How Buildings Work: The Natural Order of Architecture

Book Description

Illustrated with hundreds of illuminating line drawings, this classic guide reveals virtually every secret of a building's function: how it stands up, keeps its occupants safe and comfortable, gets built, grows old, and dies--and why some buildings do this so much better than others. Drawing on things he's learned from the many buildings he himself designed (and in some cases built with his own hands), Edward Allen explains complex phenomena such as the role of the sun in heating buildings and the range of structural devices that are used for support, from trusses and bearing walls to post-tensioned concrete beams and corbeled vaults. He stresses the importance of intelligent design in dealing with such problems as overheating and overcooling, excessive energy use, leaky roofs and windows, fire safety, and noisy interiors. He serves up some surprises: thermal insulation is generally a better investment than solar collectors; board fences are not effective noise barriers; there's one type of window that can be left open during a rainstorm. The new edition emphasizes "green" architecture and eco-conscious design and construction. It features a prologue on sustainable construction, and includes new information on topics such as the collapse of the World Trade Center, sick building syndrome, and EIFS failures and how they could have been prevented. Allen also highlights the array of amazing new building materials now available, such as self-cleaning glass, photovoltaics, transparent ceramics, cloud gel, and super-high-strength concrete and structural fibers. Edward Allen makes it easy for everyone--from armchair architects and sidewalk superintendents to students of architecture and construction--to understand the mysteries and complexities of even the largest building, from how it recycles waste and controls the movement of air, to how it is kept alive and growing.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent introduction to architecture.......2007-04-20

The underlying premise of this book is that architecture is an imitation and application of the principles of nature. To build is not merely to impose our will on nature. It is to cooperate with nature.

Shelter is a natural human need. Building is the art of meeting that need. It does so, according to Allen, by following the example of nature herself and applying her principles. An organic analogy runs through the book. Buildings live and breathe. A building, like a human body, is matter so arranged that it interacts dynamically with its environment and thus perpetuates the arrangement. Buildings, however, are highly dependent on human beings, whom they serve. The parts of buildings, e.g., the roofs, walls, windows and mechanical systems must work together with the other parts in such a way as to "survive" but most importantly to provide optimal human shelter. Buildings that outlive their usefulness "die."

My favorite passage from the book is a section entitled "People as the Measure" (pp. 169-171). Drawing on his extensive knowledge of the history of architecture, Allen explains how "people literally became the measure of buildings." For example, the brick... was standardized in medieval times within a range of sizes and weights that could be easily manipulated by the left hand of the mason, leaving the right hand free to operate the trowel." Allen cautions against bulk materials manipulated by machines instead of people: "[T]he finished product will not automatically display the human-scale texture that hand-sized components have and that occupants often subconsciously identify with."

This book was very educational for me, a Ph.D. in philosophy who has left academia to help run a construction business. I highly recommend it to new students of architecture or engineering or anyone who has amateur interest in those fields.

Mandatory Reading If You're Thinking of a New House.......2005-11-08

This is a book on how buildings are designed. It's not a book on how to design a building, that's the architect's job. It's a book on what the architect is going to do to design the building you want.

The book contains hundreds of line drawings on the components of a building. This is how a wall is built, this is how heat circles around a room, this is how a truss structure holds up the roof, this is how electric power is brought into the house and distributed.

This is not a book on how to design a house, you can put the bedrooms anywhere you want, you can have as many bathrooms as you want. This is the basic design of how the building does its job of providing the walls that make up the bathroom, keep it warm/cool, with water inside but kept where you want it.

I consider this book to be interesting to anyone interested in the subject. I consider this book to be mandatory reading for anyone even thinking about building a house or having one built.

Great Introduction for the Novice.......2005-08-05

I approach this book as someone who likes to walk around old neighborhoods and look at houses. I have collected architectural field guides for years and I can identify most building styles. However, I had little idea how buildings worked.

This book was enjoyable because the writing style was simple and straight to the point. One does not need a technical background to get a lot out of the book. Edward Allen's skillful line illustrations also add a great deal. If I could not understand the technical description, the simple illustration helped me with the underlying principle.

To give you an example of why this book is helpful to a non-specialist. I have heard of septic systems my entire life. However, I had no idea how they worked. With the help of very clear illustrations and straight forward writing, this mystery has been solved. This book is a great introduction to all those interested in architecture. Highly recommended.

What buildings are.......2003-02-28

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.

All architecture/ building science students should own this.......2002-02-21

I practice and teach architecture. This is the best book I have ever found for communicating material essential for the study of building science and architecture. The presentation style is frendly and informative. The knowledge of the subject displayed by Edward Allen is superb. I am a unashamed book-a-holic, if I could only take one book to the proverbial desert island - How Buildings Work would be it.

