Product Description

This second edition of John Illingworth's popular book provides a thorough introduction to the selection of construction materials, their planning and organisation on site.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #203132 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 440 pages

From the Back Cover
This new edition of John Illingworth's popular book provides a thorough introduction to the selection of construction methods, their planning and organization on site. The author has distilled a lifetime's experience of construction into a readily accessible guide for students of construction management and all construction-related disciplines, and for young professionals and managers working in the industry. Thoroughly revised and updated, Construction Methods and Planning takes a practical, down-to-earth approach and features numerous examples and illustrations taken from real situations and sites.
It has long been a common belief that the planning of construction methods cannot be taught, only learnt by experience. While knowledge gained from experience is an essential part of professional development, in this book John Illingworth provides a practical introduction to the task that will be invaluable for students, young professionals and contractors.

Customer Reviews

Occaisionally muddled
This book has many positive features - namely the inclusion of case studies from a students point of view. However, having used it as part of my degree, i find that there are still large parts of it that remain unread or irrelevant.
Unfortunately this book goes into a little too much detail to be used as an affective reference. It has large bodies of small printed text, accompanied with an index that was sometimes a little confusing! As a student, it does not offer the quick to find, easy to see usage that other texts do.
However, it does cover in detail the main areas of construction for large projects. The chapters covering planning of works and basements stand out in particular. Included at the end of each topic are case studies, complete with good quality black and white photographs. This is a very useful feature for the student, and a nice little trade story for the professional as they often tell a sorry tale!
I would suggest that a student of higher education would only use this book to its potential - the detail is too great for Hnd or Btec level. The professional would probably not benefit greatly from using it, as it does require extensive, time consuming study.
It is a good effort, but perhaps could be set out in a clearer manner.

A different view of construction
This book offers a slightly different view on the various aspects of construction.
It briefly summarises the various methods used in areas such as deep basements and foundations, but does not enter into sufficient detail for it to be used as a reference guide.
Its strengths however come from looking at the advantages and disadvantages of each selected method, contrasting their good and bad points against each other. It also takes into account the various implications and effects that work might have on its surroundings and environment.
With its various included case studies, this book would be ideal for a student studying construction at degree level as it takes the basic elements and develops them further. It acts as a valuable reference for writing critical analysis on different practices in the industry - I myself have written many esssays with this book included in the credits.
While not suitable for a student entering into construction for the first time, i would recommend it as a good source for those students who are looking to take their knowledge beyond the basics, or those who wish to concentrate on the environmental impacts of building.