better alternatives out there.
Be warned, this book is absolutely appalling.

I had the misfortune of it being a course book on a university course, and so was forced to read and refer to the thing repeatedly. Thankfully, I also had copies of other, far superior alternatives to hand, such as Seeley's Building Technology.

The book is unnecessarily wordy, it's as if they're trying to fill up the pages. There are examples of calculations that are intricate and complex, but when you take the time to study them, turn out to be superficial and missing information that is fundamental to reach the conclusion. The drawings are often overcomplicated, obscuring the point they're trying to make with too many irrelevant details and annotations.

I cannot express strongly enough just how poor my opinion of this book is. It contains the basic information you need, but presents the information in an extremely obtuse and confusing manner.

Not exactly a fun read- but does it really need to be?
As a first year architecture student this book provides all the basic info I need to get me through my technical exams. All of this is accompanied with diagrams, which are not only handy but essential as reproductions of these are required. The language can sometimes be unimaginative and laborious, but it isn't a GCSE revision book- I don't need clip art cartoons cracking lame jokes to hold my attention at this level of learning. If you're in your first year doing architecture, it's essential- you'll find no more complete guide to what you need to know.