How Buildings Work: The Natural Order of Architecture

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How Buildings Work: The Natural Order of Architecture
Edward Allen
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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How Buildings Work The Natural Order Of Architecture
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How Buildings Work The Natural Order of Architecture
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How Buildings Work: The Natural Order Of Architecture
Edward Allen
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Paperback
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Book Description

Old master paintings are now considered to be the most valuable and prestigious of the visual arts, and the best examples command the highest prices of any luxury commodity. In this series of lectures Jonathan Brown tells in vivid detail the story of the rise of painting to this exalted status. The result is an exciting narrative of greed and passion, played out against a background of international politics and intrigue. This book, which is an essay in cultural and art history, is completed by a postscript showing why important old master paintings have now virtually disappeared from the art market.

The transformation of painting from an inexpensive to a costly art form reached a crucial stage in the royal courts of Europe in the seventeenth century, where rulers and aristocrats assembled huge collections, often in short periods of time. Brown traces this process in Madrid, Paris, London, and Brussels, beginning with the dispersal of the great English collections in the aftermath of the Civil War, including those of Charles I, the Earl of Arundel, and the Dukes of Buckingham and Hamilton. Hundreds of great pictures were all at once available to continental collectors and were acquired by Cardinal Jules Mazarin, Louis XIV of France, Archduke Leopold William of Austria, and Philip IV of Spain, as well as lesser-known collectors, including Everhard Jabach and Luis de Haro. Through comparative analysis of collecting and collectors at these courts, Brown explains the formation of new attitudes toward pictures, as well as the mechanisms that supported the enterprise of collecting, including the emergence of the art dealer, the development of connoisseurship, and the publication of sumptuous picture books of various collections.

Customer Reviews:

A fine addition to any European history collection.......2000-07-30

I first saw this book in a store display and was captivated by it's breathtaking and sweeping art work from talents ranging from Bosch to da Vinci. It captures 17th century European art with style and grace rarely found in other books. Being a big Anne Rice fan, I was most captivated by the painting Crucifixion Altar, by Roger van de Weyden, which depicts Veronica holding her famous veil, which plays a key role in Rice's book Memnoch the Devil. Other highlights include Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and Raphael's Archangel Michael. The color of the paintings are superb, and the text is a perfect match. Bearing in mind that 17th European paintings depict many religious icons, it's a wonderful book to posses, whether you're religious or not. A magnificent find.

Kings & Connoisseurs Collecting Art in Seventeenth-Century Europe

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Kings & Connoisseurs Collecting Art in Seventeenth-Century Europe
John Brown
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORX4SE

Book Description

A good portrait is a treasure that captures and conveys a person's spirit. It can be candid-snapped on an impulse in one hundredth of a second-or the result of a complex setup and a full day's work. The picture can show the full face or focus on an eye, expressive hands, engaging smile, or out-of-focus turn of the head. And, what's particularly wonderful for photographers, even the simplest camera can do the trick. See what's possible in a series of remarkable portraits--both artistic and commercial--all with short texts on their composition, hints on using color, and tips on techniques that help you take an unforgettable photo. Arrange flattering and mood-enhancing lighting, discover new ways of making your subject feel comfortable, and know how to be prepared for the sudden, fabulous moment that might never come again. It's an unequalled education in portraiture!

Book Description

Renowned Nevada writer Robert Laxalt has embraced a wide range of subjects in his nearly half-century career. In this candid, beautifully written memoir, he explores for the first time what is perhaps his most difficult subject ever-himself and his life as a writer. The result is an illuminating and often moving account that is certain to delight his many fans and attract new ones.

The first part of the book consists of a series of vignettes about his youth in Carson City as the second son of an immigrant Basque family and his later experiences as a student at the University of Nevada in Reno. We are introduced to the colorful characters of Carson City and to some of Laxalt's extended family, made privy to the family's rags-to-riches-and-back-again past, and invited to his father's isolated sheep camp in the Sierra and to his mother's warm kitchen in Carson City. And we explore the University campus in the days immediately following World War II when battle-hardened former GIs were casually overturning hallowed campus traditions.

The second part of the book tells of Laxalt's career as a writer--his early days as a reporter when his assignments included interviews with gangsters and obligatory attendance at executions; his later adventures as a contract writer for National Geographic, and his two stays in the Basque Country, where he gathered material for several books. He also recounts his days as director of the University of Nevada's news service and his role in the founding of the University of Nevada Press.

The third section discusses the writing of several of his major books-where the ideas came from, what he tried to accomplish in each book, the challenges he faced, and the ways he chose to resolve them. It is rare that an author writes with such insight and vivid memory about the creative process, and the result here is certain to fascinate readers.

