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PREFACE:

The concept of this book is that of a personal toolthat compacts the 20% of the data that is needed 80% of the time by design professionals in the preliminary design of buildingsof all types and sizes and of the spaces between. 

This tool is meant to always be at one’s fingertips(open on a drawing board or desk, carried in a briefcase, or kept in one’s pocket).

 It is never meant to sit on a bookshelf. It is meant to be used every day! Because design professionals are individualistic and their practices are so varied, the user is encouraged to individualize this book over time, by adding notes or changing data as experience dictates.

 The addition of rough construction coststhroughout the book (making this type of handbook truly unique) will date the data. But building laws, new technologies, and materials are changing just as fast. 

Therefore, this book should be looked on as a starter of simple data collection that must be updated over time. New editions maybe published in the future. See p. 43 for more information on costs.

 Because this book is so broad in scope, yet so compact, information can be presented only at one place and not repeated. Examples of how to use the information are provided throughout. Information is presented in the form of simple ratios or coefficients that replace the need for commonsense judgment.

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