Travels with My Royal is vintage Laxalt. It is, moreover, a brilliant book about his small-town Basque-immigrant origins, about the vagaries of a writer's career, and about the way a writer creates his work. The book offers some of Robert Laxalt's finest writing, and some of his most introspective. This is an unforgettable record of Nevada's finest contemporary writer and how he grew.

Customer Reviews:

Memoirs of the writing life.......2001-10-05

Most of Robert Laxalt's books incorporate some kind of personal reminiscence -- whether it's his arrestingly beautiful portraits of life in the Basque Country or his semi-autobiographical trilogy about a Basque-American family in the West -- but "Travels with My Royal" is his only forthright memoir of his childhood and life as a writer. For fifty years an inseparable mechanical friend traveled alongside him -- his portable Royal typewriter. A gift from his mother, he took it all over the world and wrote all of his books and magazine articles on it.

Born in Alturas, California, in 1923, (a place that became a ghost town not long after), Laxalt was raised in Carson City, Nevada, the second son in a family of immigrant French Basques. His father, Dominique, was a former livestock baron (a "baron of sorts") who saw his flock of over 60,000 sheep and cattle wiped out by a ranch crash and a freeze in the early 1920s. Consequently, he had to go back into the hills and build up his fortune again, slowly, living the hard life of a sheepherder, separated most of the year from his family. Economic woes marked Laxalt's childhood. He mentions how ashamed he was that his mother, who ran an otherwise respectable Basque boardinghouse, sold whiskey on the sly during Prohibition. At school he was often taunted for being the son of a bootlegger.

Yet the family eventually got on its feet again, and after spending a year in the Belgian Congo during World War II, Laxalt graduated from the University of Nevada and began to forge a successful career in journalism. His first book, "Sweet Promised Land" (1957), recounts his father Dominique's return to his birthplace in the Basque Country, St. Jean Pied-de-Port up in the French Pyrenees, fifty years after he left it, and the emotional recognition that his real home was not there, but in the hills of western Nevada. In print for over forty years, "Sweet Promised Land" was Laxalt's most resounding success, even though he confesses in "Travels with My Royal" that it was torture to write.

Laxalt wrote 16 more books (fiction and non-fiction) before his death earlier this year, and was a regular contributor to National Geographic (he discusses his long love-hate relationship with that magazine in this book). He also taught at the University of Nevada, was the director of its press, and helped found the Basque Studies Program there. Anyone interested in the Basques will soon learn that Laxalt has done more than probably any other writer to help us understand their world.

If you're not already familiar with Laxalt's books, read a few first. Here he talks about how works like "Sweet Promised Land" and "In a Hundred Graves" came about, and if you haven't read them, some of it will go over your head.

Book Description

This text is appropriate for a one-semester introductory tax course at either the undergraduate or graduate level in which the instructor emphasizes business planning and decision-making. The content of the text is highly compatible with the AICPA Model Tax Curriculum and is ideal for preparing students to take the revised computer-based CPA exam.

Jones takes a different approach to the study of taxation than the traditional tax return preparation approach. This book teaches students to recognize the role taxes play in business and investment decisions. In addition, the book presents the general role of taxation and its implications across all taxpaying entities before discussing the details relevant to specific entities. This approach allows students to really grasp the fundamental concepts that are the foundation for specific tax rules. The benefit is that the students will understand the framework of the tax system, even though specific tax rules and regulations change from year to year.

Average customer rating:

Good to find out basics of taxation in USA

Not good for problem solving

good introductory book for taxation

Principles of Taxation for Business & Investment Planning, 2006 Edition
Sally Jones
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Taxes | Accounting | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Book Description

Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning, by Sally Jones is a different approach to the study of taxation from the traditional tax return preparation approach. This book teaches students to recognize the role taxes play in business and investment decisions. In addition, the book presents the general role of taxation and its implications across all taxpaying entities before discussing the details relevant to specific entities. This approach allows students to really grasp the fundamental concepts that are the foundation for specific tax rules. The benefit is that the students will understand the framework of the tax system, even though specific tax rules and regulations change from year to year.

Customer Reviews:

Good to find out basics of taxation in USA.......2007-05-25

The book is good for people who want to find out more about tax sistem in the USA. It gives good basic principles of planning and some hints about saving money. But one can't expect to find solutions for all specific tax problems that may occur (But then - that's why you have CPA's and other tax advisors in USA, don't you? :) )

Not good for problem solving.......2006-05-11

I didn't like this textbook at all: on one hand, it is easy enough to read (with the simple examples throughout the chapters), on the other hand, it doesn't give you any guidance on how to do the homework problems, which totally differ from the chapter examples. Many of the most important rules were not in the body of the chapter but in a tiny footnotes, which you are constantly required to use in homework problems. Unless you have a great instructor, who can explain the steps for performing tax plannig cases and problems, I would not recommend this book for students who are not familiar with tax laws.

good introductory book for taxation.......2005-12-13

It is a good book to get started with some basic concepts and framework behind taxation. The book is well written and easy to read, even for people with very limited knowledge in taxation or accounting.

However, it seems to me each edition was released so early that a lot of contents had not been updated thoroughly. Many examples were still using from these from 2-3 years back. This does hamper me from getting the most update to date information. For the price I am paying, I would expect something perfect or near perfect:)

After all, I had to admit that it is a good introductory taxation book for students who are interested in taxation

I had to point out that it would not be the best book that people want to use it do their own personal income tax. For the later purpose, I would suggest to spend less than 15 bucks for a yearly edition tax form book.

Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning: 2000

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Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning: 2000
Sally M. Jones
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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General | Taxation | Law | Subjects | Books

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Tax | Law | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books

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Book Description

Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning is a new approach to the study of taxation. This book teaches students to recognize the role taxes play in business and investment decisions. In addition, the book presents the general role of taxation and its implications across all taxpaying entities before discussing the details of specific exceptions. This approach allows students to understand the conceptual underpinnings of specific tax rules. The benefit for the students is that they recognize the framework of the tax system even though specific tax regulations change from year to year.

Principles of Taxation for Business & Investment Planning, 2004 Edition

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Principles of Taxation for Business & Investment Planning, 2004 Edition
Sally Jones
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0072553502

Principles of Taxation for Business & Investment Planning, 2005 Edition

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Principles of Taxation for Business & Investment Planning, 2005 Edition
Sally Jones
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0072866519

Principles Of Taxation For Business And Investment Planning

Average customer rating:

Very good book for begginers

Principles Of Taxation For Business And Investment Planning
Sally M. Jones
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-Hill College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This text is written to provide the introductory student with a conceptual perspective of taxation so that they can understand the implications of taxation for business and investment planning. This text is appropriate for the one semester introductory tax course where the instructor emphasizes business planning based on tax concepts as opposed to tax code. The book focuses on fundamental concepts which provide students with a permanent frame of reference for future study of advanced tax topics. Students will learn to identify probable tax consequences of business and financial transactions, and adjust the business and investment decisions accordingly.

Customer Reviews:

Very good book for begginers.......2000-10-19

This is very good start for learning about taxation and tax planning. The language of the book is very simple and it is very easy to read and remember. The author goes through all the important areas of taxation. The problems after each chapter are entertaining to solve.

Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning 1999

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Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning 1999
Sally M. Jones
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-Hill College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0073035947

Book Description

This book forces students to recognize the role taxes play in business and investment decisions. In addition, the book is written to enlighten students to the general role of taxation and its implications across businesses before it presents the details of specific exceptions. This approach allows students to understand the conceptual underpinnings of specific tax rules. The benefit for the student and instructor is that they recognize the goal of certain types of taxation even though specific tax regulations change from year to year. Since Federal Taxes and Management Decisions by Jones is not being revised, we want to target FTMD users and convert them to this text.

Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning, 2003 Edition

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Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning, 2003 Edition
Sally Jones
Manufacturer: Irwin/McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0072524332

Book Description

Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning is a different approach to the study of taxation than the traditional tax preparation approach. This book teaches students to recognize the role taxes play in business and investment decisions. In addition, the book presents the general role of taxation and its implications across all taxpaying entities before discussing the details of specific exceptions. This approach allows students to really grasp the fundamental concepts that are the foundation for specific tax rules. The benefit is that the students will understand the framework of the tax system, even though specific tax regulations change from year to year.

Principles of Taxation for Business Investment Planning, 2002 edition

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Principles of Taxation for Business Investment Planning, 2002 edition
Sally M. Jones
Manufacturer: Irwin/McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Taxation | Law | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0072460407

Book Description

Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning is a different approach to the study of taxation than the traditional tax preparation approach. This book teaches students to recognize the role taxes play in business and investment decisions. In addition, the book presents the general role of taxation and its implications across all taxpaying entities before discussing the details of specific exceptions. This approach allows students to really grasp the fundamental concepts that are the foundation for specific tax rules. The benefit is that the students will understand the framework of the tax system, even though specific tax regulations change from year to year.

Study Guide for use with Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning, 3e

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Study Guide for use with Principles of Taxation for Business and Investment Planning, 3e
Sally M. Jones
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-Hill College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0072298715

Book Description

Prepared by William Duncan, Arizona State University West

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